ARLINGTON, Texas – After losing its starting quarterback, Texas A&M defeated Arkansas 34-22, inside of AT&T Stadium to remain undefeated in conference play. Heading into Jerry World, several questions arised concerning the future for Texas A&M. For what seemed like the millionth time, the Aggies would have to move on with their season without their starting quarterback following Conner Weigman’s season-ending injury. Luckily for A&M, there was little to no difference in the level of play between quarterback Max Johnson and Weigman. 

The depth A&M built from recruiting and the transfer portal is paying off in spades as the Aggies looked complete on both sides of the ball. Despite a few miscues and mistakes, A&M looks to be in a prime position to start making a run for SEC West Champions.  

THREE THOUGHTS FROM THE WIN

Johnson gets it done: In a similar fashion as last week, Johnson took no time getting things moving for the Aggies. On the first drive of the matchup, the LSU-transfer took his team 75 yards down the field in 4 minutes for a quick touchdown to wideout Evan Stewart. Johnson looked incredibly comfortable in the pocket while still maintaining his ability to rush downfield. As far as an average viewer could tell, there isn’t much of a downstep as Johnson takes over the helm.

“I think he can take us to where we need to go,” head coach Jimbo Fisher said. “I have the utmost confidence in him. I thought he played tremendous football, and kept his poise in the game and brought us right on back.”

During the second half, things started to get shaky for Johnson as his very first pass was picked off for a Razorback touchdown. Two drives later, A&M had another turnover at the hands of Johnson as he fumbled on a rush. However, the Athens, Ga. native bounced back and remained consistent throughout the remainder of the game. The sophomore finished off the day with 28 attempts for 17 completions, 210 passing yards, 57 rushing yards and two touchdowns. 

Durkin and the defense gel: Whatever defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin has been instilling in his unit, it seems that it has finally clicked. Barring a few missed tackles and holes in the secondary, A&M’s defense smothered the Razorbacks during the entire first half. By the halftime break, the Aggies only allowed 84 passing yards and 39 rushing yards on 21 attempts. The pressure on the Razorbacks didn’t cease and their offense finished with only 174 total yards. 

Going into the second half, A&M didn’t let off the gas as the defense got itself a few points on the board. A pass deflection by defensive lineman Shemar Stewart fell into the hands of linebacker Chris Russell Jr., who took it to the house. Defensive back Bryce Anderson and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper led the defense with six tackles each out of the 64 total tackles. 

“His [Cooper] eyes are in a good place,” Fisher said. “His eye discipline and his eye control, being able to trigger and react. He's so athletic and can get to point A very quickly, and he's physical. When the front guys are causing the chaos they are, a backer like him is his hard to get your hands on.”

Back to Kyle Field: The next time the Aggies take the field, it’ll be to welcome a familiar enemy back to College Station: the Alabama Crimson Tide. It’s no secret that Alabama isn’t the strongest team in SEC by a long shot anymore, but it would be dangerous to underestimate them. At the time this article is being written, the Aggies technically lead the SEC West, but LSU and Alabama have yet to play. These three teams can all pave the way for a division championship and next week’s matchup could be critical for A&M to make their mark.