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RISING

Texas Tech's turnover margin: The Red Raiders won the turnover battle 4-1 in their 45-34 comeback win over Kansas. That moved them to third nationally in turnover margin, forcing eight more turnovers (11) than they've committed (3). The three turnovers are third-fewest nationally, behind only Northwestern and Stanford. Clean football being played out in West Texas.

FALLING

Kansas' defense: The numbers are ugly for the Jayhawks after four games and a 2-2 record. Kansas' offense is much better this season, but it hardly has a chance when the team ranks dead last nationally in scoring defense (44.25 points), 119th in total defense (545 yards/game), 118th in rush defense (252.5 yards/game) and 108th in pass defense (292.5 yards/game). That's not going to work well in the Big 12. Or any league, for that matter.

RISING

Kendall Wright: The Bears receiver is outperforming his more highly-touted competition across the Big 12, like Justin Blackmon, Ryan Broyles and Jeff Fuller. All three receivers have admittedly played tougher competition, but his numbers have risen every season, and he's on pace for a career season that's paralleling his quarterback, Robert Griffin III. Wright is tied for the national lead with seven touchdown catches, leads the Big 12, fourth nationally, with 621 receiving yards, and he leads the Big 12, sixth nationally, with 40 receptions.

FALLING

Texas A&M's pass defense: The Aggies have had two rough weeks, helping Brandon Weeden set a school record with 438 yards and following it up by letting Arkansas' Tyler Wilson break Ryan Mallett's record by more than 100 yards with 510 passing yards last week. Those two performances have the Aggies in dead last nationally in pass defense, giving up an average of 336 yards a game. Kansas is the next-worst Big 12 team, with its 292 yards a game average. Making matters more difficult, the Aggies haven't forced a turnover in 15 quarters, dating back to the first quarter against SMU in its opener. A dash of good news: A&M is fifth nationally in rush defense (63 yards/game).

RISING

Kansas State's defensive line: The Wildcats had one of the league's worst defensive lines a season ago, but this season, have two players in the Big 12's top five in sacks. Meshak Williams and Jordan Voelker both have three sacks and linebacker Arthur Brown also has two to rank eighth in the league. Last season, Prizell Brown was the only Wildcat in the Big 12's top 30 in sacks, with five on the season. The Wildcats already have 11 sacks after notching just 20 all of last season.

FALLING

Iowa State's turnover margin: The Cyclones have had turnover problems all season, but overcame them to reach 3-0 for the first time since 2005. Not anymore. Texas came to town and made ISU pay, winning the turnover battle 3-0 in a 37-14 win. Iowa State has now turned the ball over 13 times in four games, which ranks 108th nationally. They've only forced five all season, though, and rank T-116th last nationally in turnover margin, at -8. Only Notre Dame (-9) has been worse.

Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden is the only Big 12 member of the list of 10 finalists for the Manning Award, given to the top quarterback in college football.

It's the only award voted on after the bowl games, and takes quarterbacks' bowl game performances into account.

Texas' Colt McCoy won the award last season.

Here's the full list of finalists:

• Andy Dalton, TCU
• Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
• Andrew Luck, Stanford
• Ryan Mallett, Arkansas
• Kellen Moore, Boise State
• Cam Newton, Auburn
• Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State
• Denard Robinson, Michigan
• Darron Thomas, Oregon

That's a pretty stacked list. Baylor's Robert Griffin III and Oklahoma's Landry Jones are usually in the conversation for discussions like these, but I'm not sure either of those guys have an argument to be on this list over anyone who made it.

Good stuff this week, everybody. Enjoy the games. I'll be here all day tomorrow, starting with Texas A&M and Missouri.

James in Omaha, Neb., asks: Taylor Martinez vs. Texas, Over/Under: 125 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs?

David Ubben: I'll take the over on the yardage. Push on the touchdowns.

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Nick in Columbia, Mo., asks: If my Mizzou Tigers and those Oklahoma Sooners win this weekend, what are the chances that College GameDay comes to Columbia Oct. 23rd?

