A&M-Arkansas, West-Hillsboro highlight Slovacek's I-35 Showdowns of the Week

Slovacek's logoTo honor the loyal football fans that travel great distances to support their favorite team, DCTF and our friends from Slovacek’s in West, Texas are proud to present The Slovacek’s I-35 Showdowns of the Week: Texas A&M (3-0) vs. Arkansas (1-2) 6:00 p.m. Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington During the summer, this showdown between the Aggies and Razorbacks looked like a can’t-miss, season-defining type of game that might go a long way in shaping the SEC West race. After all, Arkansas had ended the 2014 campaign as one of the hottest teams in the nation, and the Aggies had brought in defensive wizard John Chavis to compliment their already lethal offense. Then the Razorbacks hit a major snag in their non-conference schedule. Two weeks ago in Little Rock, the Hogs’ normally brutal offensive consistency disappeared on them inexplicably in a 16-12 loss to Toledo. Yes, Toledo. Out of the MAC. Then Texas Tech came into Fayetteville last week and walked away with a 35-24 victory, leaving the preseason media darling Razorbacks 1-2 heading into the teeth of their SEC schedule. So should Aggie fans start celebrating as they approach their date with a wounded rival? Not if you’ve followed this series since it resumed in 2009. The 11^th-ranked Razorbcks held on by the hair on their chinny-chin-chins against an unranked A&M squad in 2010.   A year later, the Aggies wasted a 35-17 halftime lead in what became a 6-6 regular season. 2013’s showdown in Fayetteville looked like an easy A&M win, but the Aggies needed every bit of the 523 yards produced by their Johnny Manziel-led offense in a 45-33 shootout. Then last year, it was the Hogs’ turn to blow a big lead, letting a 14-point fourth quarter lead slip through their grasp in a 35-28 victory for A&M. Point being: anything can — and just about anything will — happen when these two teams get together. Expect the unexpected. Thus far, the Aggie offense has rolled over their opponents just about as you would’ve guessed they would. Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray complement each other nicely at quarterback, and new playmakers like Christian Kirk and Kwame Etwi have started to produce right alongside more familiar names like Josh Reynolds and Tre Carson. The jury is still out on the aforementioned defense, though. They have certainly had bright moments- headlined by their dazzling 9 sack performance in the opener against Arizona State. They’ve given up an average of 360 yards and 25 points in wins over Ball State and Nevada, though. For the Aggies to keep their momentum going against Arkansas, they’ll need more of what they showed us against the Sun Devils- and for their defensive line to win the all-important battle in the trenches with the Razoarback offensive line- who will be looking to eat up clock and keep the A&M offensive show sidelined for as long as possible. West (4-0) at Hillsboro (1-3) 7:30 p.m. Friday at Eagle Field in Hillsboro One of the state’s most underrated rivalries resumes Friday night when West and Hillsboro meet up in a series that dates back to 1929. Derek Woodard’s West Trojans are off to a fast start in 2015, winning all four of their contests so far by an average margin of 30 points. Senior quarterback Mason Tobola has paced the offense, which has yet to score fewer than 37 points in a game.   In a 44-21 win over Gatesville last week, Tobola threw five touchdown passes- with four of them going to senior wide receiver Baily Horn. Things haven’t been quite so smooth for Hillsboro, who dropped their first three contests this season. The Eagles broke into the win column in a big way last weekend though, with a resounding 54-0 home win over Palmer. DeBraylon Williams took two interceptions back for touchdowns to go along with his two touchdown receptions on offense, and Jamal Johnson added three rushing touchdowns. A year ago, West took control of this matchup early and never looked back, racing by Hillsboro 55-7. That made the Trojans 5-0, but they wilted down the stretch in district play and missing out on a playoff berth. This year’s Trojans have their sights set on pushing through the district wall and reaching the postseason for the first time in five years. The Eagles, though, will look to trip up their traditional rivals and build on their own week-old momentum.