Spinkle carries big load against Aggies
FAYETTEVILLE — Tonight, for the first time since Bobby Petrino’s seventh-ranked 2011 Razorbacks defeated No. 11 Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl, a ranked Arkansas team battles a top-25 opponent.
Bret Bielema’s Razorbacks are ranked No. 17 (Associated Press) and 18 (coaches) while Kevin Sumlin’s Texas A&M Aggies are No. 10 and 13, respectively, for the 8 p.m. kickoff at AT&T Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas (ESPN — Resort Channel 30).
Since 2012, Arkansas has played 16 games against top-25 teams. Arkansas’ own brief national rankings under John L. Smith in 2012 and Bielema in 2015 were squandered in September upset losses before the Razorbacks played ranked opposition.
Arkansas, 3-0 including a road victory at then No. 15 TCU, has never met Texas A&M as a Southeastern Conference rival without a blemish on its schedule.
Sumlin’s 3-0 Aggies opened the season defeating then-No. 16 UCLA and last week won their SEC opener at Auburn.
So with a game of two teams of this high caliber, the games within a game abound. Some of those not only will help determine tonight’s outcome, but become a major step in NFL scouts evaluating the talent for the NFL draft next year and beyond.
For Arkansas senior tight end Jeremy Sprinkle, trying to follow the 2015 Mackey Award-winning Arkansas footsteps of since turned San Diego Charger Hunter Henry, has matchups guaranteed for pro attention.
As a blocker Sprinkle, 6-6, 256, is beset by 2015 All-American Myles Garrett at one defensive end. At the other end, Sprinkle will find Daeshon Hall, the Aggie many deem close to and maybe even better than Garrett.
And, as a receiver ,Sprinkle will attempt to catch quarterback Austin Allen’s passes against an A&M secondary likely to send its starting safeties to the NFL.
“Sprink is one of the best in the nation going up against some of the best in the nation,” Austin Allen said. “So he’s ready to show out what he can do in the blocking game and the passing game. I am sure he will be ready for it.”
Tight-ends coach Barry Lunney said Sprinkle had better be ready.
“This will be a tremendous challenge for him Saturday,” Lunney said. “He’s got to be at his best for us to be successful.”
Arkansas receivers coach Michael Smith knows his wideouts are too essential blocking in the running game and running routes to attract defensive attention, enabling fellow receivers and Sprinkle to get open, for him get too caught up in receiving stats.
Nevertheless Smith sees senior Keon Hatcher leading the Razorback receivers with 11 catches for 204 yards and starts illustrating Hatcher’s game by the numbers against A&M.
“I am looking at stats with Keon right now that we have a big game this weekend,” Smith said. “No disrespect to the opponents that we have played but this is a conference game. This is the measure of where we (his receivers) stand as a position and Keon as an individual.”
Whether it’s Arkansas defensive coordinator Robb Smith and the defensive assistants projecting the plays that senior defensive linemen Deatrich Wise and Jeremiah Ledbetter make, or Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos counting on the line opening holes for running back Rawleigh Williams III to establish the ground game opening Allen for eventual play-action passes to Sprinkle, Hatcher and wideouts Drew Morgan and Dominique
Reed , the Hogs’ brass will have some numbers in mind.
Ditto A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis projecting plays made by Garrett and Hall and the defensive tackles between them and the linebackers and secondary behind them.
Meanwhile, new A&M offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone has the Aggies off and running. Trayveon Williams and Keith Ford average 8.4 and 4.8 per carry, and graduate Oklahoma transfer quarterback Trevor Knight 5.4 yards.
And though Knight is known more as a running than passing quarterback, he has targets ripe for the catching.