DU: I wouldn't bet on it, but if I were you, I'd be cheering on Texas Tech and Texas to knock off Oklahoma State and Nebraska, who might both be undefeated when they meet up in Stillwater next week. The same goes for Arkansas, who can knock off Auburn on Saturday to keep both the Tigers and LSU from being undefeated and in the Top 10 when they play next week.

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MarkJ in Columbia, Mo., asks: What will be a bigger factor in the MU-A&M game, Tim DeRuyter's blitzing 3-4 D or the crowd noise at Kyle Field?

DU: They'll definitely both have an impact, but it's definitely Tim DeRuyter's D. These teams ranked dead last in the Big 12 pass defense last year, but find themselves as one of five teams holding opponents under a 60 percent completion rate and limiting the big plays. Missouri gave up 20 touchdowns through the air last year. This year? Three in five games. Texas A&M has given up just seven after allowing 22 last year, and that includes games against Brandon Weeden and Ryan Mallett, two of the most prolific passers in college football this year. The Aggies have kept the pressure on the quarterback they got so much last year, but they gave up plenty of big plays over the top because of that pressure. They're getting fewer sacks this year (eight in five games vs. 35 in 13 last year), but in the two games I've seen them play, the pressure has been there for most of it. The second half against Oklahoma State is a notable exception, but they had Mallett pretty flustered last week. If they did that to him, you'd have to like their chances of doing the same to Blaine Gabbert on Saturday.

Against Oklahoma State, Texas A&M made a fantastic (and successful) effort in the first half to shut down the bubble-screen game that Missouri has used so much early this season. But once Hunter got going on the ground for Oklahoma State, it opened things up downfield for Weeden to start hitting Justin Blackmon and others, which then reopened the screen game.

Missouri doesn't have the running backs or receivers Texas A&M and Arkansas have, but its offensive line is definitely better than both. I'm a little on the fence about Missouri's ability to run the ball against the Aggies, but no doubt, if they succeed, it's going to relieve a lot of that pressure in the pocket on Gabbert, who is going to have to connect on some balls downfield to win in College Station.

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Kenny in Elkhorn, Neb., asks: So far, you lead all the bloggers in win percentage for the weekly predictions. What does the winning blogger receive/should receive at the end of the regular season? I'd say a ticket to Glendale and a Taylor Martinez jersey sounds pretty good.

DU: Well, that number is probably inflated because 12-team leagues have a few more gimme games early in the season, but I'll take it. The prize is up for debate, but as long as my game-used jersey is sold to me by the university, we shouldn't have a problem.

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Mack Brown in Texas asks: David, do you think Harry Potter is available to put a hex on that Martinez kid Saturday? I heard he uses magic?

DU: You do know Harry Potter isn't a real person, right? Call Merlin, maybe. Or David Blaine. I'll see if Criss Angel can catch a flight to Lincoln.

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Jerrod Johnson in College Station, Texas, writes: Sorry - I meant to throw this e-mail to someone else.

DU: No problem, just don't do it again. This one could have ended up in worse places.

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Matt in Bancroft, Neb., asked: I know Kansas isn't that great but after a 59-7 whooping K-State put on the Jayhawks, K-State can't be too bad. And after the pounding they got from Nebraska, how legit is Nebraska?

DU: It's a good question, and for as ugly as that blowout looked, you have to wonder what Texas' coaches and players thought about it, considering what Kansas State looked like last week.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- That's three turnovers in their own territory for Texas A&M, but they've only cost the Aggies three points.

Texas A&M got the ball with a chance to take the lead for the first time in the game, but running back Christine Michael fumbled a handoff from Jerrod Johnson and handed the ball right back to the Hogs, who capitalized with a field goal to take a 24-17 lead late in the third quarter.

Johnson hit Jeff Fuller for a 69-yard pass deep down the left sideline that set up a field goal to get the Aggies within four, but another mistake has the Aggies back in a seven-point hole.

The Aggies defense has Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett confused, and despite his big numbers (22-of-30, 255 yards, 3 touchdowns), Texas A&M has limited the big plays after Mallett's 71-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.

