Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko said as he walked off the field that Saturday’s 21-17 win over Arkansas was a step for his program. They have taken steps to get where they want to be. It wasn’t a pretty match. It was not an efficient match. In fact, the Aggies were actually defeated that day. But they played to win in the fourth quarter.

The Aggies moved to 4-1 with the win. Arkansas fell to 3-2.

Here are 3 takeaways from the afternoon.

Mistakes Bury Arkansas

Is there a more volatile team in the SEC? Auburn says hello, but Arkansas has a hell of a fight. The Razorbacks scored on their first drive of the game, making it look easy to take an early 7-0 lead on a 3-play, 75-yard drive. They went 75 yards on their third drive to go up 14-7.

From the second quarter onwards it was mistake after mistake after mistake. The Razorbacks fumbled the ball away on their opening drive of the second quarter. Then came a pair of 3-and-outs. Then Taylen Green was fouled out on the team’s final possession of the first half. Arkansas turned it over on downs to open the third quarter – the Hogs took a timeout, called a fake field goal and got filled.

A strip sack by Texas A&M forward Nic Scourton effectively ended the game late in the fourth quarter. Arkansas had a chance to lead a game-winning drive. On first and 10 from the 34, Scourton chased Green and knocked the ball loose.

Arkansas defeated the Aggies 385-300. Against FBS opponents this season, Arkansas is 1-2 in defeating its opponent and 1-0 in defeating its opponent. Penalties were an issue, with the Razorbacks flagged 10 times for 75 yards. Arkansas finished the game with 3 giveaways and no takeaways.

Run Game finds out at the right time

Through the first three quarters, A&M had just 46 rushing yards on 26 carries. In the fourth quarter alone, the Aggies had 84 yards on nine attempts.

“Le’Veon Moss showed up in the fourth quarter the way we needed him to,” coach Mike Elko said on the field after the game.

Moss had runs of 15, 23 and 30 yards in the fourth. He finished the game with 13 carries for 117 yards. The 30-yard run came in the final five minutes and turned the field at a crucial moment. A defender tried to drag him down by his face mask, adding another 15 yards to the end of the run.

It was the best game of the season for Moss, who was kept under control in the opener but has been remarkably efficient since.

Scourton and Stewart are having a day

Through the first part of the season, Texas A&M had shown flashes of what it could be as a devastating, pass-rushing defense, but the Aggies hadn’t quite lived up to the potential that many saw for them. With Shemart Stewart and Nic Scourton on the defensive line, this looked like a front that could have its way with offensive lines on any given day.

That definitely happened on Saturday. Stewart forced the first takeaway of the game by just punching through the mesh point on a read-option play between Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green and tailback Ja’Quinden Jackson. He finished with 4 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. Scourton had 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack and a pass breakup.

Overall, the defense kept Green in check all day. He had been a key part of the Arkansas run game through the first four games, rushing for at least 80 yards in three games. Texas A&M held him to 12 rushing yards on 12 carries. Remove the sacks from the equation and he still managed just 25 rushing yards.

The defensive line won its matchup, and that helped the Aggies win the game.