10 Things to Know - Texas A&M

No. 10 Arkansas hits the road for the first time this year to take on SEC west foe No. 23 Texas A&M in the 79th edition of the Southwest Classic. Kickoff between the Razorbacks and Aggies from inside AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, is set for 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24 on ESPN.

10 Things to Know

1. – Arkansas is coming off a 38-27 win against Missouri State. The Hogs posted a season-high 597 yards of total offense vs. the Bears. Quarterback KJ Jefferson completed 19-of-31 passing attempts for a career high 385 yards and accounted for three scores (two passing and one rushing). Raheim “Rocket” Sanders powered Arkansas’ ground attack, rushing a career high 167 yards (7.6 yards per carry) with one touchdown.

2. – For the second week in a row, Arkansas is ranked in the top 10. The Hogs stayed put at No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, marking the first time since 2012 that Arkansas has spent consecutive weeks in the AP’s top 10.

3. – The Hogs are off to a 3-0 start for the second straight year, a feat that had not happened at Arkansas since 2010-11. With a win against Texas A&M, Arkansas would improve to 4-0 in back-to-back years for the first time since 1988-89.

4. – RB Raheim “Rocket” Sanders is the Razorbacks’ leading ball carrier through three games, totaling 440 yards on 66 carries (6.3 avg) with three scores on the ground. Sanders, who posted his third consecutive 100-yard rushing effort in the win over Missouri State, leads the SEC and ranks fourth nationally in rushing yards (440) this season. His 146.7 rushing yards per game rank third in the country. The Rockledge, Fla., product has also contributed eight catches for 117 yards (14.6 avg) and a touchdown. He leads the SEC and ranks second in the country in all-purpose yards (557), generating 185.7 all-purpose yards per game.

5. – QB KJ Jefferson continues to wreak havoc on opposing defenses through the air and on the ground. Jefferson has completed 55 of 78 passes (70.5%) for 770 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 169 yards and three scores through the first three games of the reason. He ranks second in the SEC and 15th nationally in total offense, generating 313.0 total yards of offense per game.

6. – LB Drew Sanders has turned heads with his play on the defensive side of the ball this season. A transfer from Alabama, Sanders has racked up 28 total tackles (16 solo) with a team-leading 6.5 tackles for loss and a team-high 5.5 sacks through the first three games. He is tied for the national lead in sacks with 5.5 and has tallied at least one sack in all three games this year, including multiple quarterback takedowns in each of the past two contests.

7. – Arkansas leads the country in sacks with 17 this season, averaging a nation-best 5.7 quarterback takedowns per game. Seven Razorback defenders have recorded at least one sack this year.

8. – Following the Razorbacks’ win over Missouri State on Sept. 17, third-year head coach Sam Pittman is the first Arkansas head coach since Lou Holtz (1977-78) to win his first seven games against non-conference opponents.

9. – Per Pro Football Focus, Arkansas boasts the second-highest graded offensive line (87.4) in the country through three games this season. The Hogs rank fourth among P5 teams in total rushing yards (731) and third in the SEC in total offense (500.3 yards per game) through three games.

10. – LB Bumper Pool’s race to become the Hogs’ all-time leading tackler continues this Saturday. Pool (378) is 31 tackles shy of surpassing LB Tony Bua’s 408 career stops, which have been the program standard since 2003.