‘Proud of the Response,’ ‘Edwards Is the Real Deal’ — Texas A&M Runs Over Arkansas 34-7 as Freshmen Spark Aggies’ First SEC Win

Texas A&M ran for 231 yards and four touchdowns and beat Arkansas 34-7 on Saturday night at Kyle Field, ending a two-game losing streak and earning its first SEC win of the season.

The Aggies (3-2, 1-2 SEC) had lost 31-21 at home to Kentucky on Sept. 19 and 35-6 at LSU on Sept. 26. On Saturday they outgained Arkansas (2-3, 0-2) 401-214, held the ball for 38:08 and kept the Razorbacks off the scoreboard after the first quarter. The victory was the 800th in program history.

“I’m proud of the response,” Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said. “Challenged the guys to come out and play physical and control the line of scrimmage, and I thought we were able to do that.”

“I feel like we just had the mindset that we needed to respond,” said Landon Rink, who had 1.5 tackles for loss for the Aggies.

Freshmen KJ Edwards, Carsyn Baker Lead Texas A&M Run Game vs. Arkansas

Safety Dalton Brooks intercepted Arkansas quarterback KJ Jackson on the Razorbacks’ opening drive and returned it 39 yards, and freshman Carsyn Baker scored on a 2-yard run. Fellow freshman KJ Edwards added a 20-yard touchdown run, the first of his career, for a 14-0 lead. Edwards finished with 66 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, and he and Baker became the first A&M freshman duo to score rushing touchdowns in the same game since Sept. 16, 2017.

Edwards said the Aggies came into the week wanting to establish the running game and credited the offensive line for controlling the line of scrimmage. After the two losses, he said, the team had “kind of just been down as a unit.”

PREDICT THE CFB SEASON:PFN’s Free CFB Playoff Predictor

Quarterback Marcel Reed completed 13 of 19 passes for 170 yards and ran for 66 yards and a touchdown. Elko said practices became more physical after the Kentucky loss in an effort to re-energize the team.

Gabe Bock, host of Looch & Bock on TexAgs, wrote on X that the Aggies “committed to the ground game” and featured Reed’s legs along with Rueben Owens, Edwards and Baker. “Edwards is the real deal,” Bock wrote.

“When you out-possess teams 38 to 21, when you out-rush teams 231 to 103, those are going to be recipes and markers to have success for sure,” Elko said.

Silverfield Calls 12-Men Penalty Inexcusable as Arkansas’ SEC Skid Reaches 13

Arkansas pulled within 14-7 on Jackson’s 26-yard touchdown pass to Chris Marshall with 24 seconds left in the first quarter. Late in the second, the Razorbacks were flagged for having 12 men on the field during an A&M field-goal try, giving the Aggies a fresh set of downs. A defensive holding penalty on third down extended the drive again, and Reed scored on a 1-yard run with 2:22 left in the half for a 21-7 lead.

Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield called the 12-men penalty, which turned a field goal into a touchdown and a four-point swing, inexcusable and said it was on the coaches, according to On3’s HawgBeat and Arkansas Razorbacks On SI.

Texas A&M’s official football account took a shot after the game, posting “12 Men > 30 to 50 feral Hogs.”

Graduate kicker David Olano then made a career-long 57-yard field goal as time expired in the half for a 24-7 lead. It was the longest made field goal by an Aggie since Terrence Kitchens’ 62-yarder against Southern Miss on Sept. 25, 1999. Olano added a 50-yarder early in the fourth quarter.

“I knew I had the range for it,” Olano said, adding that he appreciated Elko trusting him with the kick.

DIVE IN:PFN’s Free CFB HQ — Team and Player Stats, Info, and More

Arkansas finished with 214 total yards and converted 3 of 10 third downs. Jackson completed 13 of 25 passes for 111 yards, and Marshall caught seven passes for 76 yards. After Edwards’ 3-yard run made it 31-7 on the opening drive of the second half, the Razorbacks were stopped on fourth down near the goal line.

Jackson said the interception came on a play the Razorbacks had practiced multiple times and that he overthrew a receiver who was coming open on a dig route, according to HawgBeat.

Silverfield said Jackson’s opening drive was not good enough, citing a missed read and a bad throw, and said the quarterback made more misreads and poor decisions during the game, but that there was never any thought of removing him, according to SI.

At halftime, with Arkansas trailing 24-7, HawgBeat podcast host Jackson Collier, who covers Arkansas basketball for On3, questioned the head coach’s demeanor. “Silverfield not showing a lot of fire on the sidelines,” Collier wrote.

After the game, Silverfield said he was angry himself, according to SI. He said Arkansas had been thoroughly beaten and that it was not good enough, and he said he loves the team’s fans, who should be mad, and urged them to keep showing up.

Linebacker Ben Bogle had a career-high 16 tackles. He said not every player was in the right gap and that the Razorbacks were unable to execute but are more capable and will keep getting better, according to SI.

The seven points were the fewest A&M has allowed against Arkansas since Nov. 16, 1991. The loss was Arkansas’ 13th straight in SEC play, a streak dating to a 58-25 win over Mississippi State on Oct. 26, 2024, according to Arkansas Razorbacks On SI.

The crowd of 108,657 was the largest of the season and the fifth-largest in Kyle Field history. Elko said the turnout after back-to-back losses showed that the 12th Man does not live on social media, according to On3 reporter Carter Karels.

One Texas A&M fan replying to Karels’ post questioned the figure. “108,657 tickets were sold. This isn’t the actual attendance, which was less due to the rain, etc.,” the fan wrote.

Arkansas hosts Tennessee on Saturday at 3:15 p.m. CT on SEC Network. Texas A&M visits Missouri the same day, with an 11 a.m. kickoff on ABC.

“It was good to get back in the win column and push this thing back in a positive direction,” Elko said.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.