That defense has helped them survive the mistakes, but coach Mike Sherman knows his team may not be able to afford another. If Texas A&M doesn't clean it up soon, that deficit might stretch to double digits.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Jerrod Johnson hooked up with Jeff Fuller for a perfect deep ball down the left sideline for a 31-yard touchdown in the final seconds of the first half, a much-needed answer to an Arkansas touchdown that followed an unspecified injury to Von Miller, trimming Arkansas' lead to 21-14.

Stat of the half: Arkansas' two most-used running backs on Saturday, Knile Davis and Broderick Green, have broken big runs and have 94 yards on just 10 carries. Davis set up Arkansas' first touchdown with a 45-yarder, and Green had a 23-yarder late in the half. Texas A&M has to limit those runs in the second half to erase the deficit.

Best player in the half: Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett. He's tossed three touchdown passes, including a perfect deep ball to Cobi Hamilton that put Arkansas up 14-7.

The other best player in the half: Texas A&M defensive back Terrence Frederick. He intercepted Mallett to set up Texas A&M's first touchdown, and recovered a fumble on Arkansas' botched fake field goal in the second quarter.

What Texas A&M needs to do: Keep the offensive balance (20 runs, 19 passes) that was absent against Oklahoma State, and keep feeding Christine Michael (12 carries, 56 yards, TD) while continuing to soften up the secondary with intermediate passes that can set-up deep balls like Johnson's to close the half. He was pressured a little less in the second half, and used his legs (five carries, 41 yards) to escape that pressure and turn possible sacks into first downs. On defense, keep doing what it's doing. The Aggies are tackling well, and though they've left receivers open more often than they'd like, they've limited their yards after catch.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas A&M's band just finished the national anthem, and we're almost set to go here in Arlington. It's a pretty good crowd, with a few empty sections in the upper deck, but it should be a loud one, and just like all of these neutral-site games, a bowl atmosphere.

And the roof may be closed, but the de facto garage doors on both ends of the stadium are open.

Look for plenty of points today from two of the best quarterbacks in college football taking on improving but still vulnerable defenses. Ryan Mallett and Jerrod Johnson will probably test those defenses deep more than a few times today, so regardless of score, it'll be entertaining.

Here's 10 things I'll be keeping an eye on during six Big 12 games this weekend. What do you want to see?

1. T-Magic battling turnovers. Taylor Martinez was mistake-prone against South Dakota State, but he'll have to play well to beat Kansas State. A second game with multiple interceptions could mean a loss for the Huskers, and the same goes for any fumbles on downfield runs or in the backfield, whether they come on mishandled snaps or sacks.

2. Play-action could mean big plays. The headline-grabbing matchup in Kansas State's game against Nebraska is obviously Daniel Thomas vs. the Husker defense, but with so much attention up front, expect plenty of one-on-one matchups downfield. If Carson Coffman puts the ball on the money and receivers like Aubrey Quarles and Brodrick Smith can make plays in big moments, it might mean an upset.

3. Back to life, back to reality. Jerrod Johnson's turnover troubles have been well-documented this week, but if he can't fix them by Saturday, the Aggies will get rolled by No. 10 Arkansas. He has 10 turnovers in his past two games after throwing just eight interceptions all of last year and 10 as a freshman.

4. Getting a few whacks on Mallett. Texas A&M harassed Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden and laid plenty of big shots on him in the first half, all while corralling running back Kendall Hunter. They did neither in the second half. The Aggies will have to be in Ryan Mallett's face for both halves to pull the upset of Arkansas.

5. Getting back to the SEC. Tommy Tuberville's defense gave up six touchdowns and 251 yards on the ground to Iowa State last week. That's not exactly what fans had in mind when they brought one of the SEC's best defensive coaches to Lubbock, even if this is only Year 1. Now would be a good time for the 0-2 Red Raiders to right the defensive mistakes.

6. The road is unkind to the Buffs. Colorado, which has lost its past 12 road games, will try to snatch one against No. 24 Missouri. This is the same team which lost 52-7 to unranked Cal earlier this season. Can it prove it's any better? Even a close loss would be progress after 2008's 58-0 loss to the Tigers.

7. No big game this week...just take care of business. There's no reason Oklahoma State should lose or even be close to losing to Louisiana-Lafayette. But this is college football, and sometimes you never know. It's a Friday game and it's on the road against the Ragin' Cajuns. Weird things happen. Do the Cowboys give anyone a reason to believe they aren't the Big 12's third-best team? When it comes to perception, the only place for Oklahoma State to go in a game like this is down.

