It may not be as crazy as the Arkansas and Ole Miss series, but there are plenty of memorable moments in the history of Arkansas versus Auburn.
So to borrow a phrase from the hit show South Park, let’s eat some “member” berries and look back on some of the best moments from when the Razorbacks took on the Tigers.
2001 – Arkansas 42 Auburn 17
I ‘member in 2001 when Auburn came to Fayetteville with a 4-0 record in the SEC that had them in the driver’s seat for a Western Division Title.
Arkansas had been struggling to figure out their quarterback situation and had a pretty disappointing 0-3 start in SEC play.
Both teams started off slow offensively in the first quarter as the Hogs held a 7-3 lead. Houston Nutt felt the offense needed a spark at quarterback so he decided to throw in a freshman kid out of Fort Smith named Matt Jones to replace Zak Clark.
First play with Matt Jones as quarterback? A 21-yard touchdown pass to Richard Smith. Arkansas never looked back the rest of the way.
Jones led the team in rushing with 99 yards including a 37-yard touchdown run. Razorback fans felt the offense finally had the explosiveness it desperately needed and Jones was named the starter for Ole Miss the next week.
The rest was history as that game began the legend of Matt Jones.
2006 – Arkansas 24 Auburn 10
I ‘member in 2006 when Arkansas went down to Auburn, Alabama to face the No. 2 team in the country at 11 a.m.
The Razorbacks didn’t look very impressive up to that point. They got blown out by USC to start the year, barely beat Vanderbilt on the road, and needed Leigh Tiffin to miss all the kicks to beat Alabama. So no one felt that good about Arkansas’ chances to beat a high caliber team like Auburn on the road.
But that was before Hog fans really knew how good a sophomore by the name of Darren McFadden was.
Arkansas held on to a 10-7 lead midway through the second quarter, but then McFadden exploded through the offensive line for a 67-yard touchdown run. People knew that D-Mac was good, but most considered this game his coming out party.
The Razorback defense kept Auburn from scoring anymore touchdowns the rest of the way and McFadden finished with 145 yards on 28 carries.
The Heisman Trophy campaign for McFadden began that October day in Auburn as the Hogs knocked off the second-ranked team in the country.
2015 – Arkansas 54 Auburn 46
I ‘member in 2015 when the Hogs went to four overtimes with Auburn in Fayetteville to beat Gus Malzahn for the very first time.
Arkansas had a weird start to the season where they lost to Toledo and Texas Tech in the non-conference. It really put them behind the 8-ball and they knew they had to get back on track early in SEC play.
While having a 24-21 lead with roughly five minutes in the fourth quarter, the Hogs let the Tigers drive down the field and kick a game tying field goal with only four seconds left on the clock.
Auburn got the ball first in overtime and scored a touchdown right away. The Hogs then found themselves in a 4th and 3 situation with the game on the line.
Razorback fans had seen this movie before.
Only this time, Brandon Allen connects to Drew Morgan for a six-yard touchdown pass to force a second overtime. Fans then felt like this game may actually be different. The Hogs may actually be able to overcome a comeback and find a way to win.
Arkansas and Auburn traded touchdowns for another two overtime periods. Hogs scored on the first play of the fourth overtime on another touchdown pass from Allen to Morgan. Then the Razorback defense stopped the Tiger offense on fourth down to secure their first (and only) win over Gus Malzahn and Auburn.
That was the last time Arkansas beat Auburn in football. Can the Hogs end the losing streak in Fayetteville this Saturday?