Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Will Muschamp and Florida managed to escape College Station, Texas, back on Sept. 8 with a 20-17 win, rallying from behind in the second half. In the first two quarters, though, the Gators could not get a handle on A&M's redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel, who ran and passed the Aggies to a lead.

Manziel followed that up with big efforts at SMU, a 48-3 win, and last week at home in a 70-14 win over South Carolina State.

"He's tough to hem up," Muschamp said Wednesday during the SEC coaches teleconference. "You couldn't hem hm up in a phone booth." Manziel was 23 of 30 for 173 yards passing with an additional 60 yards on 17 carries against Florida in the season opener.

The past two weeks, he's been a combined 35 of 56 passing for 468 yards and 7 touchdowns, and against SMU he ran 13 times for 124 yards and two scores, including a 48-yard run. He had 78 yards on eight carries and two scores, including a 39-yard weaving run, against South Carolina State.

Such is the challenge that Arkansas' beleaguered defense faces Saturday in College Station, where the Razorbacks hope to end a three-game losing streak and get their first SEC win of the season. A&M is looking for its first SEC win ever and also hoping to stop a three-game losing streak to the Hogs in their old series of former Southwest Conference rivals that was restarted at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in 2009.

Arkansas Coach John L. Smith said Wednesday that while the Aggies look formidable in the offensive and defensive lines and possess a record-setting punt returner in Dustin Harris, "what jumps out" in watching A&M game film in Manziel.

"The quarterback is a special kid," he said.

Smith is comforted somewhat knowing that his defensive line "played perhaps their best game of the season" last week against Rutgers. Still, the Hogs defense surrendered 525 total yards, 397 through the air. The challenge A&M presents, he said, is the number of plays the Aggies try to run and the blend of passing with an uptempo running game behind veterans Christine Michael and Ben Malena.

Smith said the Hogs run defense has improved. However, the team's problem is "we've been forcing people to throw the ball and then not being there to defend the pass." Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova threw for a career-high five touchdown passes last week against the Hogs.

"You can't let them run the football all over you. You have to take away something," Smith said. "When we stop the run we have to be able to take away those throws, too."

A&M Coach Kevin Sumlin said Manziel only has a portion of Sumlin's extensive offensive package as the Aggies staff eases the redshirt freshman along. He's done amazing feats, some improvising, with what little is apparently at his disposal.

"We're nowhere near where we need to be offensively," Sumlin said Wednesday. "What we've done so far with Johnny has been fairly guarded in terms of the amount of offensive that he's been provided, the amount of offense that's on his plate. When you're dealing with a first-time starter and a freshman, you have to be careful with that. We'll expand as he becomes more comfortable and is able to operate in the offense.