Arkansas 47, Texas A&M 19 - Razorbacks Club the Aggies in the Renewal of the Southwest Classic

By Adam Bendiksen

Game Notes: In the first meeting between storied rivals from the old Southwest Conference in nearly twenty years, Texas A&M rode college football’s top offense to a 10-0 advantage before the roof caved in. Despite a defense that was leading the nation in sacks, the Aggies could do little to stem the tide of the Razorback’s offensive surge and found themselves down 30-10 at halftime, a deficit they could not overcome. They struggled back to 37-19, but that was all the home team could muster and the Razorbacks emerged victorious, 47-19.

***This scouting report is based on approximately three quarters of action due to satellite interruptions as a result of violent weather.

College: Arkansas - Conference: Southeastern

TE - Ben Cleveland, #86 - 6' 4.0" - 250 - 4.75 - 2010: Did not play on offense as the Razorbacks played a three-wide formation the entire game. Saw action on special teams. GRADE: Incomplete

OG - Mitch Petrus, #66 - 6' 3.5" - 295 - 5.05 - 2010: Top-flight guard prospect who has everything scouts look for except mammoth size. Very tough with long, strong arms and hands. Good base in pass set and can both mirror and slide and absorb a bullrush. Good feet and an excellent hand punch. Doesn’t mash in the run game, but plays with leverage and uses excellent technique. Keeps his feet moving and sticks to his man. Quick and can run and get to the second level. Aggressive and will light a defender up if he gets the chance. GRADE: Very Positive

QB - Ryan Mallett, #15 - 6' 6.0" - 250 - 5.00 - 2011: Huge, raw prospect who transferred last season from Michigan. Might have the strongest arm in the nation, but lacks touch. Can be accurate when his mechanics are correct, but doesn’t always set his feet. Shows the ability to move and slide in the pocket, but usually doesn’t and generally resembles a statue. Not mobile and doesn’t throw well on the run. Tough and will take a hit. Throws a nice deep ball. Needs a lot of work. GRADE: Somewhat Negative

HB - Michael Smith, #21 - 5' 7.0" - 175 - 0.00 - 2010: Diminutive scatback was held in check by the Aggies in this contest. Quick and shifty with a low center of gravity. Tough for his size and runs behind his pads. Plays with good balance and can break arm tackles. Prefers to run inside. Not much room to run in this game. GRADE: Incomplete

TE - D.J. Williams, #45 - 6' 2.0" - 250 - 0.00 - 2011: Coming off of a shoulder injury and didn’t have much of an impact in this game, but a legitimate prospect. More of an H-back type with a compact build. Solid speed, decent hands and displays the ability to get open. Position/seal run blocker due to his size, but plays with leverage and really gets after it. GRADE: Somewhat Positive

LB - Wendel Davis, #10 - 6' 1.0" - 222 - 0.00 - 2010: Undersized MLB who must be shielded from blockers to be effective. Can be handled by one man. Solid speed and athleticism, and plays with range. Gets very deep in his pass drops and looks comfortable in space. Decent tackler. Spent most of the game in reverse due to the lopsided score. GRADE: Neutral

DE - Malcolm Sheppard, #96 - 6' 2.0" - 280 - 0.00 - 2010: Razorback’s best defensive lineman had a rather quite game despite the opportunity to pin his ears back. Playing DT in 2009, and has the quickness and athleticism to be a natural fit as a 3-technique. Not very strong for an interior player and relies on stunts and spins to get penetration. Understands leverage and can tie up blockers vs. the run, but can be moved off the line by bigger players. Needs to get bigger and stronger. GRADE: Somewhat Positive

College: Texas A&M - Conference: Big 12

OG - Michael Shumard, #76 - 6' 4.0" - 309 - 5.10 - 2010: Played OT in 2008 but is back where he belongs at guard. Technique oriented player who relies on positioning and leverage to get the job done. Solid feet and a good base, and displays a good hand punch. Mirrors and slides well, and sticks to his blocks. Can run but tends to play too high when he pulls. Appears to have worked very hard in the offseason in the weight room and is much stronger. Nice improvement this season. Injured in the second half. GRADE: Positive

CB - Jordan Pugh, #25 - 5' 11.5" -185 - 4.50 - 2010: Cover corner not tested in this contest. Played mostly soft zone, and was avoided. Corner build and doesn’t like to mix it up in the run game. Doesn’t always wrap up as a tackler and is most effective when he goes low to the legs. GRADE: Incomplete

LB - Matt Featherston, #46 - 6' 2.0" - 235 - 4.60 - 2010: No longer starting in A&M’s new 3-4 look, but probably should be. Tough, physical player who is strong at the point and is a very good tackler. Playing as a situational pass rusher. Solid quickness off the ball, but generates pressure more with his ability to get under tackles and drive them back. Had some nice hits on the QB in this game. GRADE: Somewhat Positive

C - Kevin Matthews, #63 - 6' 3.0" - 297 - 5.10 - 2010: Tough, scrappy overachiever. Smart, quick player who relies on technique and grit. Needs to get stronger; doesn’t get push as a run blocker and allows penetration. Can be bulled. GRADE: Somewhat Negative

TE - Jamie McCoy, #4 - 6’ 2” - 242 - 4.70 - 2010: Athletic H-back type who’s very similar the Razorback’s DJ Williams. Doesn’t have the size of a traditional TE, but lines up all over the formation to create mismatches. Smooth runner with solid speed and OK quickness. Goes over the middle and gets upfield in a hurry after the catch. Inconsistent hands. Solid blocker in both the pass and run game despite his lack of size. Draftable. GRADE: Positive

LB - Von Miller, #40 - 6’ 2” - 240 - 4.60 - 2011: Explosive first-year starter who plays ahead of Featherston and leads the nation in sacks. Had eight coming in to this contest and notched another on the Razorback’s first possession. Undersized player who will have to be a LB on the next level. Lines up inside or out. Very quick and fast and displays a nice spin move and is good on stunts. Penetrator who must be on the move to be effective. Needs to add bulk and strength to better take on linemen at the point. GRADE: Very Positive

Other Players of Note:

A&M tailback Cyrus Gray showed talent both as a runner and receiver, and WR/emergency QB Ryan Tannehill flashed the raw skills to be an effective downfield weapon, though he did drop a critical, wide-open long touchdown which would have put the Aggies up 17-0 and possibly seized momentum for good. QB Jerrod Johnson had a tough game, but is among the nation’s leaders in passing. Arkansas kick returner Dennis Johnson is a compact, explosive player who came very close to breaking several returns, and pass rushers Adrian Davis and Jake Bequette made life miserable for Jerrod Johnson.