8. Carryover from last week in Ames? Iowa State and its fans are riding high from last week's 52-38 win over Texas Tech, but will that mean anything on Saturday? Utah looks like the better team, but how much better? An upset is within the realm of possibility and the quickest way to a win is running the ball well and taking care of it -- two things the Cyclones did well against the Red Raiders. Iowa State had 251 rushing yards and no turnovers, while forcing three from Texas Tech.

9. Time for Blaine to sling it? By his standards Blaine Gabbert has been pretty quiet so far this year, with just one 300-yard game and one game with more than one touchdown pass. Defenses have been trying to limit his effectiveness, which has meant big holes for the Tigers running game. Is it time for his first big game of the season? Colorado has the Big 12's second-best rush defense and ninth-best pass defense.

10. These aren't your average Bears. The last time Baylor played an offense anywhere near as talented as Texas Tech, it gave up 45 points to TCU. Other than that game, it has limited Kansas, Rice, Buffalo and Sam Houston State to just two touchdowns. Shutting down -- or at least limiting -- an offense like Texas Tech's would be a nice next step to proving the new Baylor defense is for real.

Texas A&M ran 106 plays from scrimmage last Thursday against Oklahoma State.

Like he does every week, quarterback Jerrod Johnson watched every one of them with his coaches. Among them: six "minuses." Five of those minuses were turnovers, all by Johnson, including one that set up Oklahoma State's game-winning field goal and a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

"It’s frustrating," said Johnson, who also completed 40-of-62 passes for 407 yards and five touchdowns in the game. "The fumble, I've done that thousands of times and I kneed the ball out of my own hand. I fall and there’s nothing I can do, and then a guy jumps on the ball by himself and he missed, and another guy picks it up and runs it back. It’s just something that I can’t really -- it’s hard for me to explain."

Explaining isn't what's important to revive Texas A&M's season. The task for Johnson is now fixing those turnovers before the Aggies travel to Arlington, Texas on Saturday to play No. 10 Arkansas in Cowboys Stadium.

But for Johnson's mistakes -- he has eight interceptions in his last six quarters -- he's still the same quarterback who threw 242 consecutive passes without an interception last season, a Big 12 record, and finished with the fewest interceptions (8) of any full-time starter in the Big 12 last season. All this despite throwing 497 passes, more than anyone else in the league.

"Not having spring ball, he was a little rusty at times," Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman said of Johnson, who underwent minor offseason shoulder surgery. "We constantly check his shoulder. It’s fine. We can’t assume something’s wrong when there isn’t. He really rifled a couple balls that would lead you to say his shoulder was fine."

Said Johnson: "The FIU game we had a little confusion. They had a new D-coordinator and we didn’t really know what they would do against us, and they did something completely different the week before. This week, I know the coverages they were in, I knew where I was going with the ball pretty much every time, it’s just, I don’t know."

And Sherman insists the interceptions and fumbles that have shown up on the past two Saturdays were missing during fall camp and aren't there in practice.

"What’s the chances of that, the ball just coming out of my hand? I’m sitting there just like, you’re kidding me," Johnson said of his fourth quarter fumble. "It felt like it took them 20 seconds to run that ball into the end zone. I was just sitting there like, Well, alright, we’re down 14, we’ve got to score 15 points to win."

He got to 14 -- tying the game at 35 -- and got the ball with 1:16 to play and a chance at redemption. The momentum shifted for good toward Oklahoma State with Johnson's fourth interception of the game, giving Oklahoma State the ball near field goal range with just 16 seconds left.

"I thought I saw a hole and tired to anticipate it. A linebacker came underneath it right before it left my hand and I tried to put it over his head and it made me sail it a little bit," Johnson said. "In that situation again, I’d probably just take the check down."

He'll have plenty of chances to put the ball back in the air on Saturday against Arkansas. In August, Texas A&M figured an improved defense meant an improved season. It still might. But Johnson still has to do his part, and now that means limiting the turnovers, regardless of the reasons why they've occurred.

