Know Your Foe: What Hogs Need to Know About Texas A&M

Q&A with Robert Behrens, managing editor of Texas A&M's SB Nation site Good Bull Hunting, previews Arkansas' week five matchup with Aggies

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman after the Aggies victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks at AT&T Stadium. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The winner of the Southwest Classic usually performs extremely well throughout the season.

Arkansas looked like it was about to turn the corner during the series in 2021 with a 10-point victory. However, the success was short-lived with wild finishes like the 2022 doinked field goal off the upright kept the Razorbacks on the losing side once again.

Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino returns to the stadium where he went 4-0 as the Razorbacks head coach from 2009-2011. Petrino is also facing a school which he was employed last season and quarterback Taylen Green, from nearby Lewisville, Texas, likely wants to put on a show for his hometown at AT&T Stadium.

With an opportunity to start 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 2006, here's a one-on-one interview with Robert Behrens of Good Bull Hunting.

Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) runs the ball during the second half against the Bowling Green Falcons at Kyle Field. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

JACOB: With redshirt freshman quarterback Marcel Reed likely to start, it will the third straight season a backup will start for the Aggies in the Southwest Classic. What do Arkansas fans need to know about Reed?

ROBERT: Reed is a true dual threat QB, though I'd say his shiftiness is more of a threat than his straight line speed. Overall he ha shown poise beyond his years, but his passing accuracy has been a bit inconsistent (looking great against Florida and suspect against Bowling Green), so which version of the young QB shows up could go a long way in determining this game.

JACOB: Thoughts from Texas A&M's side facing its former offensive coordinator?

ROBERT: The revenge factor from Petrino could be cause for concern, and the Hogs have certainly shown flashes of offensive explosiveness this season. Overall I don't think there's a lot of animosity toward Petrino on the A&M side though, as most Aggies put the lion's share of the blame for their 2023 struggles at the feet of Jimbo Fisher.

Arkansas Razorbacks offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino on the sidelines during a game with UAB. / Michael Morrison-Hogs on SI Images

JACOB: What's the overall vibe around College Station with the Aggies 3-1 (1-0 SEC) with a first year head coach?

ROBERT: After starting 0-1, being 3-1 and 1-0 in SEC play has been a nice rebound. But even within that, I think most A&M fans would agree that this team has shown a tendency to play below their perceived potential.

The defense has looked mostly solid, but has been vulnerable to chunk plays. The offense has been up and down, with the run game seeming to function well, but the passing game has left a lot to be desired.

Certainly Arkansas should be a team who has their attention and gets their best effort, but the jury is most definitely still out on who this A&M team is and what their ceiling could be.

JACOB: What would a win or loss do for the Aggies for 2024?

ROBERT: A win for A&M this Saturday is a big potential springboard, setting up a ranked vs. ranked showdown at Kyle Field against Mizzou the week after. It would also put an oh so lovely bow on this series' time at AT&T Stadium.

A loss would sting, not just because of the rivalry with Arkansas, but for what it means the rest of the way. All due respect to the Hogs, but if A&M is the inferior team here, it likely means they've got several more losses to come the rest of the way, and that's never a good feeling.

As is often the case this time of year, fan optimism is a weekly tightrope walk.

Arkansas Razorbacks running back Ja'Quinden Jackson runs for yardage against UAB at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. / Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images

JACOB: How are the Aggies preparing for Arkansas run-heavy offensive attack?

ROBERT: After giving up 5.25 yards per carry in their first two games against Notre Dame and McNeese, A&M seems to have found it's stride on run defense, holding Florida and Bowling Green to a paltry 141 yards combined on just 2.9 yards per carry.

Certainly some of that can be chalked up to what the opponent was doing, but it's safe to say that the Aggie DL is considered a strength. Teams that have succeeded have gotten the ball out very quickly on short throws to limit the ability of the pass rush.

JACOB: Elko mentioned Taylen Green's dynamic ability as a dual threat quarterbacks during his preview of Arkansas. Can the Aggies defense slow him down unlike Oklahoma State and Auburn in previous weeks?

ROBERT: I definitely think the A&M defense should be a step up from Auburn and Oklahoma State in terms of caliber of athlete, but that doesn't mean Green can't be effective. Athletic playmakers always scare me a little bit. But if A&M is able to keep Arkansas behind the chains, I think Elko's schemes have the potential to confuse the QB and force him into some mistakes (which is certainly what happened when they faced DJ Lagway two weeks ago).

Despite being gifted runners, I think Green as well as Reed for A&M (assuming Weigman is still not healthy) need to succeed more through the air in order for their teams to pull out the W.

Texas A&M Aggies coach Mike Elko walks the sideline against the Florida Gators during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

JACOB: What's your game prediction for the final Southwest Classic?

ROBERT: Honestly, this is a tough one to predict. Arkansas has certainly shown signs of weakness over the first month of the season, but A&M has been in many ways a flawed team as well. And this game has always ended up being a bit wacky.

If you're an Aggie, you're putting your faith in this new coaching staff and that the team can continue to improve week over week. If the Aggies can assert the run game and be opportunistic through the air, I think they have a good shot to win. The offense has also been pretty good at limiting turnovers (only one in the past three games) and they'll need for that to continue as well. Add that to what should hopefully be a stingy defense that can force a couple of turnovers on their own, and I think A&M is there favorite here, albeit a small one.

At the end of the day, I think A&M has found ways to beat much better Arkansas teams than this one, and I think the Aggies pull out yet another win on Saturday. Score predictions are mostly meaningless, but I'll say 27-20 Aggies. Gig 'em.

HOGS FEED:

• Razorbacks' offense facing biggest challenge yet this season

• Hogs release availability report ahead of Southwest Classic against Aggies

• How Hogs can have Aggies using 12th Man towels to wipe tears

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