LSU may have just done Arkansas a favor.
The Tigers carved up Texas A&M’s zone coverage for 312 receiving yards. Of those, 153 came after the catch.
That’s the defense the Razorbacks (2-2, 0-1 SEC) will see Saturday when they visit the Aggies (2-2, 0-2 SEC).
LSU’s Jackson finished with 163 yards and two touchdowns on six grabs. Winston Watkins chipped in 107 more.
A&M never sacked Sam Leavitt, and he was hobbled by a lower leg injury.
Last year’s defense averaged 3.3 sacks a game. This year’s has four. Not four per game. Four.
In two SEC games, the Aggies’ pass rush has three quarterback hurries combined.
Who can still hurt the Hogs
Defensive end TJ Searcy leads A&M with 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
Marco Jones has a forced fumble and took an interception back for a touchdown. Cornerback Julio Humphrey has a pick-six of his own.
Noah Mikhail and Ray Coney, both linebackers, are the top tacklers.
Mario Craver is still the guy Marcel Reed looks for first. He sees about as many targets as Chris Marshall does from KJ Jackson.
When it’s third-and-long, expect a quick tunnel screen to Craver. It’s been A&M’s go-to call lately.
Isaiah Horton, a big physical receiver, is next in line. Ashton Bethel-Roman is banged up with two catches for 13 yards.
A shaky line and a stalled run game
Eight sacks have gotten home in four games this year. Last season, A&M allowed 19 in 13.
At this rate, the Aggies could give up 24 to 26.
The ground game has cooled off as well. A&M is running for 151 yards a game after averaging 184.7 last fall.
Rueben Owens has one touchdown and 62 yards per game. Reed needed 34 carries for his 104 yards. KJ Edwards got 115 on half as many tries.
All that pressure has led to bad throws. Reed has four picks this season and 16 in his past 17 games.
His 55% completion rate is seven points behind KJ Jackson’s. Mike Elko has shut down talk of a quarterback change anyway.
Colin Klein’s offseason exit hasn’t helped. Holmon Wiggins moved up from co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach to replace him.
Series history and the spread
The Aggies are 13-1 against the Hogs since coming into the SEC in 2012, including the last four.
A&M beat Missouri State 50-0 and Arizona State 48-20. Losses to Kentucky and LSU by 10 and 29 points should push the Aggies out of the Top 25.
The opening line had A&M laying 15 points. That’s a lot in a series that rarely gets out of hand.
The numbers don’t show much of a gap. Arkansas gains 4.85 yards per play to A&M’s 4.78, and neither team has found a steady ground game.
The Razorbacks beat Tulsa by 28. Last year’s meeting was decided by three.
Arkansas has to fix its run game, and lineup changes should be on the table.
The Hogs also have to keep Reed from breaking loose in front of 100,000-plus fans Saturday night.
No need to get that rowdy bunch going in College Station if it can be avoided.