"This team could be really special," Johnson said. "I know Jeff Fuller had a great game and that’s just Jeff. For Kenric McNeal to come out and have the great game that he did, and Ryan Swope and EZ [receiver Uzoma Nwachukwu], we have so many playmakers and our defense, the way they’re playing, they’re kind of the backbone of the team right now. I think with those things combined, if we can limit the catastrophic turnovers that change the entire game, we can be really special."

Here are a few things on the rise, and a few other things that have been on the down low to start the season.

We'll start with a changing of the guard as the Big 12's resident sack master.

Rising: Brian Duncan

The Texas Tech linebacker is still tied for the national sack lead after notching five in three games. Duncan did not record a single sack in all of 2009.

Falling: Von Miller

The Texas A&M linebacker led the nation in sacks last season with 17. But through three games, he's battled an ankle injury and has just six tackles. Through three games last year, Miller had eight sacks.

Rising: Receptions

Four players in the Big 12 rank among the national top 7, and all have at least 24 catches in three games. Oklahoma's Ryan Broyles leads the group with 31 catches, ahead of Missouri's T.J. Moe and Michael Egnew, who have 30 and 29 catches, respectively. Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon has 24 catches, but is the nation's leader in receiving yards (431) and touchdowns (8). Texas Tech's Lyle Leong has the second-most touchdown receptions, with six.

Falling: Oklahoma State passing records

The Cowboys broke single-game records for passing yards (574) and touchdowns (8) last week, headlined by Brandon Weeden's six touchdowns and more than 400 yards. Weeden, a junior, leads the nation in touchdown passes and is second to only Ryan Mallett in yardage, with 975 yards. If he keeps at this pace, he could come close to his coach's career record in just two seasons. Mike Gundy holds the career passing yardage lead at 7,997 yards and 49 touchdowns.

Rising: Secondaries

Nebraska may have single-handedly cost Jake Locker millions of dollars over the weekend, and five Big 12 teams (Kansas State, Texas Tech, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma) rank in the top 14 in passes defended. The top three national leaders in pass breakups (Texas Tech's Jarvis Phillips, Kansas State's Terrance Sweeney and Oklahoma's Jamell Fleming) are all from the Big 12. Phillips is also the national leader in interceptions, with four, and returned one for a touchdown against Texas.

Nebraska, Texas Tech and Missouri all rank in the national top five in interceptions.

Falling: Prudent decisions and precision passing

Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson's four third-quarter interceptions against Florida International last week were more than 82 other FBS quarterbacks have thrown all season.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

I don't know about you, but I'd love to see a Big 12 game of the week every Thursday night.

Here's a quick spin through the conference on our way to Saturday's games.

• The Lincoln Journal Star’s Steve Sipple writes that Nebraska’s 27-12 victory over Missouri Thursday ranks as Bo Pelini’s signature victory.
• Omaha World-Herald columnist Tom Shatel opines that “Hurricane Suh” crashed through Faurot Field Thursday night as Nebraska prevailed over fading Missouri.
• The Oklahoman’s Brandon Chatmon reports that Dez Bryant will meet with NCAA officials early next week hoping for a possible reinstatement later this season.
• The Kansas City Star’s Jason Whitlock says that Missouri’s sputtering running game was to blame for the Tigers’ loss against Nebraska last night.
• Austin Talbert of the Daily Texan wonders if there's a hex against former high school players who choose against playing for Texas.
• Sam Bradford is ranked as the third-best college quarterback available for the NFL draft, as Pete Fiutak of the CollegeFootballNews.com places Bradford behind Notre Dame’s Jimmy Claussen and Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett.
• The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams notes the difference in Mike Leach’s injury-release policy and those employed by national powers like Florida and Oklahoma.
• Colt McCoy has changed his approach to leading Texas over the last several weeks, the Denver Post’s Chris Dempsey reports.
• The Lawrence Journal-World’s Matt Tait writes that Kansas’ offensive line has played far better than expected during the Jayhawks 4-0 start.
• The Bryan Eagle’s Robert Cessna opines about Oklahoma State’s shrinking group of playmakers heading into Saturday’s game with Texas A&M.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Here are my picks for this week. It’s a bounce-back weekend for yours truly after an embarrassing 3-3 performance last week.

