Offense gets a D and rest C's for Arkansas football in loss to Texas A&M

Christina Long, Fort Smith Times Record
·2 min read
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ARLINGTON, Texas — For a second straight week, Arkansas football played a nailbiter. But unlike last week, Arkansas couldn't complete the comeback against Texas A&M. The No. 10 Razorbacks fell to the No. 20 Aggies 23-21 at AT&T Stadium on Saturday night.

Arkansas (3-1, 1-1 SEC) got off to a strong start on both sides of the ball, but Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0) took advantage of costly mistakes after the first quarter to get the win.

Here's how we're grading the Razorbacks' performance.

TAKEAWAYS:Arkansas football drops heartbreaker to Texas A&M for first loss of 2022 season

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Offense: D

After jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on a pair of long touchdown passes, Arkansas' offense struggled to put together drives. After quarterback KJ Jefferson's costly second-quarter fumble near the goal line, Arkansas punted on its next three drives. The Razorbacks only scored once more.

Defense: C

Missed tackles plagued Arkansas again Saturday, as did poor play in the secondary. The defense held up in the first quarter, holding the Aggies scoreless and getting a sack. But after that, Arkansas' defense made a Texas A&M offense that was sluggish in its first three games look good. Almost 75% of the Aggies' offensive yardage came on chunk plays of 10 yards or more.

Special teams: C

Freshman punter Max Fletcher had another lackluster performance. His average on six punts was 36.3 yards. On the receiving end, punt returner Bryce Stephens muffed a punt early. Luckily for Arkansas, freshman Quincey McAdoo recovered the fumble to avoid the turnover. But the killer on special teams was the missed 42-yard field goal from the usually reliable Cam Little. It would have given Arkansas a one-point lead with 1:30 to play.

Coaching: C

Most of the game's biggest plays weren't a result of any particular coaching decisions, but there were some baffling play calls. Arkansas tried three trick plays, none of which had the intended effect. One of them, a double-pass that led to a sack of receiver Jadon Haselwood, went for a 5-yard loss.

Overall: C

Arkansas' offense struggled from the second quarter onward, and the defense couldn't seem to stop the league's least effective offense. It was an uninspiring performance on both sides that gave Arkansas its first loss of what is shaping up to be a tough schedule.

Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks for the Southwest Times Record and USA Today Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@swtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Report card: Arkansas football offense gets a D in loss to Texas A&M