Arkansas Razorbacks Defensive Players to Watch in Week 4 vs Aggies

The Razorbacks enter Saturday’s game with Texas A&M undefeated with one win already in SEC action.

When the Arkansas Razorbacks take on the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday, they’ll have to overcome a passing defense that has not been up to snuff so far this season.

The No. 10 Razorbacks and the No. 23 Aggies kick off at 6 p.m. at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The Razorbacks (3-0) enter the game with an FBS-worst 352.7 passing yards allowed per game. Arkansas has been great against the run, giving up 68.3 yards, which is No. 7 in the nation. But, teams have clearly found vulnerabilities in defensive coordinator Barry Odom’s unit.

Odom is in his third season as defensive coordinator and is a season removed from lifting the Razorbacks into the Top 40 in scoring defense. Right now, the Razorbacks are No. 79 in scoring defense, giving up 27 points.

With that in mind, here are a few defensive players to watch for the Razorbacks when they face the Aggies on Saturday.

Be sure to stick with AllAggies.com as we preview every aspect of the matchup with the Razorbacks throughout the week

LB Bumper Pool

It’s hard not to love this name. Pool has already earned SEC Player of the Week honors once, coming in the season opener. He also has 29 tackles and a sack in three games. Production is to be expected from the Third-Team All-American from a year ago. Pool had 125 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss and he’s the player that makes this defense hum.

S Latavious Brini

The injury to Jalen Catalon opened up more playing time for Brini, who started against South Carolina. He’s now the starter here, as Catalon’s shoulder surgery will keep him out for the rest of the season. He has 14 tackles so far, but plenty of experience in the SEC. He played on Georgia’s national championship team last season before transferring to Arkansas after getting his degree.

DE Zach Williams

The Razorbacks need pass-rushing wherever they can get it, and Williams, a senior, is coming off a game in which he had two sacks against Missouri State. He’s been a rotational guy, but he entered the season as Arkansas’ leading returning sacker of the quarterback (2 1/2 sacks) and he’s already matched that in three games. That’s good news for the Razorbacks.

DT Isaiah Nichols

Given the Razorbacks’ issues stopping the pass, they need to squeeze every last bit they can out of their run defense. Nichols entered the season as one of the most experience players on the interior, and so far he hasn’t disappointed. He had 22 tackles, 3 1/2 tackles for loss and 1 1/2 sacks.

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