The No. 24 Texas A&M football team is making one last trip to AT&T Stadium in Arlington in the final edition of the Southwest Classic against Arkansas at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The Aggies meet the Razorbacks for the 16th season in a row, with 13 of those matchups taking place at the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Here are a few takeaways from Monday’s weekly press conference as coach Mike Elko previewed the matchup.
A rivalry that rarely disappoints
Last season’s 34-22 A&M victory stood out as an anomaly in the series history between the two teams, with eight of the 15 games since 2009 being decided by single digits, with three coming down to overtime. The Aggies have won 11 of the past 12 matchups, with the lone Arkansas win coming by a 20-10 decision in 2021.
“I think the environment plays a role,” Elko said. “I think kids play their best football on that stage. I think everybody gets excited for playing in that stadium. Obviously, this game means a lot to both teams, and we always seem to get their best and we always try to give them our best. When two teams do that, I think you wind up with a lot of really close, entertaining football games.”
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Elko didn’t think the feeling of excitement of previous matchups was mutual, though. He said his most distinct memory of the game was in 2018, when defensive back Donovan Wilson held off an Arkansas comeback attempt and intercepted a pass with just over a minute remaining to ice a 24-17 victory.
“I didn’t remember any of them to be very entertaining when I was here. They were all way too close for my liking,” Elko said. “I just remember [Wilson] ranging across the field, and when he came down with it, it was like, ‘Oh, thank God.’”
Last season, junior running back Le’Veon Moss rushed for 107 yards and caught three passes for 27 yards in the Aggies’ win. He said he’s grown accustomed to meeting the Razorbacks at AT&T Stadium, but is excited to see the game return to the schools’ respective campuses next year.
“It kind of makes you want to go harder because you’re on a bigger platform,” Moss said of playing at the NFL venue.
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When A&M’s defense takes the field Saturday, it will be tasked with going against the mind of the man who engineered the Aggies’ offense in last season’s win. After spending 2023 in College Station as offensive coordinator, Bobby Petrino took the same position at Arkansas, where he served as head coach from 2008 to 2011.
“It’s not new motivation, but I kind of want to beat him,” Moss said. “It’s no reason. I want to win every game, but it’s just a game I want to win. … He was a great coach, he got some plays. He knew how to cook up.”
A&M averaged 33.3 points per game last season with Petrino leading the offense, in spite of three quarterbacks missing time due to injuries. Through four games, the Razorbacks rank fifth in the SEC with 40.5 points per game and third with 524 yards per game. Arkansas has relied on its rushing attack with 240 yards per game and 17 total touchdowns.
“I just remember that being a good offense,” sophomore tight end Theo Melin Öhrström said. “He’s a great coach and I have a lot of respect for him. He has different players there now and we have our players, so it’s just like any other game. We just have to go in there with the mindset that we’re going to play our brand of football and make the most out of it. … I think, before any game, we’re as motivated as we could be. I think playing against an old coach doesn’t really change anything, at least in my opinion.”
From Sweden to the Station
Big Swede. Thor. Rhino.
Öhrström goes by many names in the A&M football facility, and he can now carry the title of the team’s leading receiver with two touchdowns over the past two games. After reeling in his first reception versus McNeese State, Öhrström caught touchdown passes of 29 and 27 yards in the first quarter of A&M’s wins over Florida and Bowling Green, respectively.
“I just feel like with our new staff, I just feel like they’ve shown a lot of trust in me and believed in me from the jump,” Öhrström said. “Obviously, it’s a two-way street: I’ve got to show that I deserve the trust and the faith that they have in me, but I definitely feel like ever since I came here they’ve had an open mind. They didn’t have any ideas about anyone when they came here. They let everybody prove themselves, and I feel like I made the most out of that.”
Öhrström’s journey to Kyle Field began over 5,000 miles away at RIG Football Academy in Uppsala, Sweden. Through a recruitment program for international athletes called PPI Recruits, Öhrström attended an A&M football camp and later committed to the Aggies as part of their record-breaking 2022 class.
“I obviously came over here kind of as a raw product, as a lot of people like to say,” Öhrström said. “It’s just been awesome. I feel like the whole community has definitely embraced me. I’ve had a lot of people just reaching out and they’ll be like, ‘If you ever need a hand, a family to be embraced by over here, just let us know.’ I feel like the whole community has really embraced me a lot since I’ve been here.”
While primarily playing soccer growing up, Öhrström’s introduction to football began when he was 12 years old at a Dick’s Sporting Goods in California. His family was in the United States on vacation, and Öhrström bought a football that he brought back to his native Sweden.
From playing with the football in the pool and with his friends at recess, Öhrström showed an affinity for the game that later brought him to Aggieland. He said his family has made the trip stateside to see him play, with his father attending the Notre Dame game and his mother and best friend planning to come to the Texas matchup.
Find more Texas A&M coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
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Publish date : 2024-09-23 18:33:00
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