No. 24 Texas A&M, Arkansas set for last scheduled neutral site meeting at home of Cowboys
Arkansas (3-1, 1-0 SEC) vs. No. 24 Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0), at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, Saturday 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Texas A&M by 4 1/2.
Series record: Arkansas leads 42-35-3.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
The final scheduled neutral site meeting at the home of the Dallas Cowboys is a chance for both teams to continue building momentum following early nonconference losses to ranked opponents. Arkansas lost in overtime at No. 20 Oklahoma State in Week 2. Texas A&M fell at home to 16th-ranked Notre Dame in its opener. The Razorbacks have a chance to go 2-0 in the SEC for the first time since 2006. The Aggies are 11-1 against Arkansas since joining the SEC in 2012.
KEY MATCHUP
The Texas A&M run game vs. the Arkansas rushing defense. The Aggies are eighth nationally at 265 yards rushing per game. Juniors Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels share duties out of the backfield, but the Aggies added another dimension with the emergence of dual threat redshirt freshman QB Marcel Reed. Moss is averaging 88.5 yards per game to Reed's 72.3. Reed could make his third start, but coach Mike Elko said he's hopeful Conner Weigman can play after spraining his throwing shoulder in the opener and aggravating the injury in practice.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Arkansas: RB Ja’Quinden Jackson leads the SEC at 118 yards rushing per game and has reached eight touchdowns in a season faster than any Arkansas back since 1995. The Utah transfer scored twice in last week's 24-14 victory at Auburn.
Texas A&M: DB Marcus Ratcliffe has an interception in three consecutive games, including one in the end zone late in last week's tougher-than-expected 26-20 victory over Bowling Green. Ratcliffe's three picks lead the SEC and are tied for second nationally.
FACTS & FIGURES
The schools agreed to a 15-year deal to play at the home of the Cowboys starting in 2009, the year AT&T Stadium opened. There was a home-and-home interruption in 2012-13, and they played in College Station during the pandemic-altered 2020 season. The Razorbacks won the first three Arlington meetings, but the Aggies have taken eight of the nine since then. ... Arkansas is second nationally in rushing touchdowns with 17. ... The Texas A&M defense is second in the SEC and tied for eighth nationally with six interceptions. ... Arkansas DB TJ Metcalf had two interceptions, two pass breakups and a forced fumble against Auburn. He's the first to do that for the Razorbacks since 1999. ... . Reed is the first Aggie QB to throw for two touchdowns and rush for at least 80 yards in consecutive games since Johnny Manziel in 2012.