By ROBERT CESSNAThe youthful Texas A&M football team didn't handle adversity well Saturday, but if it grew up a little bit, the night wasn't a total loss.
The Aggies couldn't handle prosperity, then wilted under pressure as the Arkansas Razorbacks rolled to a 47-19 victory in the Southwest Classic at Cowboys Stadium. A&M's letdown after taking a 10-0 lead potentially could be a huge jolt to the team's confidence after a 3-0 start to the season. Instead of taking a step toward erasing doubts, many of the problems blamed for last year's 4-8 record resurfaced in the nationally televised game.
* Arkansas' defensive line, especially the ends, ran roughshod over A&M's offensive line.
* A turnover, a handful of dropped passes and too many penalties resulted in a ragged effort offensively.
* A&M's defense allowed four passing touchdowns after having given up just one in the first three games.
* A&M's offense had some good stats, but not enough big plays.
* Arkansas' coaching staff made better in-game adjustments than A&M's did.
* A&M seemed helpless as Arkansas scored 30 straight points, leaving no doubt as to the outcome.
The Razorbacks wrestled the momentum away from the Aggies by winning the line of scrimmage, especially on the defensive side. Arkansas didn't give Aggie quarterback Jerrod Johnson any lanes to run in, nor time to throw. Johnson, the team's second-leading rusher, was limited to 3 yards on 10 carries, fumbling twice.
He had 28 incompletions, many of them throw-aways in the face of pressure. Arkansas, which went in with a defense ranked next-to-last in the country in passing efficiency against, had two sacks, two quarterback pressures and broke up six passes. It was reminiscent of losses last year to Oklahoma and Texas when the Aggies had 44 incompletions as the opposition combined for 21 pressures.
It wasn't that A&M made a slew of mistakes, it's just that Arkansas was talented enough to take advantage of the Aggies' hiccups. A&M had only one turnover in 92 snaps, but Arkansas scored seven points off it. That came after Arkansas took its first lead with the help of a pass interference call.
A&M's defense, because of added speed, looked vastly improved in the first three games. But the Aggies allowed four different receivers to grab touchdowns, and reserve running back Ronnie Wingo capped the Razorback celebration with a 62-yard scoring run.
A&M's high-flying offense, surprisingly, couldn't keep pace against a unit that gave up 87 points against Georgia and Alabama.
The Aggies had impressive numbers -- 28 first downs, 345 yards passing and five different receivers with at least four catches. But the glaring stat was lack of points.
A&M entered the game averaging a point every 12.8 yards, but Arkansas allowed only a point every 24.1 yards. A&M had only four passes and runs of more than 20 yards. A&M was 2 of 5 in the red zone after missing just once in its first 17 trips.
A&M used a pair of explosive plays to take its 10-0 lead, but Arkansas did a good job of turning that around.
Razorbacks quarterback Ryan Mallett looked like a 6-foot-7, 238-pound stiff in the first three series. He didn't just miss all three of his pass attempts, he looked bad doing it, and was sacked twice. The Razorbacks couldn't run the ball either, getting 2 yards on their first four carries.
Mallett certainly found his touch, however, completing 17 of his last 24 passes for 271 yards and four scores and not getting sacked again. The sophomore transfer from Michigan won his first big game for the Razorbacks, making sure the Aggies failed in their first big test of the season.
A&M started 11 underclassmen in a game that had the feel of a major bowl. That inexperience seemed to show when Arkansas started to send Aggie fans to the exits one score at a time.
A&M's possessions after Arkansas took a 14-10 lead were for 6 plays-24 yards, 6 plays--minus-2 yards, 2 plays--minus-3 yards, 3 plays--minus-5 yards and 3 plays-0 yards as the Razorbacks took a 30-10 lead.
Johnson was 2-of-12 passing for 17 yards during that time, along with four carries for 0 yards and the game-changing fumble.
A&M head coach Mike Sherman admitted afterward that he probably abandoned the run too quickly, and the statistics supported that. Running backs Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael combined for 13 carries in the first half for 85 yards rushing (6.5). Those are solid numbers, but it's hindsight.
If Johnson scores instead of fumbling, the Aggies take a 17-14 lead. Then does it matter? Or what would have happened if clutch receiver Ryan Tannehill hadn't dropped a potential touchdown catch earlier in the game to push the lead to 17-7?
Forget about the what-ifs.
Arkansas kicked the Aggies pretty good. From the head coach to the backup offensive guards, it was an effort riddled with enough mistakes to lose by four touchdowns against a team destined for a 5-7 or 6-6 season.
The poor showing on such a huge stage brings out references to past losses, which have no bearing on this team.
What does matter is how A&M handles its first adversity of the season, which also was the first misfortune for 15 true freshmen who saw action.
The Aggies will open Big 12 play Saturday against Oklahoma State, the league's most experienced team. A&M then has road trips to Kansas State and Texas Tech.
The best thing about the loss to Arkansas is it's time to be looking ahead. There's nothing that can be done about what happened in Arlington, except to use the experience to make sure some of the same mistakes aren't repeated.
Robert Cessna's e-mail address is robert.cessna@theeagle.com.
Notice about comments:
Theeagle.com is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. theeagle.com cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not theeagle.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Full terms and conditions can be read here.
Aggiesports.com is proud to offer our users enhanced commenting features. You can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends’ recent posts, add an avatar that fits your personality and more. If you have posted here before you’ll need to sign up again, and if you’ve never posted start now by signing up! If you've already registered for the new comments on www.theeagle.com then just use your Eagle username to log in and start commenting.