Arkansas came into its game with No. 14 Texas A&M reeling, having dropped home contests to Toledo and Texas Tech. And deep in the heart of Texas, the Razorbacks appeared to have the Aggies where they wanted them.
Arkansas vs. Texas A&M final score, with 3 things to know from the Aggies’ 28-21 win
One of the SEC’s early laughingstocks had one of the league’s supposed better teams right where it wanted it on Saturday night. But Arkansas let one slip.
Not so much, as it turns out. Texas A&M scored a game-tying touchdown with under five minutes to play to send the game to overtime — then added another in OT to finish off a 28-21 win over its SEC rival.
The Razorbacks dominated for almost the entirety of the game, keeping the Aggies off the field with a ball-control offense run through fine running by Alex Collins and smart passing from Brandon Allen. But a blown coverage set up A&M’s fourth-quarter touchdown, and the Aggies converted a crucial two-point conversion to tie the game.
After losing Collins briefly on that final drive in regulation, Arkansas was forced to pass. That proved catastrophic, as Myles Garrett forced an Allen fumble that the Aggies pounced on.
But A&M couldn’t drive deep enough to make Taylor Bertolet’s potential game-winner a gimme, and the seasoned kicker pushed his 38-yarder wide right, sending the SEC rivalry to overtime for the second consecutive year.
In the extra period, the Aggies got a second chance to stake Arkansas in the heart, and this time they didn’t miss. Kyle Allen found Christian Kirk on an excellent touchdown pass.
Allen to Kirk boom boom, TD pic.twitter.com/6C4TjrjpU3
— cuppycup (@cuppycup) September 27, 2015 And then A&M held off Arkansas on defense to begin their SEC schedule with a win — and score an overtime triumph over the Hogs for the second straight year.
Three things to know
1. There may not be a hole big enough to bury Texas A&M. The Aggies looked listless and frustrated by their lack of time on the field deep into this game. But Kyle Allen hit Josh Reynolds for a 63-yarder late in the fourth quarter, and everything looked like vintage A&M again.
That ability to flip the switch and hit big plays makes A&M a dangerous team, even if it’s still painfully young in spots.
2. Arkansas’s style can still be a nightmare. The Hogs didn’t win this game, and really blew it about as much as Texas A&M won it given the mistakes they made in the fourth quarter and overtime. But while the Razorbacks made all the preseason hype suggesting they could run through the SEC West look silly in those losses to Toledo and Texas Tech, they made the Aggies look powerless for about 55 minutes of play in this game.
Bret Bielema’s ball-control offense is much-maligned for its generally boring application, but it was in fine form for most of the night, keeping A&M’s offense on the sideline and keeping everything in rhythm.
3. Christian Kirk is the truth. A&M’s freshman wunderkind has been the best thing about the Aggies’ potent offense all season, and he didn’t disappoint in AT&T Stadium. Kirk had eight receptions for 173 yards and two touchdowns in the game, and his game-winning TD catch came with a high degree of difficulty.
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