Do not. 23 Texas A&M defeated the No. 23 player 23-21. The Arkansas 10 were on balance Saturday night as a 42-yard field goal attempt by Razorbacks kicker Cam Little headed toward the post with 1:30 left. Then, in a brutal twist of fortune for the sophomore, the ball bounced off the top of the right goal post, shot into the air, and fell into the end zone, a miss.
From there, the Aggies pulled out all the stops for a win in their SEC opener. It was one of two harrowing games that cost the Razors dearly in the SEC West showdown. While Arkansas outscored Texas A&M for 415-343 total yards, it only scored once in its final eight possessions after going 14-0. Meanwhile, Texas A&M’s offense was just fine, with Devin Arkann rushing for 159 yards on 19 carries for his second straight win since a Week 2 home loss to Appalachian State.
Little’s late shot attempt might not have been needed if it weren’t for another odd game late in the first half. On the cusp of a two-round lead with 3:31 left in the second quarter, disaster struck and reversed the momentum in the Aggies’ favor. Facing the first goal from the 3-yard line, quarterback KJ Jefferson attempted to jump over a pile of defenders when the ball free-falled to Texas A&M’s Tyreek Chappell, who ran for about 15 yards.
Then, just when his stride seemed to have stalled and the game might have been blown to death, Chappell handed the ball to Demane Richardson, who threw it 83 yards out for a stunning finish. array. Although the Aggies’ scoring attempt failed, the insane turnover and scoring likely constituted a 13-point swing in a single game.
Combined, the odd field goal percentage and 98-yard fumble return made the difference for Texas A&M. 2 Alabama will play a highly anticipated game next week that will have a big impact on the division title.