ARLINGTON – Before we go on with this Texas A&M season, let’s just be clear: the Aggies will go as far as Kellen Mond can carry them. The junior quarterback’s arm, legs and health will be the determining factor for the final record.
A&M entered Saturday’s Southwest Classic (their name, not ours) at AT&T Stadium with a seven-game winning streak over Arkansas. It’s now eight, matching the Razorbacks’ streak in the 1960s, when both schools were in the dead-and-gone Southwest Conference. The 21st-ranked Aggies’ hold-your-breath 31-27 victory over the Hogs is unlikely to impress the voters. A&M was favored to win by three touchdowns.
Arkansas (2-3, 0-2) was playing like pig phooey, coming off a 31-24 loss to San Jose State (which followed that up by getting run over at Air Force Friday night). The Razorbacks, playing with their backup quarterback (SMU refugee Ben Hicks) for over half the game, outgained A&M and had their last gasp for an upset when Hicks’ fourth-and-five pass from the Aggies’ 19 fell incomplete.
“We didn’t play as well as we needed to,” A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said. “That’s the way we’ve been. An SEC win is an SEC win. You find ways to persevere but we’re not content, happy or satisfied with how we played. There are no bad wins.”
Finding flaws in the Mona Lisa is what critics (writers) attempt. A&M (3-2, 1-1) was supposed to win this game and it did. But what remains obvious with the Aggies’ offense is that it’s one-dimensional.
The running game – and we’re talking production from the running backs, not when other players tote the rock – continues to be concerning. A&M gained 89 yards in 33 attempts. Running backs Jacob Kibodi and Isaiah Spiller combined for 16 carries and 38 yards. Spiller was also charged with a fumble that turned into an Arkansas scoop-and-score that made it 14-10 when it appeared A&M was in control.
“I wouldn’t say it’s embarrassing,” A&M receiver Quartney Davis said of the four-point victory. “Winning is always great. We know who we have ahead of us and today we had too many self-inflicted wounds. It seems like every year against Arkansas, it comes down to the wire.”
Maybe so. But the Aggies’ previous seven wins over the Hogs was by an average score of 41-25. The 10-year contract to play this game at AT&T Stadium ends in 2024. Saturday’s attendance of 51,441 continued a declining trend and was the lowest in the six-year series. Enthusiasm for average teams plus a second consecutive 11 a.m. kickoff appears to have the fans apathetic.
Mond completed 23 of 35 for 251 yards and three touchdowns. His 3-yard play-action pass found Davis (7 catches, 62 yards, 2 TDs) in the end zone to put the Aggies in front for good, 28-24, early in the fourth quarter. Mond, though, ended a scoring threat with an end zone interception in the third quarter. He also missed an open receiver for what would have been a TD on A&M’s second possession.
Minus sack yardage, Mond had 10 carries for 41 yards. Some of those came on scrambles, others on QB runs. Last week, Fisher seemed to indicate he didn’t want to overuse Mond on keepers but with the running game struggling, adding Mond to the mix was crucial.
Your Veteran Scribe asked Fisher how much A&M is relying on Mond.
“We are,” he said. “Tell me what good team doesn’t rely on a good quarterback and good receivers. We have got some good receivers that are making plays, too. We have got to get more balanced in what we’re doing.”
In three games against Power Five foes, the Aggies have 198 rushing yards and are averaging 2.4 yards per attempt. To overstate the obvious, that is below optimum output.
One of the reasons the running backs haven’t produced is inconsistent offensive line play. Mond was sacked four times for 26 negative yards. Also, the tight end is typically a big factor for Fisher’s playbook. There were no catches – and no targets – for Aggies tight ends as Fisher decided to use plenty of four wide receiver sets.
The strength of the offense is Mond and his receivers. And that group got a boost Saturday from freshman Ainias Smith. He had five catches for 80 yards; his first reception produced the Aggies’ first touchdown. At 5-10, 195 pounds, Smith provides a height contrast as the other pass catchers are 6-2 or taller.
“He’s a play maker,” Fisher said of Smith, who had seven total receptions in the first four games. “He’s having fun. For a young guy, he’s doing a really nice job.”
Hicks replaced Nick Starkel, who lost the A&M quarterback battle to Mond last season. Starkel, who threw five interceptions last week, was picked off on a second-and-goal pass from the A&M 3 by Justin Madubuike. Starkel was injured tackling his former teammate on the return. Hicks was 15 of 27 for 188 yards and a TD.
“There is a lot of hurt in the locker room,” Hicks said. “It kind of breaks my heart to see those guys be so down.”
Arkansas was not absolved of mistakes. The Razorbacks’ solid opening drive ended with a missed 51-yard field goal. In the second half, they had four 5-yard procedural penalties that created challenging down and distance. One wiped out a 50-yard gain to the A&M 25 on a drive that resulted in a field goal to make it 28-27.
“It was the little things,” Arkansas coach Chad Morris said. “There were a few things there we missed when we were lining up, and we’ve got to get that corrected.”
Arkansas was forced to score a touchdown after the Aggies’ Seth Small made a 50-yard field goal with just under five minutes to go to make it 31-27. Small missed two field goals in last week’s home loss to Auburn. Punter Braden Mann, last year’s Ray Guy winner, flipped the field in the Aggies’ favor with a 59-yard punt that created poor field position for Arkansas’ last two possessions of the third quarter.
“He really changed the game with that big punt,” said Fisher, whose team had started the second half with consecutive three and outs.
Near the game’s end, the A&M fans were chanting their familiar “beat the hell outta” cheer. The final score didn’t exactly equal “beat the hell outta Arkansas.”
“I was happy, I wasn’t relieved,” Mond said when Hicks’ final pass fell to the turf. “I knew the defense would come up with a big play. They did a really good job to close out the game.”
The Aggies don’t play next Saturday and in two weeks Alabama visits College Station as A&M reaches the halfway point of its challenging schedule. It won’t get easier for a team that, particularly on offense, has issues to resolve.
(AP Photo)
