ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Quartney Davis caught two of the three touchdowns thrown by Kellen Mond, including the go-ahead score for No. 23 Texas A&M, and the Aggies held on to beat Arkansas 31-27 on Saturday.
After Mond was picked off in the end zone, the Razorbacks failed to get a first down and punted after Ben Hicks was sacked at the 2. That set up the short drive for Mond’s 3-yard TD to Davis with 12:21 left to put Texas A&M (3-2, 1-1 SEC) ahead 28-24.
The teams then traded field goals, and Seth Small’s 50-yarder with 3:52 left was big for a Texas A&M that was favored by more than three touchdowns. Arkansas was at the Aggies 19 in the final minute before a fourth-down incompletion.
”I wouldn’t say it’s embarrassing. I’ve been playing this game for the past three years and it seems like every year it comes down to the wire,” Davis said. ”It’s a pretty interesting game.”
The Razorbacks (2-3, 0-2) lost their 13th consecutive SEC game, including all 10 under second-year coach Chad Morris. They have lost eight in a row against Texas A&M since the Aggies left the Big 12.
”It hurts that it was that close and we couldn’t do it, but I think it opened some eyes,” Arkansas cornerback Kamren Curl said.
Davis’ 22-yard catch-and-run with 8 seconds before halftime put A&M up 21-17. He spun away from a linebacker after making a short catch, then swept across to the other side of the field to score.
Mond finished 23-of-35 passing for 251 yards. Hicks was 15 of 27 for 188 yards and a score after taking over in the second quarter for injured starter Nick Starkel, the grad transfer who played for Texas A&M the past two seasons.
Starkel had a significant bruise on his left (non-throwing) arm after throwing an interception at the goal line, and then tackling 304-pound defensive tackle Justin Madubuike.
”I just looked up to see where the ball was and it just appeared right to my left peripheral,” Madubuike said. ”I turned and it was right there, and grabbed it and tried to run, and he tried to tackle me.”
De’Jon Harris scooped up a fumble and returned it 6 yards for a touchdown on the next play to get the Razorbacks within 14-10. They went ahead when Hicks made a nice back-shoulder throw to Mike Woods in the front corner of the end zone for a 13-yard TD.
THE TAKEAWAY
Texas A&M: After losses to No. 1 Clemson and No. 7 Auburn, the Aggies again found themselves in a tight game against Arkansas. Texas A&M had a chance to take control early after Madubuike’s interception, but the scoop-and-score by Arkansas on the next play quickly changed the tone of things again.
”You always feel good because you find ways to persevere and have success, but you’re not satisfied, you’re not content,” coach Jimbo Fisher said. ”You know there’s a lot of issues that we have to get fixed to go on down the road to play good football.”
Arkansas: Hicks, who lost the starting job to Starkel after two games, helped lead the Razorbacks to the A&M 19 in the final minute. He had already converted one fourth down on the drive and had an impressive 17-yard scramble before another fourth-down pass fell incomplete. Coach Chad Morris said afterward, ”Nick’s our starter.”
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Texas A&M was the only two-loss team in the latest AP Top 25. The Aggies likely did enough to hang in the poll.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M: The Aggies have an open date before hosting second-ranked Alabama on Oct. 12, which starts a stretch of four of five games at home.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks play Oct. 12 at Kentucky after an open date.
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More AP college football: http://apnews.com/tag/Collegefootball and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25
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