After losing against Notre Dame, Arkansas parted ways with Sam Pittman and got Bobby Petrino back on the team. But despite a fresh start, the Razorbacks fell to Tennessee last week. However, despite losing 31-34, the team showed some fight that was missing in their earlier games. Next up, they have Mike Elko’s undefeated Aggies, and their history is already working in Arkansas’s favor.

Arkansas’s 2-4 record could have easily been 4-2 if some plays had gone in their favor. They lost to Ole Miss 35-41 and to Memphis 31-32. Against the Aggies, several things are going for the Razorbacks. First, they are at home in Fayetteville. Second, Bobby Petrino’s record against A&M is working for them. During his coaching career, the Arkansas head coach is 4-0 against the Aggies.

His first win came in 2009 with a 47-19 score, then in 2010 with a 24-17 score, in 2011 with 42-38, and last back in 2015 with a 27-21 finish.

Just so you know, during this time last season, the Razorbacks hosted the No. 4 team in the country in Tennessee and pulled a shocking 19-14 upset. And the same is about to happen this week with No. 4 Texas A&M. Who knows, history might repeat itself.

With all that history and those assumptions, Bobby Petrino also has a dynamic player in his QB, Tylen Green, who is holding 4th rank in the SEC for passing with 275.7 yards per game and 5th position in rushing with 84 yards so far.

Even Mike Elko couldn’t hold back his praise for him. “I think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country,” Elko said. “He’s got the ability to hurt you so many different ways. He’s got a big arm. We saw that last year. He can make a lot of throws.”

But let’s not forget, even if it’s going to be a tough test for Mike Elko’s defense, their offense has been a constant threat for opponents. They average 400 yards per game with Marcel Reed’s exceptional passing skills, especially because of wide receivers KC Conception and Mario Craver. But their rushing attack might be a problem, as they will be without running back Le’Veon Moss, who’s been suffering from an ankle injury. Rueben Owens, Amari Daniel, and Jamarion Morrow will take up the charge.

Mike Elko’s fiery speech before the Gators game

Looks like Mike Elko doesn’t know how to stop this season. Coming off a remarkable win against Florida 34-17 last week, they are all set to go up against Arkansas in Fayetteville for the first time since 2013. The success is not an overnight miracle but Elko’s constant push and endurance. Which is pretty much visible in his locker room message before the Gators game.

Mike Elko’s fierce locker room message didn’t just add another layer of motivation but even pushed the team hard. “To get what you really want in this world of the SEC like you have to at some point, just kick a f–ing door down and announce who the f–ing you are.” Elko said.

“This is our stage. This is our opportunity, the last game at Kyle Field, the last chance we’re going to have to go out in front of the 12th man at night to go out there and do something really f—ing special, right? But lock in on what it’s going to take to be the more physical team from start to finish; where they’re f–ing out when this film goes on tomorrow, we better be the team that plays the f–ing hardest.”

No wonder that motivation worked in Texas A&M’s favor as they recorded 417 total yards of offense against the Gators with 183 rushing yards on the ground. This made it their first 6-0 start since 2016. Even their defense has doubled down on third down since the start of SEC play, allowing opponents to convert just 2 of 33 opportunities so far. Now, with that record, let’s see if the Aggies break Bobby Petrino’s streak this week.