October 1, 2011- Cowboy Stadium- Arlington, Texas
From last year's Cotton Bowl, it was hard to get a read on Texas A&M, but one thing was clear, this team would be good the next season. Now the 2011 season has arrived and so has expectations for both A&M and their Oct. 1 opponent, old Southwestern Conference rival, Arkansas Razorbacks. The Razorbacks are coming off of their best season since 1988, finishing 2010 with a 10-3 record, losing to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl in a classic game that saw the Buckeyes up 21-7, only to blow the lead and let Arkansas back in the game 21-19. The Buckeyes fumbled a punt with under 3 minutes left in the game, holding on tight, the Razorbacks recovered in their own territory and seemed to have the win in the books. Future New England Patriot, Michigan transfer,then Hog quarterback Ryan Mallet had wide receivers Joe Adams, Jarius Wright, Greg Childs, Tight End D.J Williams,and Running backs Knile Davis, and Ronnie Wingo on his offense, he was sure to lead his team to a win right? Especially inside the 30 yard line with under 2 minutes on the clock? That's when Buckeyes Defensive coordinator Jim Heacock drew up the perfect play to steal the win. Mallett had been pressured all day, and hadn't handled it well, but in the second half, with the lead, Ohio State started to play conservative, dropping back into zones to keep the ball in front of them, and not giving up the big play. That turned out to be a bad decision as Mallett developed rhythm and time in the pocket to pick OSU's defense apart. This led to the perfect play call to win the game for Ohio State, as Arkansas had momentum from the fumble recovery and unanswered points when Buckeye Defensive End Solomon Thomas outsmarted Mallett to win the game. Heacock drew up a zone blitz for the last play of the game, and under pressure, Mallett sealed the victory by throwing an interception. The outside linebackers on this assignment were to rush with the defensive tackles toward the quarterback, while the defensive ends dropped back with the middle linebacker to counter the coverage in the middle. Under pressure, Mallet threw it right to Thomas and the game was over, the zone blitz worked perfectly.
Despite the Sugar Bowl loss to Ohio State, and losing quarterback Ryan Mallett and Tight End D.J Williams to the NFL, this year the Hogs have lots of talent and are a serious national title contender. Some experts say that junior quarterback Tyler Wilson is as good if not better than Mallett, adding the factor that Wilson has seen playing time and has experience in his two years on campus in Fayetteville. In my opinion, the Razorbacks have the best receiving core in college football this year as well. All the names mentioned above, Childs, Wright, Adams, and Cobi Hamilton are all returning and all have NFL skills, making head coach Bobby Petrino's offense dynamic and wide open. This is because Arkansas also hones one of the best running back combinations in the country also. Junior Knile Davis is considered one of the best running backs in the country, at 6'0 230 lbs., he is a power back that beasts and powers his way through defenses like carving a turkey. Davis had great season last year, piling up 1,322 yards and 13 touchdowns. After I finished this article, news came from espn.com that Davis is out for the season with a knee injury. Due to this Irony, Complimenting him is 6'3 230 lbs junior Ronnie Wingo, who was a highly regarded prospect coming out of high school just as Davis was. Wingo is a good receiver and blocker out of the backfield, and he is no slouch carrying the ball either. He had 274 yards receiving with 4 touchdowns, and also was the #3 rusher on the team with 253 yards and a touchdown. The offense is electric and it will match or put up better numbers than the 2010 team.
This presents a huge problem for Texas A&M, who lost linebacker Von Miller (1st rd pick, Denver). The defense in College Station is still strong, but could possibly put up the numbers last year's version of the Aggies did. The Aggies have 18 returning starters and look to be a top notch team this year in the Big 12, and is expected to compete for the Big 12 championship with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas. This A&M team is better than their hated rival in Austin for the second year now, and the massive alumni of Texas A&M must be loving that. Returning for the Aggies is star running back Cyrus Gray, who is a local product, and has put up impressive numbers in his career at A&M. Last season, Gray had 1, 133 yards and 12 touchdowns. Fellow senior receiver Jeff Fuller is also a star at his position, who is ultra productive. Fuller, who is 6'4 215 lbs. gets up and over defensive secondaries with ease. Fuller was 1st team Big 12 selection a year ago, garnering attention for his production, with 72 receptions for 1,066 yards and 12 touchdown catches. Jerrod Johnson, who is now graduated and gone, was a good, productive quarterback, but had problems with consistency and accuracy. His backup, former receiver Ryan Tannehill, actually had better numbers and is now the starting quarterback entering his senior season.
The Arkansas-A&M matchup is a classic rivalry going back to the southwestern conference days when both played in the famed conference together. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is a former player and alum of Arkansas, and this game is at Cowboys Stadium as it was the last two years. In '09, Arkansas's powerful offense got the best of A&M , blowing them out 47-19. Last season's match up was much closer, a 24-17 Arkansas win. The Hogs outgained the Aggies 442-324 despite a -2 turnover ratio , and A&M had a chance to win at the end of the game, but Johnson threw a costly interception to seal the victory for the Razorbacks. This year's game is completely even in my opinion, and will be one of the best non conference games of the season. I have it ranked the #3 best non conference game because of the parody between the teams and the familiarity. This could be the rejuvenation of a classic, great rivalry as "The Southwest Classic" is now played for the 3rd year in a row at Cowboy Stadium, and both Texas A&M and Arkansas are almost done resurrecting their programs to the normal standard set by each team's fan base and national standard. This game is becoming more nationally interesting and relevant each year and I expect it to be that way for years to come.
My prediction: Texas A&M wins, 38-27
Article By: Ronald Hill/ Sports junkie Publications/ sports information company
Texas A&M Photo: Courtesy of paxarcana.wordpress.com
University of Arkansas Photo: Courtesy of sportslogos.net
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