The No. 23 Aggies (3-1, 1-0 SEC) fought back from a 14-0 first quarter deficit, ran all over the nation's sixth-ranked rush defense while struggling to exploit the nation's worst pass defense, then survived when a late field goal attempt by Arkansas' Cam Little bounced off the very top of the right goalpost and fell back to the turf.

It didn't look like No. 10 Arkansas (3-1, 1-1 SEC) would have to sweat a late field goal attempt early on, as their veteran offense throttled A&M's less experienced defense early on. On their second possession, the Razorbacks got rolling with a 26-yard run by quarterback KJ Jefferson (12-19, 171 yards, 1 TD; 18 carries, 105 yards, 1 TD) followed immediately by a quick screen to wideout Ketron Jackson that became an easy 32-yard touchdown.

On their next possession, Jefferson had all time to throw against A&M's 3-man pass rush and found a wide open Warren Thompson, who had torched the Aggie secondary, deep down the field for a 56-yard score.

At the end of the first quarter, the Aggies were down two scores, had been outgained 170-28, didn't have a first down and appeared to be on the verge of getting run out of the building.

"They could have folded," coach Jimbo Fisher said, "(But) a very, very young football team kept its poise, kept its composure."

After finally forcing an Arkansas punt early in the second quarter, the Aggies got the ball back at their own 7 and began to fight back. Running back Devon Achane (19 carries, career-high 159 yards, 1 TD) broke loose for a 63-yard run to the Arkansas 30. Five plays later, quarterback Max Johnson (11-21, 151 yards, 1 TD) lofted a pass to the end zone in the face of an all-out Razorback blitz that freshman wideout Evan Stewart (3 catches, 36 yards, 1 TD) reacted to and grabbed for his first career score.

"They had one more than we can handle. The guy had inside leverage on Evan, and it was a fade route. I was just given a chance," Johnson said. "My ball was a little short. I definitely should have put a little more on it. But Evan ended up coming back and making a great play."

Arkansas looked like they were on the verge of putting the game away on their next possession, as they drove to the Aggie 3-yard-line with ease. Then Jefferson made a foolish decision: in spite of being well away from the goal line, he attempted to leap over the defensive line. The Aggies recognized the play from the start, and linebacker Chris Russell smacked the ball out of Jefferson's hands. After it hit the helmet of an Arkansas lineman, A&M cornerback Tyreek Chappell grabbed the ball out of the air and headed upfield. Chappell was corralled at the A&M 18, but safety Demani Richardson ripped the ball out of his hands and took it the rest of the way for an combined 97-yard fumble return.

"I saw the tackle and then I heard the crowd going crazy, so I knew it was either one of two things. Either they scored or something crazy happened, and I looked up and I saw Reek (Tyreek) Chappell running and I'm like oh, we got the ball," defensive back Antonio Johnson said. "And then I saw him get tackled -- well, he almost got tackled. But then out of nowhere, Demani [Richardson] took off running. I'm like, 'This dude here is crazy.'"

Achane said Richardson's return took him back to days when he played before a much smaller crowd than the 63,580 at AT&T Stadium.

"That's like some backyard football-type stuff where someone says give it to me, you give it to them," he said.

The Aggies botched the point after touchdown, giving Arkansas a 14-13 halftime lead, but the Razorbacks were visibly deflated. A&M struck again immediately after halftime, going 70 yards in 6 plays to take a 20-14 lead. Freshman tight end Donovan Green's 26-yard catch pushed the Aggies to the edge of the red zone, and Achane weaved his way through the Arkansas defense for a 9-yard score three plays later.

The Aggies forced a three-and-out on Arkansas' next possession, then started another scoring drive. After a hold and a botched snap left the Aggies facing a 2nd and 30 at midfield, Johnson found senior wideout Ainias Smith for a 32-yard catch and run to get the Aggies out of trouble. A&M would settle for a 31-yard field goal by Randy Bond.

A&M took a 23-14 lead into the fourth quarter, but momentum had switched again. On an option run, Johnson rolled up behind Smith, who went down in obvious pain. After an extended period in the medical tent, a clearly emotional Smith emerged with his right foot in a boot and on crutches.

Arkansas took advantage of a deflated Aggie team, marching 74 yards in 13 plays to cut the lead to 23-21 on a short touchdown run by Jefferson. The Aggies were able to put a solid drive together, but Bond missed from 53 yards away, giving Arkansas the ball at their own 36 with 6:30 to go in the game.

The Razorbacks muscled around the younger Aggie front for much of the drive, moving the ball as close as the A&M 16 before making a pair of major mistakes. A botched snap led to a 9-yard loss, and the Jefferson as dropped for another yard setback by linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. Those yards would prove to be crucial, as Little's kick would have been good from a yard shorter. Instead, it hit the very top of the right crossbar, went up and then fell back into play, giving the Aggies the ball with 1:30 to go and their lead intact.

"That was a tough one. Give A&M all the credit in the world," Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. "We had a chance to win there at the end. Just, unfortunately, we didn't."

Though clearly pleased with the win immediately afterward, Fisher's mood began to change during his press conference. Instead of focusing on the win, he noted the numerous mistakes that made the game closer than it should have been.

"I'm gonna be angry all week," he said.