10 Things to Know – Texas A&M

No. 16 Arkansas plays its first game away from Fayetteville this season as it travels to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the Southwest Classic against No. 7 Texas A&M at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 25. The game will air on CBS.

10 Things to Know – Texas A&M

1. – Behind 633 yards of total offense, the eighth-most in a single-game in program history, Arkansas rolled to a 45-10 rout of Georgia Southern last weekend. The Hogs improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2016 and 3-0 when winning each game by at least 15 points for the first time since 1998. Arkansas is attempting to start a season 4-0 for the first time since 2003 with wins over Tulsa (45-13), Texas (38-28), North Texas (31-7) and Alabama (34-31).

2. – The Razorbacks wrapped up a three-game homestand at DWRRS to open the season last week. It has been quite some time since Arkansas played its first three games of a season in Fayetteville, 88 years in fact. The 1933 also team did so defeating the College of the Ozarks (40-0), Oklahoma Baptist (42-7) and TCU 13-0, outscoring its opposition by a combined 95-7. Head coach Fred Thompson’s Hogs finished the year 7-3-1 and 4-1 in the Southwest Conference.

3. – For the second consecutive week and the 419th time in program history, the Razorbacks have been ranked in the AP Poll, this time at No. 16. Prior to 2021, Arkansas was last ranked in the 2016 season, when the team earned a top 25 spot six times. This year’s Hogs have already equaled the 2016 squad’s highest ranking of 16th. In 2016, No. 16 Arkansas fell to No. 1 Alabama 49-30.

4. – The Arkansas rushing attack is one of the best in the country this season, averaging 282.3 yards per game on the ground to rank eighth-best nationally. Last week the Hogs posted 269 rushing yards without a 100-yard individual rusher as nine different players carried the ball. Dominque Johnson, Trelon Smith and Malik Hornsby each scored a rushing touchdown, marking the first time Arkansas has logged three or more rushing touchdowns in three straight games since 2014. Arkansas is one of five FBS teams (Army, Baylor, Florida and Michigan) to rush for 240 or more yards on three occasions this season.

5. – Smith and Johnson are tied for the team-lead scoring three touchdowns each. Both backs scored a touchdown in of the first three games, becoming the first Hogs to record rushing scores in each of the first three games of a season since De’Arrius Howard and Cedric Cobbs in 2003. In total, six different Razorbacks (Smith, Johnson, KJ Jefferson, Raheim Sanders, AJ Green and Hornsby) have scored at least one time, recording 11 touchdowns this season to rank tied for fifth in FBS.

6. – QB KJ Jefferson had a day to remember against the Eagles, throwing for a career-high 366 yards and tying his career-mark with three touchdown tosses. Austin Allen was the last Hog to toss for over 360 yards when he recorded 400 against Alabama in 2016. Jefferson became one of only five FBS quarterbacks to accrue over 365 passing yards on 13 or fewer completions since 2000.

FBS Quarterbacks to Throw for Over 365 Yards on 13 or Fewer Completions

7. – WR Treylon Burks showed why he is one of the most highly touted receivers in the nation by totaling 127 receiving yards with a touchdown on just three receptions. He teamed up with Jefferson for a 91-yard TD reception, the second-longest scoring pass play in school history. Only Richard Smith’s 92-yard scoring grab from Matt Jones in 2002 against Tennessee was longer. Burks and the Razorbacks are one of only three FBS teams (Alabama and Louisville) to have a pass play of 90 or more yards this year.

8. – Center Ricky Stromberg earned the Razorbacks first SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week nod since Dan Skipper in 2016. For the season, Pro Football Focus grades Stromberg as the SEC’s top center, earning an offensive grade of 77.3.

9. – Defensively, Arkansas held Georgia Southern to 233 total yards of offense, bringing the team’s average to 263.0 yards allowed per game, the 17th-best mark nationally. The unit’s 16.0 points per game allowed ranks 27th nationally and fifth in the SEC in scoring defense. Third downs have been especially important for the Hogs this season, as Arkansas is surrendering just a 27.7% conversion rate, 16th best in the country. LB Bumper Pool’s 30 tackles lead the team with DB Jalen Catalon (28), LB Hayden Henry (24), LB Grant Morgan (20) and DB Joe Foucha (18) rounding out the top five.

10. – Arkansas leads the all-time series against Texas A&M 41-33-3, but have dropped the last nine meetings. Last season, the Aggies defeated the Hogs 42-31 in College Station, the first game in the series to be played away from AT&T Stadium since 2013. The Razorbacks last win against TAMU was on Oct. 1, 2011, a 42-38 victory in Arlington.