Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Texas A&M Aggies Preview
Where: AT&T Stadium – Arlington, Texas
When: Saturday, September 24, 9:00 PM ET
Line: Arkansas Razorbacks (+6) at Texas A&M Aggies (-6); total 49.5 – view all NCAA Football odds and lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Writer’s Pick: Arkansas Razorbacks (+6)
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Betting on the Arkansas Razorbacks (+6)
No one thought the Arkansas Razorbacks would be this good this season, but they are, and being 6-point underdogs on a semi-neutral field seems like a gross underestimation. The Razorbacks are 3-0 entering SEC play, and have a big non-conference road win over a ranked TCU team on their resume.
Junior quarterback Austin Allen has settled down after a shaky Week 1 performance against Louisiana Tech. Allen was very good in their big 41-38 double-overtime win over TCU, going for 223 yards and three touchdowns. He followed that up by completing 76 percent of his passes for 241 yards with two TDs in a 42-3 win over Texas State.
A lot is being made about A&M’s defense, but Arkansas’ D can hold its own against any team in the conference. It’s currently inside the top 30 in the country in rushing yards allowed and opponents’ passer rating allowed, and is tied for 15th with 10 sacks.
Add Bret Bielema’s trademark power running game – sophomore Rawleigh Williams has rushed for 354 yards on 5 yards per carry with three touchdowns so far – and you have a team that is built to keep things close, especially on the road.
That’s exactly what the Razorbacks have done. Arkansas is 10-2 ATS as a road underdog over the last three seasons, including a perfect 4-0 ATS as an underdog in SEC play last season.
Betting on the Texas A&M Aggies (-6)
This Texas A&M defense could be the best in the SEC West aside from Alabama. The pass rush led by Myles Garrett has lived up to the hype thus far. It harassed UCLA’s Josh Rosen into three interceptions in A&M’s 31-24 home win in Week 1, and limited Auburn’s QBs to just 163 total passing yards last week in a 29-16 road win.
The Aggies are currently 12th in the country in opposition quarterback rating (93.72) and 9th in sacks with 12. The pass rush is certainly good enough to disrupt Arkansas’ inexperienced QB, who hasn’t had to deal with too much pressure in his first three games.
Trevor Knight isn’t exactly all that great of a quarterback, either, but he’s getting the job done. He’s accounted for eight touchdowns (five passing, three rushing) through three games. He also has the superior skill position weapons and a much-improved running game which he can lean on. Freshman Trayveon Williams has been a revelation thus far. He averaged 9.6 yards per carry against two legit defenses in UCLA and Auburn.
The last two contests against Arkansas have been close, but A&M has come from behind both times to win in overtime. Overall, they are 4-0 in their last four meetings against the Razorbacks.
Writer’s Prediction
With the quality of both defenses, this one has all the makings of another tight game. Take the points with Arkansas +6.
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