Texas A&M Still Outside Coaches Poll After Dominant Arkansas Win

Texas A&M football finally stopped the bleeding Saturday night, but one dominant win wasn’t enough to put the Aggies back in the national rankings.

Texas A&M rolled past Arkansas 34-7 at Kyle Field, snapping a two-game SEC losing streak and improving to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in conference play.

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The Aggies received just one vote in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll, leaving them well outside the Top 25 despite one of their most complete performances of the season.

The bigger story, though, may be what A&M found against Arkansas.

Freshman running back KJ Edwards broke out with 66 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, while quarterback Marcel Reed added 66 yards and another score on the ground.

Texas A&M made establishing the run a priority and finished with four rushing touchdowns while controlling the line of scrimmage.

“We knew coming into the week we wanted to establish the running game,” Edwards said.

The defense was even more impressive.

A&M held Arkansas to 209 total yards and seven points, both season lows for the Razorbacks.

Edge rusher Marco Jones generated six pressures and recorded the Aggies’ only sack, while the secondary limited quarterback KJ Jackson to 111 passing yards.

Former Aggies receiver Chris Marshall provided Arkansas’ lone major offensive moment, catching seven passes for 76 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown.

Coach Mike Elko praised the response after losses to Kentucky and LSU.

“Proud of the response,” 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.”

Texas A&M now gets a much tougher opportunity to change its national perception.

The Aggies travel Saturday to face No. 14 Missouri, which jumped nine spots in the Coaches Poll after hammering Florida 45-17.

A&M isn’t close to regaining a ranking yet.

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But beating Arkansas the way it did gives the Aggies something they badly needed: momentum.

Win at Missouri, and the conversation changes quickly.