Arkansas Has 'A Lot Of Things To be Concerned About' vs. Texas A&M, Says Sam Pittman

The Arkansas Razorbacks opened as 4.5-point underdogs vs. the Texas A&M Aggies.

Sep 21, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) hands off the ball to running back Amari Daniels (5) during the first quarter against the Bowling Green Falcons at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The Texas A&M Aggies are set to head north to Arlington to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks, in what will be the last edition of the Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium.

After that, the series will shift to a home-and-home format between Fayetteville and College Station, much to the joy of both fanbases.

That is likely particularly true for Razorbacks fans, who have watch their team lose 11 of the 12 editions of the game in Arlington.

And while this Razorbacks team is certainly capable of giving A&M a myriad of issues, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman believes the Aggies are going to be a very difficult challenge for his football team - starting with the offensive side of the ball.

“Excited to go to Dallas,” Pittman said. “Texas A&M has a really good team, very physical offensively. Huge offensive line, really well coached. They have a lot of speed in their skill positions, a lot of big receivers. Marcel Reed, we’re familiar with him... He’s got a strong arm and an ability to run. I think he rushed for 90 or 91 yards last week. They play a lot of different running backs. All of them have a great skill set. I really like their tight-end corps. (Theo Melin Ohrstrom), has made a couple of touchdown catches, and he’s a really good route runner. So on offense, there are a lot of things to be concerned about and to plan for."

But while the Aggies offense has been improved over the last two weeks, it has been the defense that has carried them to a 3-1 record through the first four games.

As such, Pittman was equally complimentary of both the defense and special teams as well, calling out true freshman playmaker Terry Bussey in the process.

“Defensively, they’re really good on their front four," Pittman said. "They have a lot of depth there. There is a lot of athleticism there. Have some returning guys at linebacker who made a lot of tackles a year ago and then their secondary is really good. Special teams-wise, their kick returner/punt returner is dynamic. The (Terry) Bussey kid... So a very good team. Their one loss is to a really good Notre Dame team.”

As it stands, the Aggies enter the matchup as 4.5-point favorites, and are widely projected to extend their dominance in the series by most experts.

Obviously, that will depend on a variety of factors, including who is under center for the Aggies, which has been a question from week to week throughout the season.

Should the Aggies be able to play their game, however, they should have a great chance to make it 12 of 13.

Kick off is set for 2:30 pm CT on ESPN on Satrday.