This past Saturday was a tale of two different football games for Arkansas and Auburn. Arkansas broke a 20-game losing streak with a 21-14 victory over 16th-ranked Mississippi State while Auburn laid a complete egg in an embarrassing loss to Georgia on the road.
Razorback fans are looking forward to this one, and yes it’s because they have bad blood about their former head coach Chad Morris (Auburn’s offensive coordinator) and former offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn (Auburn head coach).
The rivalry between Auburn and Arkansas is very fresh. The teams have only faced off 29 times with the first official meeting occuring on December 27, 1984 for the Liberty Bowl. The Tigers left that game victorious with a 21-15 victory under head coach Pat Dye and running back Bo Jackson was named game MVP with 88 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns, and a 25-yard reception.
The Razorbacks are now a recurring conference opponent on Auburn’s schedule after leaving the Southwest Conference and joining the SEC on August 1, 1990.
History has been on the Tigers’ side ever since. Auburn leads the series 17-11-1 and are currently riding on a four-game winning streak. That four-game streak started at the hands of Auburn’s largest margin of victory in the series back in 2016.
The 2016 box score for Auburn is ridiculous. Quarterback Sean White finished 6-11 in passing for 77 yards and 1 touchdown. The backfield went absolutely berzerk here. Kamryn Pettway led Auburn in rushing with 27 carries for 192 yards and 2 touchdowns, current Auburn wide receiver Eli Stove had 3 carries for 94 yards and 1 touchdown, and Kam Martin finished the game with 7 carries for 87 yards and 1 touchdown. The Tigers ultimately won the game 56-3.
Another notable game occurred during Auburn’s 2010 national championship run. The Razorbacks and the Tigers engaged in a good, old-fashioned shoot-out which the Tigers ultimately came out with a 65-43 victory (defense, anyone?) thanks in large part to 328 total yards from future Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton.
As of right now BetMGM has Auburn as a 16.5 (did they catch that game last week or…) favorite against the Razorbacks. I’m here to tell y’all that this game will most likely be a lot closer than that and that the stats you’ve read from the series’ prior history will not be repeated this weekend.