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Rapid Reaction: Texas A&M wins 9th straight Southwest Classic in dominating fashion
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Texas A&M made sure there was no room for an Arkansas comeback in this year’s edition of the Southwest Classic.
The Aggies took an early lead and never looked back Saturday to win, 42-31 at Kyle Field to improve to 4-1. Arkansas dropped to 2-3.
It was the first time the game was played in College Station since 2012. The Aggies also won that game in commanding fashion, 58-10. This is the 9th consecutive victory against the Razorbacks for A&M, tied for the longest winning streak in the series. They have not lost in the rivalry since joining the SEC.
Kellen Mond had no trouble against an Arkansas defense that entered the game leading the SEC in turnovers forced. He threw 3 touchdown passes, including 2 to tight end Jalen Wydermyer. He also became the Aggies’ all-time offense leader, surpassing Johnny Manziel. Mond has accounted for more than 10,000 total yards of offense at A&M.
Wydermyer finished as A&M’s leading receiver with 6 catches for 92 yards.
In general, the Aggies had little trouble moving the ball all evening. Ainias Smith also finished with a pair of scores, one of the ground and one through the air. His 15-yard run gave A&M its first lead of the game, which it never relinquished.
However, their defense was equally as impressive.
They forced the Razorbacks to settle for field goals twice in the first half, both of which they missed. They went into halftime with a 28-14 advantage.
The Razorbacks put together a strong first drive built on Rakeem Boyd and Feleipe Franks runs. The drive culminated with Franks finding his top receiver Treylon Burks for a 6-yard touchdown to take the early lead.
The Aggies followed that with three unanswered touchdowns, taking the wind out of any Arkansas momentum early.
Franks put together a solid day in the losing effort, passing 3 touchdowns and 239 yards.
Texas A&M is on the road against South Carolina next week. Arkansas will look to get back on track at home against Tennessee.
Chandler Vessels covers the SEC West for Saturday Down South. Previously, he worked for the East Texas Sports Network in Tyler, Texas, covering high school football and recruiting. You can follow him on Twitter @ChandlerVessels.
