Texas A&M-Arkansas start time: Weather delay updates from Fayetteville

Marcel Reed is a Heisman Trophy favorite and he’ll have to wait a little bit longer to add to his Heisman campaign in Texas A&M’s Week 8 game against Arkansas this week. The game was originally scheduled for a 2:30 CT kickoff, but storms in the Fayetteville area pushed the start to 4:30 CT. The game will still air on ESPN. 

Texas A&M has been on a tear this season, jumping out to a 6-0 start and the No. 4 ranked team in the country. A large part of that is due to Reed and his dual threat ability as well as transfer portal addition Mario Craver, who’s been one of his biggest targets. In his second season, Mike Elko has quickly turned the Aggies into an SEC and national contender. 

They’re facing an Arkansas team that’s had a lot of issues this year. The Razorbacks fired Sam Pittman earlier this year after a 56-13 loss to Notre Dame. At the time, it was Arkansas’ third loss of the season and they’re currently on a four-game losing streak. Bobby Petrino, who was once the head coach of the Razorbacks, was elevated from offensive coordinator to interim coach. 

Texas A&M-Arkansas weather delay: Kickoff pushed back due to storms in the area

The game was delayed two hours on Saturday as storms will be in the Fayette area all afternoon. According to the radar, there’s at least a 75 percent chance of storms through 4 p.m. CT, so bumping the game back was a wise decision. That keeps the teams from warming up and then getting hit with a delay either just before kickoff or shortly after.

It will be a wet game regardless with the rain sticking around for much of the afternoon. Fayetteville is in a severe thunderstorm watch until 6 p.m. CT. This gives both teams a chance to extend their pregame routines before kickoff and hopefully don’t have any unplanned delays. 

How to watch Texas A&M vs. Arkansas with new kickoff time

The good thing is the delay won’t affect your ability to watch the game. It will still air on ESPN as originally scheduled, despite a two-hour delay. This is good for the Aggies as Reed will have the national spotlight on him amidst his Heisman campaign. This season, Reed has thrown for 1,490 yards and rushed for almost 200 more, leading this offense. 

The Aggies are in a position to cement themselves as a powerhouse in the SEC as they look to remain undefeated. With the win, they increase their odds of not just getting into the SEC title game, but also getting in the CFP. As for Arkansas, they’re looking to turn things around. Maybe the game getting pushed back gives them some much needed motivation to not come out flat.