Week 4 of the 2022 college football season is underway and for Texas A&M, this week’s focus is on getting as healthy as possible as the 20th-ranked Aggies will meet their first SEC foe of the season, the 10th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks in the annual Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
For the Aggies, all eyes will once again be on Max Johnson and the passing game as wide receivers Evan Stewart and Chris Marshall are slated to return. But the Aggies playmakers can only achieve success if the offensive line performs at a high level after struggling for the first three contests. Furthermore, here are a couple of areas of concern I have for Texas A&M going into this weekend:
Jimbo Fisher’s play calling against Arkansas’s weak passing defense
Entering the season, all eyes were on quarterback Haynes King, Jimbo Fisher’s hand-picked signal caller, after their season opener against Sam Houston State, as the offense exploded in the passing game, things looked to be on the right track, but consistency still lacked. In their shocking week 2 loss against Appalachian State, the inconsistency showed up again, as King failed to crack 100 yards passing, and was unable to ever build any momentum on offense.
Insert Max Johnson, managed the game well vs Miami, but only completed 50% of his passes for less than 150 yards passing.
Were the pregame suspensions of electric wide receivers Evan Stewart and Chris Marshall to blame? Or was the play calling stale and unimaginative? These questions can only be answered after more games are played, but as the receiving group comes into the matchup at full strength against the worst passing defense in the country, offensive production should be pervasive.
Devon Achane vs. Arkansas’s run defense
Star running back Devon Achane has yet to accumulate 100 yards rushing in a game this season, and even though it’s still early, going against an Arkansas run defense only allowing 68.3 yards per contest doesn’t make things any easier.
The Razorbacks are led by linebackers Bumper Poole and Drew Sanders, along with a stout defensive line. Achane will have to pull out every move possible to gain significant yardage on the ground if the offensive line continues to struggle at the line of scrimmage. If the run game struggles yet again, this will only put more pressure on Max Johnson in only his second career start with the team.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty
[listicle id=5596]