[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3h383th881vsf1 player_id=none image=https://razorbackswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
Arkansas and Auburn may not consider Saturday’s game a desperation game, but in some ways it is.
The Razorbacks have lost two straight after a 4-0 start and Auburn, too, could be staring at a 4-3 record by Saturday late afternoon if the Tigers lose.
Broadcasters David Pollack, former Georgia defensive end, and Rece Davis, an Alabama alum, see the game as a desperation one, accordingly. Maybe more so for Arkansas.
The Razorbacks lost in heartbreaking fashion last week to Ole Miss on the road, 52-51. Arkansas’ two-point conversion attempt with no time left failed, but the Hogs didn’t drop far in the rankings. What surprised Pollack the most was how Arkansas was beaten.
“Biggest surprise to me is that (Ole Miss head coach) Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss punched them in the face repeatedly on the ground,” Pollack said on The ESPN College Football Podcast. “I thought Arkansas was tougher than that. I think the body blows added up, dude.”
Auburn is the type of team that isn’t afraid to land those shots, either. The Tigers average more yards on the ground even than Georgia does, at more than 200 a game.
Pollack said he is picking Arkansas, anyway. Auburn isn’t as physical up front as Ole Miss and certainly not as much as Georgia.
Davis agreed with the pick. He, too, is going with the Hogs.
“Coming off playing Georgia, coming off playing Alabama, historically, has led to not your best physical performance sometimes the following week,” Davis said. “Was that the issue for Arkansas? And can you get over it in time to play Auburn, who doesn’t mind striking you either?”
The Razorbacks and Tigers kick off at 11 a.m. on Saturday in Fayetteville.