NFL Tickets
TV Schedule: Saturday, September 26, 6 p.m., ESPN
Stadium: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Line: TA&M (-7)
Despite Arkansas finishing last season in an exciting upswing, their hopes have already come crashing down. Last season, they won their first conference game since 2012 when they beat the Kentucky Wildcats 49-7. The Razorbacks beat LSU and took home the Golden Boot, a trophy given to the winner of the UofA-LSU game every year. A trophy that hadn’t stayed in Arkansas since 2010.
Following their shutout of LSU, the Razorbacks went on to beat Ole Miss in another shutout. With the win over Ole Miss, Arkansas became bowl eligible for the first time since 2011. They played Texas in the Texas Bowl and came out with a 31-7 victory.
In an act of faith, the AP ranked the Hogs at No. 18 in the preseason polls, and it seemed head coach Bret Bielema’s woes were over. But they came back in full force in the second game of the 2015 season when the Razorbacks lost to Toledo 12-16.
Maybe they could have passed it off as a fluke, but the very next week the Razorbacks lost at home to Texas Tech 24-35. This loss spurred a bit of beef between Bielema and Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury who commented on the loss of the Hogs and Bielema. Bielema clapped back with advice for Kingsbury to worry about his own under-.500 team.
Even if Bielema can put these comments behind him, the Hogs don’t seem likely to recover against 14th-ranked Texas A&M in their SEC opener. The Hogs surrendered 486 yards to the Red Raiders and never forced a punt. The Aggies run a similar spread attack which the Razorbacks also lost to last season in a 28-35 overtime battle.
The Aggies have been surprisingly strong ever since they joined the SEC in 2012, posting a 28-11 record and heading to bowl games in each of their SEC seasons. Last season was their worst since joining the SEC (8-5), but they finished the season by winning their bowl game against West Virginia 45-37.
Heading into Saturday’s game, the Aggies are 3-0. In last year’s matchup, the Aggies racked up 523 yards. Although they are without last year’s starting quarterback Kenny Hill who recently transferred to TCU, A&M has fared well under sophomore Kyle Allen. Allen has already garnered 594 passing yards and nine TDs this season, helping the Aggies win their three games by no less than 17 points.
Although A&M has a penchant for turnovers (six this season) and struggled against Arkansas’ physical ground game last season (surrendering 285 yards), it will be hard for the Razorbacks to bounce back from their two shocking losses. Even though Arkansas’ O-line is bigger than that of the average NFL team, their defense isn’t strong or consistent enough to pressure Allen who knows how to produce big plays in big games.
Even worse, Bielema is 0-2 in SEC openers since joining the Razorbacks. Don’t be shocked if the Razorbacks get trounced this Saturday; be shocked if the Hogs can keep it close.
Prediction: Texas A&M 42, Arkansas 21
Hannah Fields is a Tennessee Titans and SEC Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow her on Twitter @hanfran7, “Like” her on Facebook or add her to your network on Google.
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