Kevin Sherrington

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IRVING – In the long and not-so-storied history between Texas A&M and Arkansas that was resuscitated Saturday at JerryWorld, the game wasn't big, but the quarterbacks sure were.

On the Godzillatron, looming like a zeppelin over the fracas below, Ryan Mallett and Jerrod Johnson appeared only slightly larger than actual size.

Mallett goes 6-7, 238; Johnson, 6-5, 243. In the old SWC that Saturday's jam-packed reunion evoked, they would have played end or tackle. Or posted up, maybe.

But XXXL is the size that top quarterbacks come in these days, with talent to match.

And how did the pair measure up Saturday? In Johnson's case, anyway, not close enough to make a game of a 47-19 drubbing by the Razorbacks.

The question about the previously undefeated Aggies was whether they could beat a middle-rung SEC team. Had you asked before the season, the answer would have been an unequivocal no. But the Aggies' 3-0 start, even against a soft schedule, and Johnson's play overall made their prospects seem at least reasonable.

In order to pull it off, the Aggies required Johnson to look every bit as spectacular as he'd seemed all season.

Averaging 320 yards passing, with a passer rating of 167.0, he'd personally accounted for 26 points a game, tops in the country. And he'd done it without throwing a single interception.

An SI.com columnist became so enraptured, he christened Johnson "the Sidd Finch of college football, a player so talented and productive, it's almost impossible to believe he's real."

Unfortunately, that's the problem when you make Heisman cases for quarterbacks before their time. Smart alecks like me quote you.

Except for the first quarter and scattered points thereafter, Johnson proved all too real.

Oh, his numbers were good: 30-of-58 for 345 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The ability is there, too. On a terrific play midway through the first quarter, Johnson scrambled left with a Razorback on his heels and twisted his torso just enough to flick a perfect pass to Brandal Jackson for a 60-yard touchdown.

He'd have had another touchdown pass minutes later if Ryan Tannehill, his backup and a normally sure-handed receiver, hadn't dropped a wide-open pass over the middle.

But as highlights go, that about covered it.

Aggies coach Mike Sherman blamed himself. He said they veered from their game plan. Forgot the run and threw too much, tying for the second-most passes in A&M history and putting undue pressure on Johnson and his line.

Bobby Petrino's take on Johnson? "He's a tough guy to tackle."

Not exactly what you hope the opposing coach will say about your quarterback. Consistently flushed from the pocket, Johnson threw as many passes away as he did downfield.

Bottom line: The Aggies are still very much a work in progress on all fronts, and Johnson isn't ready to carry them.

Meanwhile, coming off a bad game and a shaky start Saturday, Mallett proved to be every bit the star he was coming out of Texarkana, Ark. Once Petrino figured out how to keep Von Miller out of his quarterback's ribs, Mallett picked the Aggies apart.

Compared with Johnson, Mallett looks about as mobile as the Tom Landry statue out front. But he owns a big-time arm, and he used it liberally.

Completing 17 of 27 passes for 271 yards, he threw four touchdown passes. Helps when your players are faster than theirs, but Mallett still put the ball where he had to.

He made mostly good decisions Saturday, just like the one when he left Michigan for Arkansas. Petrino's offense can light it up. In three of their four games, they've scored 48, 41 and 47 points. The problem is that they've also given up 52 and 35 to Georgia and Alabama. The Aggies simply aren't in their league.

In order to beat even a lesser SEC team, A&M needed its quarterback to come up big, and not just by tape measure, either.