Each Monday, 12th Man Productions' Will Johnson will take a look inside the numbers of the latest game with "After Math".
Texas A&M and Arkansas have played big games in the long history of the rivalry.
In 1957, John David Crow intercepted a late pass in Fayetteville, helping the No. 1-ranked Aggies to a 7-6 victory over the No. 11 Razorbacks.
1975 in Little Rock, A&M again had national title hopes heading into the regular season finale with the Hogs. They were crushed at the hands of a menacing Arkansas defense. The 18th-ranked Razorbacks beat the No. 2 Aggies, 31-6.
In the late '80s, it seemed every gathering had conference title implications and physical, grueling matchups ensued.
Saturday night in Arlington, there was a similar feel in the air. A&M was ranked 10th, Arkansas 17th. Although it's just September, it felt important to what was to come in the division race.
Some of what transpired defied football logic.
Arkansas had controlled time of possession each of the last two years versus A&M. They had the Aggies staring at defeat in both, only to see A&M surge late for overtime wins.
Saturday, the same. Arkansas dominated the clock holding the ball for 39:45. This time though, the Aggies won easier.
In part because of red zone defense.
Make no mistake, the Aggies continued to have their own problems offensively inside the opponents' 20 (getting no points of 2 of 3 trips down there), but what they did defensively was truly special.
The Razorbacks excel in the red zone, and they did get a touchdown the first time they ventured into it. It marked 9 straight trips inside their foes' 20 in which they finished with a TD. After that, Arkansas reached the red zone 6 more times…they failed to score any points on 3 of those trips.
Obviously, the highlight was the goal-line stand in the third quarter. The big, physical Hogs, mere inches from the end zone, resorted to an end-around to try get in. They simply could not get through A&M's front line. They couldn't get outside Armani Watts either, and when the safety brought down Keon Hatcher for a loss on fourth down, the Aggies owned the rest of the night. By the way, Watts was awe-inspiring in his performance at the safety position.
The Razorbacks thrive when they have two or less yards to go on any down, anywhere on the field. In what is likely the most incredible stat from Saturday, they ran 9 offensive plays from, or inside, the A&M 2-yard line. They scored touchdowns on NONE of them, gaining no yards or losing yardage on all but one.
"For our guys to step in there and do that, it says a lot about our team," said head coach Kevin Sumlin with a prideful pause in his answer.
Shortly after Watts' take down of Hatcher, the Aggies went deep to Josh Reynolds and took the lead for good.
It was another explosive play for the Maroon and White. Texas A&M has now notched 26 plays gaining 20 or more yards in the 2016 season, outpacing their opponents' total of 15.
"We've got guys that can make plays," says Sumlin. "That was the conversation at halftime. Because of the limited number of plays we had to get some explosive plays. We had to be able to run, and get some things over the top."
The Reynolds TD was the only score in the third quarter. A&M has now won the frame, 37-0, for the season.
What does it all at up to?
A clean slate through the first month of the season, despite some real opposition.
There are still 27 undefeated teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Only Texas A&M and Stanford have gotten there while beating three 'Power Five' opponents.
Before the season, some said the Aggies were soft. After the game, when asked about how much time the defense spent on the field, Armani Watts had a hardened statement for those critics.
"We love being on the field. We embrace it. All year people have been saying our defense is like tissue, so there's a chip on our shoulder. We remember that every snap we go out there."
The chip may have given the Aggies a leg up in the Western division race. Still several laps need to be run, but A&M is on pace.
This was the first time Texas A&M and the Razorbacks went head to head while both were in the Top 25 as members of the Southeastern Conference.
Saturday was a throwback to the A&M-Arkansas days of old. They've played their share as ranked opponents, and several with conference title implications. The matchups mentioned above were all high-stakes in the Southwest Conference.
That was their past.
On Saturday, we may have gotten a glimpse into their SEC future.
Texas A&M and Arkansas have played big games in the long history of the rivalry.
In 1957, John David Crow intercepted a late pass in Fayetteville, helping the No. 1-ranked Aggies to a 7-6 victory over the No. 11 Razorbacks.
1975 in Little Rock, A&M again had national title hopes heading into the regular season finale with the Hogs. They were crushed at the hands of a menacing Arkansas defense. The 18th-ranked Razorbacks beat the No. 2 Aggies, 31-6.
In the late '80s, it seemed every gathering had conference title implications and physical, grueling matchups ensued.
Saturday night in Arlington, there was a similar feel in the air. A&M was ranked 10th, Arkansas 17th. Although it's just September, it felt important to what was to come in the division race.
Some of what transpired defied football logic.
Arkansas had controlled time of possession each of the last two years versus A&M. They had the Aggies staring at defeat in both, only to see A&M surge late for overtime wins.
Saturday, the same. Arkansas dominated the clock holding the ball for 39:45. This time though, the Aggies won easier.
In part because of red zone defense.
Make no mistake, the Aggies continued to have their own problems offensively inside the opponents' 20 (getting no points of 2 of 3 trips down there), but what they did defensively was truly special.
The Razorbacks excel in the red zone, and they did get a touchdown the first time they ventured into it. It marked 9 straight trips inside their foes' 20 in which they finished with a TD. After that, Arkansas reached the red zone 6 more times…they failed to score any points on 3 of those trips.
Obviously, the highlight was the goal-line stand in the third quarter. The big, physical Hogs, mere inches from the end zone, resorted to an end-around to try get in. They simply could not get through A&M's front line. They couldn't get outside Armani Watts either, and when the safety brought down Keon Hatcher for a loss on fourth down, the Aggies owned the rest of the night. By the way, Watts was awe-inspiring in his performance at the safety position.
The Razorbacks thrive when they have two or less yards to go on any down, anywhere on the field. In what is likely the most incredible stat from Saturday, they ran 9 offensive plays from, or inside, the A&M 2-yard line. They scored touchdowns on NONE of them, gaining no yards or losing yardage on all but one.
"For our guys to step in there and do that, it says a lot about our team," said head coach Kevin Sumlin with a prideful pause in his answer.
Shortly after Watts' take down of Hatcher, the Aggies went deep to Josh Reynolds and took the lead for good.
It was another explosive play for the Maroon and White. Texas A&M has now notched 26 plays gaining 20 or more yards in the 2016 season, outpacing their opponents' total of 15.
"We've got guys that can make plays," says Sumlin. "That was the conversation at halftime. Because of the limited number of plays we had to get some explosive plays. We had to be able to run, and get some things over the top."
The Reynolds TD was the only score in the third quarter. A&M has now won the frame, 37-0, for the season.
What does it all at up to?
A clean slate through the first month of the season, despite some real opposition.
There are still 27 undefeated teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Only Texas A&M and Stanford have gotten there while beating three 'Power Five' opponents.
Before the season, some said the Aggies were soft. After the game, when asked about how much time the defense spent on the field, Armani Watts had a hardened statement for those critics.
"We love being on the field. We embrace it. All year people have been saying our defense is like tissue, so there's a chip on our shoulder. We remember that every snap we go out there."
The chip may have given the Aggies a leg up in the Western division race. Still several laps need to be run, but A&M is on pace.
This was the first time Texas A&M and the Razorbacks went head to head while both were in the Top 25 as members of the Southeastern Conference.
Saturday was a throwback to the A&M-Arkansas days of old. They've played their share as ranked opponents, and several with conference title implications. The matchups mentioned above were all high-stakes in the Southwest Conference.
That was their past.
On Saturday, we may have gotten a glimpse into their SEC future.