#10 Arkansas faces #23 Texas A&M in Southwest Classic

No. 10 Arkansas hits the road for the first time this year to take on SEC West foe No. 23 Texas A&M in the 79th edition of the Southwest Classic. Kickoff between the Razorbacks and Aggies from inside AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, is set for 6:00 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, on ESPN.

For the second week in a row, Arkansas is ranked in the top 10. The Hogs stayed put at No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, marking the first time since 2012 that Arkansas has spent consecutive weeks in the AP’s top 10. The Hogs are off to a 3-0 start for the second straight year, a feat that had not happened at Arkansas since 2010-11. With a win against Texas A&M, Arkansas would improve to 4-0 in back-to-back years for the first time since 1988-89.

QB KJ Jefferson continues to wreak havoc on opposing defenses through the air and on the ground. Jefferson has completed 55-of-78 passes (70.5%) for 770 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 169 yards and three scores through the first three games of the season. He ranks second in the SEC and 15th nationally in total offense, generating 313.0 total yards of offense per game.

RB Raheim ‘Rocket’ Sanders is the Razorbacks’ leading ball carrier through three games, totalling 440 yards on 66 carries (6.3 avg) with three scores on the ground. Sanders, who posted his third consecutive 100-yard rushing effort in the win over Missouri State, leads the SEC and ranks fourth nationally in rushing yards (440) this season. His 146.7 rushing yards per game rank third in the country.

WR Jadon Haselwood has helped lead Arkansas’ receiving corps through the first three games of the season with 13 catches for 158 yards (12.2 avg) and a pair of touchdowns. A transfer from Oklahoma, Haselwood has caught three or more passes in each of his first three games as a Razorback and has tallied at least one reception in 15 consecutive games dating back to the start of the 2021 season.

LB Drew Sanders has turned heads with his play on the defensive side of the ball this season. A transfer from Alabama, Sanders has racked up 28 total tackles (16 solo) with a team-leading 6.5 tackles for loss and a team-high 5.5 sacks through the first three games. He is tied for the national lead in sacks with 5.5 and has tallied at least one sack in all three games this year, including multiple quarterback takedowns in each of the past two contests.