Although the Arkansas Razorbacks haven’t been flawless on offense, they’ve been excellent. As the Hogs’ offensive coordinator, Bobby Petrino, who, without question, is an offensive genius and one of the greatest offensive minds ever—at any level—engenders nightmares for defensive coordinators. Even with limited talent as the Missouri State University head coach and leader of the offense, Petrino proved that his offensive schemes are successful no matter where he employs them.
During his brief stint as offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, Petrino didn’t have a chance to use his own offense, given he primarily had to operate within former Aggies’ head coach Jimbo Fisher’s offensive schemes. Fisher, who had been considered one of the most brilliant offensive minds in the game for many years, found it challenging to give Bobby Petrino control of the offense after years of leading his own offense.
However, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman deeply reveres Petrino and has granted him full reign of the offense. Petrino has a talented offense at Arkansas, even though, in his first season as offensive coordinator in Fayetteville, Arkansas, he has not recruited all the offensive players he desires.
This article highlights some significant team offensive statistics to underscore why Arkansas is among the top offenses in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and nation.
Arkansas Time of Possession
One of the most powerful ways to place pressure on an opposing defense is to keep that defense on the field for a large percentage of the game. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Arkansas ranks No. 1 in the SEC in time of possession and No. 33 in the nation. In the Razorbacks’ 24-14 victory over Auburn last week, ESPN revealed the Hogs possessed the ball for 13 minutes and 12 seconds longer than Auburn, which is a substantial time of possession differential, ultimately leading to an exhausted Auburn Tigers’ defense.
Total and Scoring Offense
Arkansas is No. 3 in the SEC and No. 8 in the country in total offense, averaging 524.0 total yards per game. The Razorbacks are No. 5 in the SEC and No. 20 in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 40.5 points per game. Therefore, the Texas A&M defense must deliver its best performance of the season thus far to slow down Bobby Petrino’s explosive offense in the Southwest Classic in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T Stadium.
Third Down Conversion Percentage
Arkansas has been outstanding on third down. The Hogs are No. 1 in the SEC and No. 2 in the nation for third-down conversion percentage, converting 61% of their attempts. However, Texas A&M is No. 6 and tied for No. 20 for third-down conversion defense percentage, holding opponents to converting only 29.2% of their third-down attempts. Therefore, even as excellent as the Razorbacks have been on third down, they haven’t encountered a defense as good as Texas A&M on third down. The Aggies are loaded with talent at every position on defense.
Conclusion
Although the Arkansas offensive line has been much better than last season, it must be even better today if the Razorbacks expect to defeat the Aggies. The Razorbacks are the underdogs in today’s game, as Total Apex Sports Bets reported. Their offensive numbers are legitimate, given they have already faced Oklahoma State and Auburn in this young season. The Aggies must demonstrate they respect the Hogs’ offensive SEC and national rankings.
However, Arkansas must not become drunk with these numbers because, with two exceptions, it must prepare to play some of the best teams in the nation, including Tennessee, next week in Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the rest of the season. The Hogs have shown they’re up to the challenge. Arkansas will have its hands full with Texas A&M today, giving the team no time to think about next week’s massive contest against the Volunteers.
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