I bought into Texas A&M’s offensive hype and also believed that Iowa State would persevere against Kansas State. Little did I know that Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett and KSU kick-blocking specialist Emmanuel Lamur would have something to say about both games. And Oklahoma did me no favors against Miami -- particularly after Ryan Broyles went down early in the game.

Here are my picks for this week:

Nebraska 38, Missouri 31: The Cornhuskers have been waiting for their shot at the Tigers for a long time, particularly after losing the last two games to the Tigers by a combined margin of 93-23. That hasn’t gone down smoothly for the Cornhuskers and particularly Bo Pelini, who has never beaten Missouri after also losing to them as Nebraska's defensive coordinator in 2003. I think that trend changes Thursday night in the slop in Columbia, Mo., where I look for the Cornhuskers to dominate in the trenches. If the weather is nasty, as expected, I think the running of Roy Helu Jr. becomes even more effective. Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert will have his moments with his talented crew of athletic receivers. But I just don’t think the Missouri offensive line can keep Ndamukong Suh, Barry Turner, Pierre Allen and Jared Crick away for the whole game.

Texas A&M 27, Oklahoma State 24: The wheels come off the Cowboys’ bandwagon Saturday afternoon, playing without Dez Bryant. With many of their primary offensive weapons questionable with injuries, Oklahoma State won’t be able to afford to get into a shootout with the Aggies. A&M is still smarting from last week’s offensive effort when they piled up 28 first downs and outgained Arkansas, 458-434, and still lost 47-19. But if the Aggies can take control early and get the large crowd at Kyle Field involved, they have a great chance of upsetting the Cowboys.

Oklahoma 38, Baylor 14: Even without Sam Bradford, I would like the Sooners' chances with Landry Jones starting his fourth game. But with Bradford’s intention to play, I think it makes Oklahoma that much more inspired -- particularly after last week’s disappointing loss at Miami. The Sooners have to develop more offensive rhythm and find some receiving threats who can fill in for Broyles. Look for Blake Szymanski to start for the Bears. He’s not a novice after starting 13 games for the Bears in 2007. But the Sooners’ pass rush should feast against a young, inexperienced Baylor offensive front that will keep the Bears' quarterback harried throughout the game. Without Robert Griffin, the Bears have little hope of making this game competitive.

Texas Tech 42, Kansas State 28: The Red Raiders could make history Saturday night as Steven Sheffield is poised to become the first backup quarterback to start a game for a Mike Leach-coached team. Taylor Potts is recovering from a concussion and likely won’t be ready to play. But it shouldn’t matter against the Wildcats, who haven’t faced an offense nearly as potent as Tech will provide. Kansas State’s best hope will be to try to dictate the tempo with quarterback Grant Gregory and rely on underrated running back Daniel Thomas. But the Red Raiders are allowing only 3.0 yards per carry and that will be pivotal in trying to keep Gregory in long down-and-distance situations. Tech has too many offensive weapons for Kansas State and should be able to win handily.

Texas 49, Colorado 10: The surging Longhorns will be looking to build momentum for next week’s game against Oklahoma. Standing in their path this week is Colorado, which has struggled in two previous road losses to Toledo and West Virginia and been embarrassed three times on national television this season. The Longhorns will make it four. Texas has the best talent the Buffaloes have faced and should be able to score easily against Dan Hawkins’ team. Look for Texas’ athleticism to allow it to jump ahead early as Colt McCoy and his receivers should have another huge game.

Kansas 38, Iowa State 17: This game was competitive last season in Ames, as Kansas was lucky to escape with a 35-33 victory. The margin won’t be nearly that close this time around for the rested Jayhawks, who are coming off last week’s bye in good physical shape. Iowa State can’t match Kansas’ deep collection of tall, talented receivers, providing another chance for Todd Reesing to torment the Cyclones. Reesing has thrown eight touchdown passes and produced a quarterback rating of 202.44 in helping beat ISU in three previous games. The Jayhawks will be tested by Iowa State’s emerging offense. But I expect Kansas to build on a strong fourth-quarter defensive effort against Southern Mississippi to help it beat the Cyclones.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas A&M's Von Miller came into Saturday night's game against Arkansas leading the nation in sacks. He was undoubtedly the most dominant defensive player in the Big 12 in the first month of the season.

