Arkansas Football: 3 players to watch vs Texas A&M

Since Texas A&M joined the SEC, The Southwest Classic has felt like Arkansas football‘s early season barometer. #10 Arkansas and #23 Texas A&M kick off at 6 p.m. CST on ESPN in a pivotal game for both teams.

Arkansas football comes into the game at 3-0, fresh off a comeback 38-27 win over Missouri state. The Hogs’ offense started slow but came alive late while the defense made some big plays down the stretch.

Arkansas football will need to lock in on both sides of the ball to beat Texas A&M.

Predicting which version of Texas A&M (2-1) Arkansas football will face today is a Russian Roulette-type gamble. On the one hand, the Aggies were upset at home by Appalachian State. They followed that up, though, with a win over a ranked Miami team.

What is predictable is that the Hogs will be facing a stout defense. According to College Football Reference, Texas A&M is 11th in the country in points allowed per game at 8.7. In fact, the opposing team did not reach the end zone once in both of their wins.

The Razorback offense cannot afford to take a single quarter off, and Offensive Coordinator Kendal Briles must be efficient in his play calling.

On the opposite side of the ball, the Texas A&M offense has not been overly effective this year. The Aggies are 108th in points scored per game.

Still, they are probably also licking their chops to face this Arkansas secondary that has been torched this season. Head Coach Sam Pittman hinted that there could be changes in the Arkansas football scheme as a result.

All three players on the following slides will need to perform well for the Hogs to win and head into the matchup against Alabama as an undefeated, top-ten ranked team.