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Arkansas can’t match strides with A&M

Texas A&M senior quarterback Trevor Knight rolls out against Arkansas during the second quarter on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- No overtime this time, and luck had little to do with the outcome.

Texas A&M was the better team Saturday night in its 45-24 victory over Arkansas at AT&T Stadium, and the Aggies proved it during a three-minute stretch in the second half -- on their last possession of the third quarter and first of the fourth.

Arkansas had battered A&M on an 89-yard drive that took 9:55 of the third quarter only to come up with no points after having a first and goal from the 2 with the score tied at 17-17. Four runs left the ball back at the 6.

The Aggies' goal-line stand was a game changer and gave A&M the ball and the momentum. On second down, Trevor Knight hit Josh Reynolds for 92 yards to give the Aggies their first lead of the game. The 94-yard drive took 42 seconds.

The defense held the Hogs, and this time the Aggies needed 2:06 to go 85 yards, and just like that the teams should have signaled to start the buses because this one was over.

Texas A&M iced it after an Arkansas fumble to go up 38-17, and Knight, who struggled with his passing in the first half, ended up with two rushing touchdowns in the first half and two passing in the second.

The biggest difference was team speed: The Hogs had some, the Aggies more.

The first half was a could-have, should-have situation for Arkansas, which could have gone up 24-7.

But fumble and a penalty have never been bigger.

A 14-point swing for an opponent is something no team ever needs.

The Aggies had just tied it at 7-7 early in the second quarter on a 42-yard run by Knight, and it looked like the Hogs were going to answer with a touchdown.

The Hogs got a 55-yard run by Rawleigh Williams on a counter play behind left guard to the A&M 2.

In the next six plays the Hogs got two first downs from penalties, ran four plays from inside the 2 and settled for a 25-yard field goal.

The Aggies never had less than eight men in the box during the sequence, and five of the six plays the Hogs ran were on the ground.

The Hogs didn't run nearly as effectively after Williams' long run, finishing with 120 for the game.

The Aggies hurt themselves with with a hold on the kickoff forcing them to start from their own 5.

It was announced in the press box that Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen had a bruised chest muscle, but the gutsy junior came on the field when the Hogs regained possession, and threw a 44-yard pass to Keon Hatcher on second and 12.

Hatcher uses his body to screen defenders as well as anyone in the country.

On first and goal from the 9, Williams ended up inches from the end zone when he was stripped and the Aggies recovered at their 1.

The Razorbacks appeared to hold the Aggies and were going to have great field position because A&M would have been punting from its 4.

But De'Andre Coley was flagged for a personal foul and ejected for a hit he didn't need to make (although the replay showed it wasn't targeting).

The Aggies ended up with a 48-yard field and the game was tied 10-10 despite the fact the Hogs had been on offense 16:32 to 8:46.

Allen drove the Hogs 75 yards in five plays, the biggie a 12-yard pass to Jared Cornelius, who tiptoed down the sidelines for another 26 yards and a first and goal from the 8.

Williams went in from the 8, on the same exact play on which he fumbled, and the Hogs led 17-10 with 1:31 to play in the first half.

Knight, though, was doing it with his legs even as he struggled through the air, and this time he got a 48-yard touchdown run to send it to halftime tied at 17-17.

This game wasn't about the quarterbacks. The second half belonged to the team with the most speed. The Aggies took the momentum and wouldn't let go.

Sports on 09/25/2016