But after producing three tackles and a sack on Arkansas' first 12 snaps of the night, helping to boost Texas A&M to an early lead, Miller was noticeably absent the rest of the game.

	Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
	Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson couldn’t get comfortable in the pocket against Arkansas.

His struggles were remarkably similar to many of his teammates, who were steamrolled by a run of 30-straight points by Arkansas en route to the Razorbacks' 47-19 victory.

"We knew that they were going to adjust what we were doing," Miller said. "There was a lot of pressure for the first plays. We were prepared for the game, but we just couldn't get it done."

The Razorbacks altered their plans by keeping a bulkier offensive lineman on Miller rather than trying to block him with a running back. The strategy worked as Miller accounted for one tackle the rest of the game.

"He's a great player and we knew we had to put a lineman on him," Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett said. "We couldn't block him with a back because he's that good of a defender. But once we did that, we got ourselves protected and made the right calls. And then, we put some points and yards up."

The Aggies thrilled their fans early in the game by jumping on Arkansas for a 10-0 lead barely nine minutes into the game. But they couldn't maintain the quick start as Arkansas' athleticism gradually wore them down.

"We jumped ahead of them and really had a good opportunity to take a significant lead, which we didn't do," Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman said. "Good teams take that lead and don't relinquish it. We allowed them to get back in the ballgame."

The way that A&M lost opens some significant questions about this team. As quarterback Jerrod Johnson scrambled for his life in the second half and A&M's back seven defenders struggled to keep up with the faster Razorbacks, it looked like 2008 all over again.

"I never want to scramble," said Johnson, whose 58 pass attempts was the second-highest total in school history. "I would prefer to sit in the pocket and throw the ball, but different situations presented themselves tonight."

Even with the team's strong start with victories over New Mexico, Utah State and UAB to start the season, the way the Aggies responded on Saturday wasn't a promising sign as they prepare for play in the Big 12 South.

If the Aggies had trouble sticking with Arkansas' defenders and a sophomore quarterback like Mallett, what will happen when they start meeting up with quarterbacks like Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford and Zac Robinson later in the season?

Despite that harrowing thought, Sherman considered Saturday's loss as a good lesson for his team.

"I'm pleased with what I learned about this team," Sherman said. "They don't have any quit in them. And they don't have any excuses in them, either."

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

ARLINGTON, Texas – As his slump-ridden team fell into another early hole Saturday night, Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino was a little worried.

Considering his team had three successive three and outs and produced zero yards on their first nine snaps, Petrino believed his first trip to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium could end up being a long, frustrating night.

	Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
	Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett rebounded nicely after struggling in the past few games.

"I was thinking this wasn't going very good,” Petrino said. "There was a lot of time left on that clock and we weren't doing anything.”

Fortunately for Petrino, quarterback Ryan Mallett was ready. The 6-foot-7 quarterback hooked up with Joe Adams on a 67-yard pass on the first play after those three stalled drives. Three plays later, the Razorbacks scored their first touchdown. And that score sparked an avalanche of 30 consecutive points that boosted the Razorbacks to a convincing 47-19 victory over Texas A&M.

In the process, the Razorbacks were able to blot out bad memories from back-to-back losses to Georgia and Alabama in the last two weeks.

Arkansas likely won't be a contender for the SEC West Division title, but the rebound performance showed the Razorbacks are still a legitimate threat for a bowl trip if they can build on their Saturday night effort.

"I think this helps our confidence a lot,” Petrino said. "We were talking about being a team and taking care of each other and playing together and not hurting ourselves. I think we grew up a little bit tonight."

Petrino said that Mallett showed him during the week that he was intent to bounce back after his struggles at Alabama, where he completed only 12 of 35 passes.

"A game like this will boost your confidence to come out and play 10 times better than we did against Alabama,” said Mallett, who finished with 271 yards and four touchdown passes against a beleaguered A&M secondary. "When we were at Alabama, we didn't have the right juice. We had the right juice here and that's what got us the victory.”

