Arkansas takes on Texas A&M.
FAYETTEVILLE - All week, new Arkansas coach Chad Morris has addressed the special teams’ special problems vexing his Razorbacks already perceived at an offensive and defensive disadvantage against the Texas A&M Aggies.
The Razorbacks (1-3 overall/0-1 SEC) are deemed 20-point underdogs against the Aggies (2-2, 0-1) of new coach Jimbo Fisher in today’s 11 a.m. ESPN televised SEC West game at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Given that while A&M has won all six of its SEC games with Arkansas since joining the league in 2012, three of the last four, including last season’s game, were decided in overtime, Arkansas down by 20 in the odds likely would be halved or even less if not for its prodigious problems on special teams.
Inabilities to punt, protect the punter, cover punts, cover kickoffs while hit and miss on field goals all manifested in Arkansas’ 34-3 SEC opening loss at then ninth-ranked Auburn last Saturday and plagued the Razorbacks in their 44-17 loss to North Texas the preceding Saturday in Fayetteville.
Auburn had a kickoff return for a touchdown, broke three long punt returns, blocked one punt, partially blocked another and would have blocked another but for the rusher breaking through so fast he overran the punter.
And while Christian Kirk and his 100-yard kickoff return and two touchdowns against Arkansas last year now plies his trade in the NFL as a second-round draft choice, the always fast Aggies presumably can exploit the Hogs if they don’t especially improve their special teams.
“They have probably have six or seven receivers who could play anywhere in the country,” said Arkansas defensive coordinator John Chavis, A&M’s defensive coordinator from 2015-2017 under former Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin.
Unless he has a position player with a leg up from punting back in high school, Morris can only keep trying punters Reid Bauer, Blake Johnson and Matthew Phillips until one of them proves himself like he believes Ty Storey has at quarterback upon Storey asserting himself last week.
But Morris can, though it risks tiring his offense
and defense in the fourth quarter, surround his kickers with better support employing more starting position players on the punt and kickoff teams than he normally would prefer.
“We have made several (special teams) personnel changes,” Morris said. “Just trying to create the depth we need.”
Comparing the Hogs, losing three games consecutively, two as favorites before bowing in non-conference at Colorado State and in Fayetteville to North Texas before falling by 31 at Auburn to the Aggies, Arkansas needs all the depth it can muster.
The Aggies’ losses are 45-23 to Alabama, the nationally No. 1 defending national champion, and 28-26 to Clemson, then No. 2 and now No. 3. A&M victories are 59-7 and 48-10 blowouts over Northwestern (La.) State and Louisiana-Monroe.
Even against Alabama, A&M’s defense was tough on third down, an Arkansas woe converting just 3-of-17 third downs at Auburn.
“We’ve got to stay out of third-and-long,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Joe Craddock said. “Third-andseven plus kinda get us in a bind. A&M is again the same thing we saw last week (from Auburn’s highly touted defense). They move around, bring pressure.”
A&M may be a shade behind Auburn’s defensive caliber, but likely just a shade.
Offensively, the Aggies are ahead of an Auburn team that the Razorbacks defended against well and would have defended even better if not cast in a field position bind by the special teams breakdowns.
A&M sophomore quarterback Kellen Mond (10 carries for 109 yards and 14-of-27 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns against Arkansas last year), and running back Trayveon Williams (17 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown against Arkansas last year coming off a foot injury and 12 carries for 153 yards and two touchdowns when healthy against Arkansas in 2016), obviously have been more than the Hogs can handle.
Mond especially could be harder than ever to handle growing into his position as a sophomore, Arkansas junior defensive end Sosa Agim said.
“He’s gotten a lot smarter and he’s gotten a lot faster and more decisive in run and pass,” Agim said.
However, the Hogs are feeling better about themselves with senior mainstays Dre Greenlaw at weakside linebacker and defensive end Randy Ramsey finally healed from early season injuries and last week at Auburn asserting themselves along with Agim, middle linebacker Scoota Harris and defensive tackles Armon Watts and T.J. Smith.
Offensively, despite only scoring three points and constantly backed up because of Arkansas’ struggling special teams, Arkansas actually outgained Auburn in total offense and at times its offensive line won the line of scrimmage over an Auburn front seven that Morris called “as good as I’ve seen.”
The Hogs feel better, but they’ll have to play more than a heap better today to defy the odds and the Aggies.