ARLINGTON – What if the whole plane was made of Devon Achane? 

The Texas A&M offense is attempting to find out. The junior running back was responsible for both touchdowns against App State, the only receiving score against Miami, and the lone rushing touchdown in the 23-21 win over Arkansas at AT&T Stadium on Saturday night. Achane finished the night with 159 yards rushing on 19 carries and was tied for the team lead with three receptions. 

The game turned in the second quarter when a KJ Jefferson fumble near the Texas A&M goal line was scooped up by Tyreek Chappell and eventually lateraled to Demani Richardson, who then returned it 82 yards for a touchdown. Even with a botched point after attempt, Texas A&M cut a one-time 14-0 lead to 14-13 by halftime. The Razorbacks were two yards from going up 21-7 with roughly three minutes left in the first half. 

The second half was filled with as much drama. The Aggies broke out to a 23-14 lead to start the fourth quarter thanks to a rushing touchdown by Achane and a field goal. The Razorbacks broke a scoreless drought that spanned more than two quarters of football when Jefferson bullied his way into the end zone from six yards out. Down 23-21, Arkansas had the ball again in Texas A&M territory but missed a 42-yard field goal when it hit the top of the goal post and bounced back into the end zone. 

The win was Texas A&M’s 10th victory over Arkansas in the last 11 contests. The Razorbacks snapped a nine-game losing streak with a win over the Aggies in 2022. Six of the last 10 meetings, including the 2022 showdown, were one-possession games. 

THREE THINGS 

Clean living: Texas A&M lost some big-play potential when Jimbo Fisher replaced Haynes King with Max Johnson at the quarterback position following the loss to App State in Week 2. Johnson is an upgrade not because of what he does, but because of what he doesn’t do. Johnson hasn’t thrown an interception in his two starts in charge of the Texas A&M offense. King threw five in four starts over two seasons. Johnson’s stat line won’t inspire onlookers. He was only 11 of 21 for 151 yards and a touchdown. His line in the Miami win wasn’t much better. He's barely completed 50 percent of his passes through two starts and he’s yet to throw for 200 yards. But Fisher will take it if that means that his defense doesn’t have to face short fields. 

Wrecking Crew: Arkansas scored on two of its first three possessions. Jefferson led the Razorbacks on a 5-play, 69-yard drive and a seven-play, 78-yard drive to earn a 14-0 lead and silent an AT&T Stadium that was split between the fan bases. They gained 170 yards of offense in the first quarter and 280 in the first half. Texas A&M tightened up in the third quarter, allowing just 21 yards. The season was teetering following the 14-7 loss to App State, but the Aggies are now 3-1 on the season and 1-0 in SEC play thanks to the revived Wrecking Crew defense that’s keeping the offense in games. The defense accounted for seven points and one of three total touchdowns scored by the team in maroon. 

Antonio Johnson led the way with 13 tackles. Chris Russell recorded 10 tackles and a sack from his linebacker position, while Jardin Gilbert recorded nine stops from his safety spot. The Wrecking Crew defense combined for five sacks, four pass breakups, two sacks, and one forced fumble. The Aggies are likely 1-3 without stern defensive efforts in consecutive weeks. 

Offensive line concerns: We can all agree that the quarterback play isn’t excellent and that is probably time for Fisher to hand over the offensive playbook in the offseason, but the Texas A&M offensive line remains a cause for concern. No quarterback plays well with constant pressure in his face, and that’s what Johnson faced routinely against a tremendous front seven from Arkansas. The Aggies allowed three sacks, and it felt like more. Johnson, who isn’t known for his legs, showed elusiveness on occasion when pressured. Arkansas hit Johnson five times on passes that didn’t end in a sack and recorded five tackles for loss in the game. The passing game almost must rely on short, quick passes because the offensive line can’t hold up long enough for receivers to run deeper route concepts. 

GAME BALL 

Texas A&M tight end Donovan Green 

Achane was the offensive MVP and Johnson earned those honors on the defensive side, but I was impressed with Texas A&M’s true freshman tight end in the win. The four-star from Dickinson emerged as a breakout star in the victory. He led the team with 50 yards on a team-high three receptions. He caught the ball on each of his targets. Evan Stewart only caught the ball on 38 percent of his targets. Ainias Smith was at 33 percent before his injury. With Smith possibly out for an extended period of time (he was on crutches by the end of the game), Donovan’s role should grow in the coming weeks.