Mallett was understandably contrite last week. But he was able to put aside his own struggles to help his team steamroll to the victory.

His effectiveness at isolating running backs against slower A&M linebackers was particularly noteworthy, as it produced eight of his 17 completions to those backs.

But as big as the turnaround in Mallett's performance was, the Arkansas defense stepping up after being blistered for six touchdowns of at least 40 yards in the last two games was equally of note.

It led Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson to snatch an inspirational page from Howard Beale from the classic movie "Network.”

"I'm as mad as hell and I'm not taking it anymore,” Robinson said. "That's exactly how we felt. We were tired of it. It wasn't like us. We were going to play like we're capable of playing.”

The Aggies were limited to nine points during the rest of the game after A&M jumped to an early 10-0 lead. The quick Razorback defensive front put repeated pressure on Jerrod Johnson, who came into the game third in total offense and 11th in passing efficiency.

Funny thing, however. Playing the Razorbacks was a little different than playing the tissue-soft group of UAB, Utah State and New Mexico that A&M faced to start the season.

The game turned on a critical 14-point swing late in the second quarter with A&M poised to reclaim the lead deep in Arkansas territory. As Johnson was scrambling, he was hit by Arkansas' Tenarius Wright who dislodged the ball. Arkansas outside linebacker Jerry Franklin picked up the fumble -- A&M's first turnover of the season -- and raced untouched for an 85-yard touchdown return.

Arkansas had a 21-10 lead and never looked back from there.

Franklin, a converted high school tight end, flashed a healthy dose of speed on the play.

"It was a huge play for us,” Franklin said. "Our offensive guys were happy to know we had their back. It had been about two years since I scored a touchdown and it felt great."

But as excited as he was about the score, Franklin was more excited about his defense's performance when it most needed it. Together, the Razorbacks helped turn this old rivalry between Southwest Conference foes into a mundane game in the second half when many Aggie fans had already left for the exits.

"We were frustrated the last two weeks because we had given up way too many big plays,” Franklin said. "That made us want to come out and play well tonight. And that's what we did. All of us came together when we really needed it.”

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

ARLINGTON, Texas -- It looks like Texas A&M has stepped in the way back machine, showing the struggles that repeatedly bedeviled them last season.

Arkansas has raced to a 37-13 lead. Ryan Mallett has done a masterful job in isolating his running backs against the slower Texas A&M linebackers. The result has been four Mallett touchdown passes as the Aggies have struggled defensively for the first time this season.

After national sack leader Von Miller was a force on the first two possessions, Arkansas has done a great job of neutralizing him. I've barely seen him involved in a play since early in the game.

And Jerrod Johnson is having the same problems as last season. Arkansas defensive ends Adrian Davis and Jake Bequette have repeatedly whipped Texas A&M freshman tackle Stephen Barrera and Lee Grimes to keep heavy pressure on Johnson.

If the Aggies play like they have tonight, they will have difficulty escaping the Big 12 South cellar. The secret has been to rush Johnson, which I'm sure Big 12 coordinators will quickly pick up on.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Here's a quick look at the trends that have helped catapult Arkansas to a 30-10 halftime lead.

Turning point: Texas A&M was poised to reclaim the lead early in the second quarter before Tenarius Wright hit Jerrod Johnson in the Arkansas backfield. Arkansas outside linebacker Jerry Franklin picked up the fumble -- A&M’s first turnover of the season -- and raced untouched on an 85-yard touchdown return. It helped contribute to a run of 30 straight Arkansas points after an early 10-0 A&M lead.

Stat of the half: After hitting five of his first eight passes, Johnson finished the half by completing only six of his next 19 passes. The Texas A&M offensive front had trouble keeping speedy Arkansas defensive ends Jake Bequette and Adrian Davis away from Johnson as the half progressed. The result was Johnson’s struggles after a fast three-game start.

Player of the half: Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett looked like a different quarterback in the first half compared to last week against Alabama. Mallett completed 10 of 17 passes for 193 yards and three touchdown. As impressive as his stats was the way he got his entire team involved. Mallett appeared more confident as the half progressed as he passed to seven different receivers and orchestrated the offense strongly as the half progressed.