Texas A&M’s win over Arkansas gave Aggies fans plenty to feel good about, and just as importantly, plenty of room to run wild with the conclusions. After the SEC skid was snapped and Arkansas was handled for the 14th time since A&M joined the league in 2012, the performance opened the door to a few big-picture takes about where this team is headed.
The clearest one centers on the backfield. Rueben Owens II entered the year as the Aggies’ RB1, but the production hasn’t matched the billing.
He’s had trouble rediscovering the burst that defined his early stretch in the program, and he’s also come up short in key moments, including multiple failed fourth-down tries. Meanwhile, true freshmen Carsyn Baker and KJ Edwards have made their limited opportunities count.
Together, they’ve scored half of A&M’s rushing touchdowns, with Baker giving the offense a reliable option in short-yardage spots and Edwards bringing the force of an every-down runner. If the Aggies want to keep this momentum rolling, the idea that Owens should slide to RB2 or even RB3 doesn’t sound all that far-fetched.
At the very least, the rookies deserve the same workload.
Marcel Reed’s outing also invites a strong reaction, though maybe not the obvious one. Against Arkansas, the quarterback operated more like a steady hand than a headline act, and that’s exactly what A&M needed in this kind of game.
He finished with 170 yards and a rushing touchdown, but the broader takeaway is that he didn’t have to force the issue. One overreaction would be to say Reed should stay in that lane from here on out: keep it simple, protect the football, and let the rest of the offense do the heavy lifting.
That’s too neat a box to put him in. Still, if Baker and Edwards keep easing the burden, Reed won’t be asked to play hero every snap.
Then there’s the kicking game, which has gone from liability to weapon in a hurry. Last season was a mess, with Texas A&M going 16-for-26 and Randy Bond and Jared Zirkel becoming non-factors.
That left the Aggies living in four-down territory at the end of 2025 because they couldn’t trust the kicking unit. This year, David Olano has changed the conversation completely.
Against Arkansas, he drilled two 50-yard field goals and set a career long with a 57-yarder that looked like it had more room to spare. He’s now a perfect six-for-six, and A&M suddenly has a kicker it can lean on when drives stall.
If that turns into a Lou Groza Award run, nobody around College Station will be surprised.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Weekend With BenDaDonnn Took A Wild Turn Fast
What started as a feel-good Texas A&M football weekend with BenDaDonnn quickly turned into a far messier scene. He was initially welcomed at the game, a sign that the night could have stayed in the usual orbit of a high-profile visitor around Aggieland, but things shifted when coaching staff later denied him access to the teams locker room.
The aftermath moved well beyond the stadium. After the game, a confrontation involving BenDaDonnn and law enforcement unfolded in the Northgate bar district, and it ended with his arrest on an evading arrest charge. His bodyguard was also arrested on an interfering-with-duties charge, turning what had begun as a routine game-day appearance into a night Texas A&M fans will be talking about for reasons nobody expected. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Run Game Faces Its Biggest SEC Test Yet
Texas A&M heads into Saturday's SEC matchup with Missouri trying to build on a 3-2 start and a win over Arkansas, but the assignment looks steeper than most so far. Missouri comes in ranked 14th in the AP Top 25 after a convincing victory over Florida, and the Tigers have the kind of defensive profile that can make life difficult for an offense that wants to lean on the ground game.
That sets up the central question for the Aggies: whether their run game can hold up against one of the league's stronger run defenses. The history between these programs and the contrast in recent form add some intrigue, too, especially with Missouri carrying the pressure of follow-up games after big wins and Texas A&M looking to keep its momentum alive in a tougher SEC measuring stick. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M May Have Finally Found Its Offensive Identity
After two straight losses, Texas A&M looked far more like a team with a plan on offense in its 34-7 win over Arkansas at Kyle Field. The Aggies leaned hard on the ground game, piling up 231 rushing yards on 49 carries, with KJ Edwards, Marcel Reed and Rueben Owens II all helping set the tone as the offense controlled the pace from start to finish.
Mike Elko pointed to the offensive line and the run game as the biggest reasons the unit finally found some rhythm, and that kind of balance is exactly what Texas A&M needed. The challenge now is whether this was a one-game fix or the start of an identity the Aggies can carry into the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]