Arkansas Opens the Season with a Rout of Alabama A&M

With senior quarterback Taylen Green producing a career-best six touchdown passes, Arkansas opened the 2025 season in emphatic fashion, sweeping aside Alabama A&M 52-7 at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

A crowd of 70,827 in Fayetteville saw the Razorbacks (1-0, 0-0 SEC) wobble briefly before finding their stride. The Bulldogs struck first with a brisk 7-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, but from that moment Sam Pittman’s side tightened its grip, forcing nine punts and a turnover while allowing just 235 total yards.

The Razorbacks’ offense clicked into gear with 552 total yards, 338 of them through the air, and a 9-for-14 mark on third down. The only missing piece was on the ground: in a curious twist, Arkansas did not record a rushing touchdown in a season opener for the first time since Pittman’s debut campaign in 2020.

First-Half Offensive Spark

Arkansas took the ball after winning the toss and struck immediately. On the opening snap, Taylen Green connected with transfer O’Mega Blake for a 13-yard gain. Nine plays later, he finished the 73-yard march with a 16-yard touchdown pass to CJ Brown, putting the Razorbacks ahead 7-0 with 10:03 left in the first quarter.

Alabama A&M answered on its first possession. Quarterback Cornelious Brown IV went a perfect 4-for-4, guiding a 75-yard drive capped by Maurice Edwards’ 6-yard run that leveled the score at 7 with 6:28 remaining.

The Razorbacks regained the lead on their next drive when freshman kicker Scott Starzyk, in his debut attempt, drilled a 53-yard field goal to make it 10-7 with 3:37 left in the quarter.

Arkansas began to pull away in the second. Green found Raylen Sharpe for a 35-yard touchdown, the receiver’s first as a Hog, to extend the margin to 17-7. Just before halftime, Green connected with Blake again, this time for a 6-yard score, giving the Razorbacks a 31-7 cushion at the break.

Dominance After Halftime

Arkansas carried its momentum into the second half. The defense forced a quick three-and-out, and Taylen Green answered with a six-play, 66-yard march capped by a 14-yard touchdown to CJ Brown, his second score of the afternoon.

Midway through the third quarter, defensive lineman Quincy Rhodes Jr. recorded the Razorbacks’ first sack of the season, setting up yet another Alabama A&M punt. Green struck again on the ensuing possession, connecting with tight end Andreas Paaske for a 5-yard touchdown, his sixth of the game,  to stretch the lead to 45-7.

Green finished with 322 yards and six touchdowns on 24-of-31 passing, adding 41 rushing yards on nine carries before exiting early in the fourth quarter. Redshirt freshman KJ Jackson took over and went 2-of-4 for 36 yards with a touchdown. He also ran twice for 15 yards while directing Arkansas’ final scoring drive.

Offensive Weapons Shine

Mike Washington powered the Razorbacks on the ground with 79 yards on nine carries and added a 27-yard touchdown catch. O’Mega Blake led the receiving corps with seven receptions for 121 yards and a score. CJ Brown hauled in two touchdowns, while Raylen Sharpe and Andreas Paaske each added one.

Arkansas kept their quarterback well protected, allowing just two sacks on 36 passing attempts, and played a disciplined game with only three penalties for 20 yards. Alabama A&M, meanwhile, hurt itself with seven penalties for 42 yards, repeatedly stalling its own drives.

Pittman’s Postgame Take

Head coach Sam Pittman praised Arkansas’ offensive performance while acknowledging early defensive struggles.

“That was a good win,” Pittman said. “We started off slow on defense and had some mental errors. They had a good game plan coming in, and we had some gap problems in the run and allowed the tight end to get open a couple of times. We fixed it and then played pretty good defense the rest of the day.

“Offensively, we threw seven touchdown passes, I think. Taylen did a good job avoiding pressure. Some of it was simple twist games where they brought pressure, and sometimes they brought one more than we could protect. We’ve got to get better there, but I was proud we were able to throw the ball to a lot of different people and get them involved.”

Pittman and his staff now turn their attention to next week’s matchup against Arkansas State, a game that could mark their final appearance at historic War Memorial Stadium.