3 Overreactions After Texas A&M vs. Arkansas

It is not a wild claim to say that despite being tabbed as the Aggies' RB1, running back Rueben Owens II has struggled to regain the explosiveness that characterized his early time in the program. But A&M is in luck, because it has two of the most dynamic running backs in the conference, and both of them are true freshmen.

The tandem of Carsyn Baker and KJ Edwards has been an end-zone hunter, with the pair accounting for half of the Aggies' rushing scores. Owens has not always been able to keep his feet under him in critical situations, failing on fourth downs on multiple occasions. However, the two freshmen have been taking care of business in their limited snaps, where Baker can make the short-yardage situations work and Edwards has been a wrecking ball of an every-down back.

If the Aggies want to continue to have success going forward, maybe it's not too crazy to say that Owens needs to shift down to RB2 or even RB3. If that drop isn't possible, at least give the two rookies the same number of carries because Owens doesn't seem to cut it anymore.

2.) Marcel Reed needs to keep it simple. Real simple.

Perhaps to the casual football watcher, the Aggies' win over the Razorbacks would be considered a very "boring" game, with less pizzazz than would be expected from a rivalry matchup. However, for the one who knows what they're looking for, this wear-and-tear victory was exactly what they needed to see for a veteran quarterback who has been on the search for rhythm.

Reed took more of a game-manager approach against Arkansas, not really needing to unleash a booming offense but rather keeping pace for a strong and consistent one. An overreaction to his 170-yard and rushing touchdown performance would tell you he needs to keep it simple, keep the ball out of harm's way and just keep it vanilla.

Of course, the Aggies have more than enough talent to be or desire to stay vanilla, but it's an overreaction here. Now, if the true freshmen can keep the pressure off Reed to be Superman every play, maybe that's the recipe for a winning record on the road to save the season.

3.) David Olano will save the season

To understand the impact and fuel of this third and final overreaction, it is important to note that the Aggies had an abysmal kicking unit a season ago, going 16-for-26 as kickers Randy Bond and Jared Zirkel were essentially non-factors as the Aggies were in four-down territory through the whole of their last two games in 2025 since the two could not be trusted.

Fast-forward to this season, where not only has kicker David Olano captured the hearts and attention of Aggies rendered kicker-less, but has done it with style. Against the Razorbacks, he hit not one, but two 50-yard field goals, including his career-long on a 57-yarder that appeared to have even more room to spare.

The Aggies finally have a true weapon should their offense fail to get into the end zone, and not only that, but one they can trust to go and win a football game. He is a perfect six-for-six and doesn't seem to show any signs of slowing, and if that works itself into a Lou Groza Award, A&M fans won't be shocked.