Arkansas, Auburn Hope To Open SEC Play Strong

The Arkansas Razorbacks (2-1) will travel to Auburn to take on the Tigers (2-1) Saturday afternoon to open conference play for both teams.

2023 Blowout Looms Large

Last season, Auburn went into Fayetteville and left with a 48-10 win over the Razorbacks. Such a drastic result could impact how players are thinking about this week’s game, and both coaches were asked about it.

Auburn’s Hugh Freeze said that they haven’t discussed last year’s game and that “each game has a life of its own.” He hopes his roster is mature enough to know that this won’t be a cakewalk. He also praised Arkansas’s improvement over their previous team.

Arkansas’s Sam Pittman had a different take. He said that last year’s result should serve as motivation for the players who were there. However, he noted that about half of his roster is new this season.

Keys to the Game

The Arkansas offense averages 587 yards per game, good enough for fifth nationally and third in the SEC. In particular, their strength comes from the rushing attack. They are third in the SEC in yards per game and leads the nation with 15 touchdowns. Most of that production comes from senior running back Ja’Quinden Jackson, who is fifth nationally with 397 yards on 46 carries. The Auburn rushing defense, eighth in the SEC in rushing yards allowed per game, may face trouble stopping him.

Not sure how you should go about tackling him pic.twitter.com/alAsHuVUd8

— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) September 14, 2024

The real reason a shootout is expected, however, is the heavy mismatches between the Arkansas and Auburn passing offenses and their respective passing defenses. Both teams are in the top six in the SEC in passing yards per game and in the bottom three in passing yards allowed per game.

Both teams are expected to be evenly matched, with Auburn currently a 2.5-point favorite. The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN Saturday.