A&M weathers storm vs. Arkansas to mark first 7-0 start since 1994

Click HERE to view Texas A&M’s postgame press conference.

Game #7: No. 4 Texas A&M 45, Arkansas 42
Records: Texas A&M (7-0, 4-0), Arkansas (2-5, 0-3)
Box Score

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A deluge, a flood and seemingly incessant strikes of lightning hit the Ozarks on Saturday.

The weather was tempestuous, too.

Torrential rain delayed the start of No. 4 Texas A&M’s Southeastern Conference football clash with Arkansas. When the game kicked off two hours late, a scoring deluge, floods of frustration and lightning-quick big plays immediately ensured.

The Aggies (7-0, 4-0) ultimately weathered the storm to escape the upset-minded Razorbacks (2-5, 0-3) with a tense 45-42 victory.

Of course, it was stressful. A&M-Arkansas football games are almost always dramatic nail-biters. This one, though, reached new levels of angst.

A&M quarterback Marcel Reed threw three touchdown passes, rushed for another and accumulated 335 yards of total offense.

Yet, he was upstaged by Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green, who frequently slipped away from frustrated A&M tacklers like a greased pig.

Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Accounting for five touchdowns, Taylen Green was 19-of-32 passing for 256 yards while also adding 86 yards on the ground.

“He’s a tremendous player,” Aggie coach Mike Elko said. “Hats off to him. Every time I felt like we were trying to get a grasp of the game, he did something remarkable to keep it in their hands."

Green passed for three touchdowns and ran for two. His brilliance prevented A&M from securing the victory until Terry Bussey recovered an onside kick with 10 seconds remaining.

“The offense never let them get the ball back with a chance to take the lead,” Elko said. “I thought that was huge. We never let them actually touch the ball with a chance to go up. It’s a credit to our offense.

“Defensively, we picked a really bad night to play bad football.”

A&M’s usual miserly defense had allowed just 203 rushing yards to three previous SEC opponents (Auburn, Mississippi State and Florida) combined. Arkansas had 15 more than that by halftime.

The Razorbacks posted 19 plays that covered 10 yards or more. Green accounted for 13 of them.

A&M’s offense compensated for the subpar defensive effort. Usual bit-players Ashton Bethel-Roman, Rueben Owens II and EJ Smith co-starred with Reed.

Owens, starting in place of the injured Le’Veon Moss, rushed for two touchdowns. Bethel-Roman had four catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. Smith ran for 52 yards and used a second effort to convert a crucial 4th and 1 in the fourth quarter.

It was one of the Aggies’ three 4th-and-1 conversions.

“We were going to be aggressive because we knew it was going to be a high-scoring game,” Elko said. “We knew our advantage was going to be our offense against their defense.

“We knew they were going to be able to score points. It’s a very challenging offense that’s been successful all year.”

Reed threw three touchdown passes and ran for another to cap A&M’s first three drives. The last one — a 1-yard pass to Nate Boerkircher — lifted A&M to a 21-6 lead with just 3:32 left in the half.

That was more than enough time for Arkansas.

Green scrambled 27 yards for a touchdown. Then, he passed seven yards to O’Mega Blake for another with just two seconds left in the half to cut A&M’s lead to 21-20.

A&M scored the first 10 points of the second half on a Reed pass to KC Concepcion and a 29-yard Randy Bond field goal.

But each time, the Aggies threatened to pull away, the stubborn Razorbacks kept coming back.

When tight end Jaden Platt, a transfer from A&M, caught a 4-yard touchdown pass and Arkansas added a two-point conversion, the Aggies held a precarious 38-35 lead with 11:30 remaining in the game.

Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Texas A&M was led on the ground by Rueben Owens II, who accounted for 69 yards and a pair of touchdowns. 

Three plays later, A&M faced 4th-and-1 on its own 34-yard line. Fail to convert, and Arkansas would already be in position to tie. The surging Razorbacks might have taken the lead.

Smith headed left with a handoff, but collided with tight end Micah Riley in the backfield. Smith gathered himself and fought forward for a two-yard gain.

That led to a 12-yard Owens touchdown run that provided A&M’s winning points.

“When we went for it on fourth down, and EJ got hit in the backfield, and he kept running, I thought, ‘Yeah, we’re good,’” Bethel-Roman said.

Well, there would still be some drama.

Green led Arkansas to a touchdown with 10 seconds left. There was still enough time to get the onside kick, get a quick completion and attempt a game-tying field goal.

But the Aggies endured to stretch their record to 7-0 for the first time since 1994.

Additionally, the win, coupled with No. 2 Miami’s loss to Louisville on Friday night, is expected to elevate A&M to at least No. 3 in the national polls. That would be A&M’s highest ranking since 1995.

They’ve waited three decades to make those moves. So, having to wait two hours through a weather delay wasn’t a big deal.