First Glance: Arkansas Razorbacks

What You Need to Know:

• Arkansas is 1-3 on the season and 0-1 in SEC play after losing at Auburn 34-3. Arkansas blew a lead against Colorado State in the second game, and just looked lost against UNT in game three.
• Arkansas outgained Auburn on Saturday, and still did not cover the 30 point spread.
• Arkansas is in year one of the Chad Morris Era as the head coach.
• Arkansas is ranked 65th in over-all S&P rankings. Offensively the Razorbacks are ranked 101 in the S&P; while ranked 28th defensively.
• Texas A&M is ranked 25th in the S&P. Offensively the Aggies are ranked 15th; while ranked 58th in defensive rankings.
• Midnight Yell will be held at the East Exchange Steps in the Fort Worth Stockyards.
• There is a free All-Aggie Tailgate at Texas Live - 1650 E. Randol Mill Rd., Arlington, TX 76011. You can Register HERE.
• Go check out Arkansas Fight, the Razorbacks’ SBNation site.

Betting Lines:

• Texas A&M opened as a -17 point favorite. The line has moved to -18.5.
• The Aggies are 4-0 against the spread this season. There are only five other teams who can boast a 4-0 ATS record this season. Arkansas is 0-3-1 ATS.

Historical Notes:

• Arkansas leads the all-time series 41-30-3; although, Texas A&M is currently riding a 6 game winning streak.
• Texas A&M will face off against former Defensive Coordinator, John Chavis, who served as the Aggies’ DC from 2015 to 2017.
• Famous Arkansas Alumni include John Daly, Jerry Jones, Barry Switzer, Jimmy Johnson, Houston Nutt, and Ellen Gilchrist. Please leave other famous alumni in the comments.
• Arkansas has a live animal mascot named Tusk IV. Tusk is a razorback (technically a Russian Boar, but razorbacks are native to Arkansas). This is the first live animal mascot A&M will face this season because Alabama won’t get a live elephant.

Razorbacks to Watch:

Arkansas Special Teams

Saturday was not pretty for the Arkansas ST unit as it allowed Auburn to score on a kickoff return; gave up two long punt returns, missed a FG, and had a punt blocked. Earlier this season, Arkansas got fooled by UNT’s punt returner:

Arkansas does not have a special teams coordinator, but the Razorbacks will have to fix the miscues to turn their season around.

La’Michael Pettway - WR

Pettway is a junior WR from Nashville, Arkansas. He has 11 receptions and 173 yards with 3 touchdowns on the season. Arkansas has 6 receiving touchdowns on the season. Pettway did not record any stats in the Auburn game as the Auburn passrush kept Arkansas from being effective. A&M’s secondary had troubles against Alabama on Saturday and must keep tabs on Pettway.

Media Blitz:

• Venue: AT&T Stadium (JerryWorld), Arlington, Texas
• When: Saturday, September 29th at 11:00 am CT
• Channel: ESPN

Newsreel:

• Aggie Punter Braden Mann set an NCAA record after averaging 60.8 yards per punt on five punts against Alabama. The previous record is 60.4 yards set by Lee Johnson of BYU against Wyoming on 10/8/1983 and Quinn Sharp of Oklahoma State against Nebraska on 10/23/2010. Punter U!

Weather:

• The game will be played in a stale NFL arena; however, there is a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the area for those tailgating. The weather should clear and be partly sunny, with a high near 85.