FAYETTEVILLE -- Texas A&M's quarterback and Arkansas' running backs are expected to get plenty of screen time on football's biggest big screen heading into today's game in Arlington, Texas.
Upon its conclusion, who knows?
Perhaps Arkansas' quarterback or Texas A&M's running backs will play so well they will be displayed the most on AT&T Stadium's big screen, which is so colossal that even Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema admitted that he watched the screen instead of the field last year while attending a Dallas Cowboys game there.
It's easy to understand why all eyes will be on Aggies quarterback Kenny Hill. The sophomore thrust himself into the Heisman Trophy discussion in his first game as the successor to Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M's former Heisman winner who is a rookie with the Cleveland Browns.
Hill broke Manziel's school passing record in his debut as A&M's starter, completing 44 of 60 passes for 511 yards without an interception Aug. 28 in a 52-28 victory over South Carolina, which was ranked ninth at the time.
Hill and the No. 6 Aggies (4-0) haven't slowed down since. Including easy nonconference victories over Lamar, Rice and SMU, Hill has completed 97 of 139 passes for 1,359 yards and 13 touchdowns with only 1 interception and has been sacked 3 times.
Opposing defensive staffs become consumed plotting against Hill's passing.
"It all starts with the quarterback," Arkansas defensive coordinator Robb Smith said.
Nevertheless, Smith allotted extensive preparation time to the Aggies' ground game, noting that A&M averages 207.5 rushing yards a game. Hill averages 6.6 on 15 carries, and five running backs average between 5.4 and Trey Williams' 7.2 yards per carry.
Williams particularly tests a defense's patience out of A&M's hurry-up offense.
"He's a guy that you really have to be disciplined against and make sure you are patient in terms of your gap control," Arkansas defensive line coach Rory Segrest said. "A lot of times a [defensive] guy thinks Trey has committed to the gap so he'll jump the gap, and Trey will jump back to where that guy was supposed to be."
Everyone also knows about Arkansas running backs Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams, who already have combined for 881 yards and 12 touchdowns on 113 carries, but quarterback Brandon Allen has quietly completed 43 of 70 passes for 552 yards with 8 touchdowns and only 1 interception while helping the Hogs (3-1) score 192 points.
"I think Brandon Allen has really improved as a passer," Aggies Coach Kevin Sumlin said. "You can't score that many points running the ball all the time."
Allen's improvement must particularly impress Sumlin, given Sumlin's esteem for Allen after last year's game in Fayetteville. Without game-week practice after missing the preceding game because of a separated throwing shoulder, Allen passed for a career-high 282 yards with three touchdowns in a 45-33 loss to A&M.
Allen also contributes subtly to Arkansas' running game with some drive-prolonging runs and two rushing touchdowns and has successfully checked to other plays upon spotting a potential mismatch.
"Brandon is delivering the ball to those guys" Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mark Snyder said.
There seems to be no shortage of stars to watch today on the big screen.
Sports on 09/27/2014