The Texas A&M Aggies improved to 7-0 on the season with a 45-42 road victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, but it’s abundantly clear that they still have a lot of work to do, and most of it is on defense.
Allowing 527 total yards and 42 points against the worst team in the SEC is not a good look, no matter how one slices it. Yes, the Razorbacks have talent on offense and are playing with fire under interim head coach Bobby Petrino, but the Aggies have more than enough talent on defense to slow them down. For comparison, Notre Dame – a team Texas A&M beat – held Arkansas to 345 yards (many of them coming in garbage time) and 13 points back on Sept. 27.
There were many problems with the Aggies’ defensive performance against the Razorbacks, but the biggest one is also a familiar one: an inability to stop the run.
Oct 18, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green (10) scores a a touchdown in the second quarter as Texas A&M Aggies defensive tackle Albert Regis (17) looks on at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
Without beating around the bush, the Razorbacks ran hog wild (pun intended) against the Aggies on Saturday, racking up 268 yards on the ground while averaging 8.4 yards per carry. Mike Washington Jr. did most of the damage with 16 carries for 147 yards, but quarterback Taylen Green was also very dangerous with 12 carries for 85 yards and two touchdowns.
The Aggies also allowed six runs of 20 or more yards, and three of those were for 40 or more yards.
The Razorbacks actually have the SEC’s second-best rushing offense as they were averaging 218.2 yards per game entering Saturday’s contest, so if this was an isolated incident, then maybe one could let the Aggies off the hook. However, this isn’t an isolated incident.
Texas A&M’s run defense was an issue as early as the first game of the season, when it allowed 203 rushing yards to UTSA. The Aggies then allowed 136 rushing yards in their signature win over Notre Dame, but that was more understandable as they were up against one of the best running backs in the country in Jeremiyah Love. They seemingly figured out their issues after that, though, as they allowed just 52 rushing yards against Auburn, 77 against Mississippi State and 74 against Florida.
This game shows that the Aggies still have plenty to clean up with their run defense, and they better do it soon. On Oct. 8, they travel to face a very dangerous Missouri team that averages 270.5 rushing yards per game, the most in the SEC and the sixth-most in the entire country. If the Aggies can’t fix their run defense by then, that game is going to be a trial by fire.