Tag: Arkansas Auburn

WATCH: Rocket Sanders’ ridiculous 76-yard run sets up Rashod Dubinion’s TD

Rocket Sanders isn’t Darren McFadden. But Arkansas’ running back might be the best since.

Rocket Sanders was on pace to have the best season for an Arkansas running back since Darren McFadden even before the Auburn kickoff.

Through the end of the third quarter, Sanders had 171 yards on 16 carries. The showcase run came on Arkansas’ second touchdown drive of the frame when he took the ball from the Razorbacks’ own 6 to Auburn’s 18, a gain of 76 yards.

Five plays later, Arkansas scored on a direct snap to third-string back Rashod Dubinion as the freshman went into end zone from two yards to give Arkansas a 31-13 lead.

Sanders had 1,041 yards with one quarter and four regular-season games left to play. He became the first Arkansas back since Madre Hill to hit the 1,000-yard mark in game No. 7 with his day against Auburn.

WATCH: SEC Network uses wrong photo for KJ Jefferson after his TD pass

Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson is one of the best in the country, so why does SEC Network not have his photograph?

KJ Jefferson had already ran for two touchdowns in the first half. When he found Jadon Haselwood over the middle in the third quarter, it was proof.

Auburn has no answer.

Jefferson’s 11-yard touchdown strike to Haselwood in the middle of the end zone with 6:02 left in the frame gave Arkansas a 24-13 lead. Jefferson ran for a one-yard score in the first quarter and a 13-yard one in the second to help the Razorbacks to a 17-13 lead at the break.

Haselwood, for his part, had five catches for 61 yards and the score to the point of the touchdown. Jefferson was 14 of 22 passing for 210 yards and he had 15 yards on the ground, a number that was lowered by three sacks for a loss of 18.

Offensive coordinator Kendal Briles has split the difference halfway through the third quarter. Arkansas has had 25 rushes and 22 passing attempts.

Twitter reacts: Superhuman KJ Jefferson cannot be tackled as he scores second TD

Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson is too strong, too smart and too fast for Auburn.

Dances. Stiff arms. Legs and glutes. Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson has too many tools to be stopped by Auburn’s defense.

Jefferson went into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game in the second quarter with 10:27 left, giving Arkansas a 14-3.

Jefferson bounced in the pocket and scrambled up the middle where two Auburn defenders lie in wait. One missed. The other took a stiff arm and Jefferson’s 6-foot-3, 240-pound frame was so strong that he could still stumble the remaining yards to the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown.

Arkansas’ junior signal-caller had six carries for 20 yards and two scores to that point. One of those carries was technically a sack that went for a loss of 13 yards, making his forward outuput even more impressive.

Five reasons Auburn will beat Arkansas on Saturday

Arkansas may be the favorite but Auburn is desperate.

Auburn football is in dire straits. Arkansas football is not.

No, the Razorbacks haven’t had the season many fans hoped when the year began. Arkansas was coming off a nine-win year and the hope was the Hogs could turn that into nine wins during the regular season. Instead, they’re 4-3 – incidentally the exact record they had last year through seven games.

Auburn is swimming. Coach Bryan Harsin has been on the hot seat since the season began and with the Tigers just 1-3 in SEC play and going against a fellow 1-3 team, the pressure is on for Saturday.

Arkansas is a small betting favorite even with the game being on the Plains. But Auburn is fighting for its proverbial life. If the Tigers come away with a win, it won’t necessarily change long-term fortunes, but it could be enough to inject life into the program for a bit longer.

Here’s how Harsin could save his – ahem – bacon in Week 9.

Arkansas Football: Razorbacks hoping to close the gap in series with Auburn

Arkansas hoping to end Auburn’s six-game win streak in the series matchup.

The two schools are separated by 700 miles, and before Arkansas joined the SEC in 1991, they had only played the Auburn Tigers once in the 1984 Liberty Bowl.

Auburn currently holds the lead in the series with 19 wins out of 31 contests. The Tigers are also on a six-game win streak over the Razorbacks. The last time the Razorbacks defeated the Tigers was in 2015, a 54-46 quadruple overtime thriller.

Cole Hedlund gave Arkansas the lead with a minute remaining, but Auburn used eight plays to set up a 41-yard field goal that tied the game with four seconds left. From there, it was back and forth before Brandon Allen connected with Drew Morgan for the touchdown and Kody Walker for the two-point conversion.

Ironically, the first time the two teams met as SEC members ended up being a tie on Halloween.

This weekend, the Razorbacks have the upper hand, despite only winning one more game than the Tigers. We can critique Arkansas’s performance this season as mediocre, but unlike Auburn, they have played the most brutal schedule in college football and had real opportunities to win every game. Don’t be surprised if the Tigers’ streak ends this weekend.

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A quick look at the Razorbacks next opponent: Auburn Tigers

Auburn enters Saturday’s game against Arkansas with plenty of drama.

Arkansas finally got a chance to breathe after going through a gauntlet of games before their bye week this past weekend.

And as their 4-3 record shows, it was tough the first seven weeks. Now they have to prepare for an Auburn team, which they share the last place within the SEC West.

The Auburn Tigers are currently on a three-game losing, allowing 40+ points the last two weeks. Their offense has been non-existent at times, and they’ve switched to their backup quarterback after the initial starter, T.J. Finely, was benched during the Penn State.

Robby Ashford took over, but the freshman quarterback has more interceptions than touchdowns and a viral moment arguing with his teammate on the sideline. 

Whether the Tigers are a viable opponent or not shouldn’t be a concern for Arkansas, but this game should matter. No one wants to sit in the last spot, and with a loss to Texas A&M, a loss to Auburn would put them there by their loneliness.

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Auburn has the edge over Arkansas at one thing, anyway

Bryan Harsin doesn’t lose coming off bye weeks, which could spell trouble for Arkansas.

Give Bryan Harsin time to beat you and he usually will.

Harsin and his Auburn Tigers are hosting Arkansas on Saturday with both teams having come off byes. Sam Pittman’s Hogs are a game better than Auburn in the standings overall, but at 1-3 in the SEC for both, neither team can afford a loss.

Recent past suggests Auburn has the edge. Harsin is 10-1 coming off bye weeks in his years at Arkansas State, Boise State and now in his second with the Tigers. Of course, the flip side is Auburn has lost three games in a row this actual season, which ultimately holds more stake.

As much of the last year-plus worth of games for Auburn have been a disaster, they’re still only just now indicative of Harsin’s struggles. Things haven’t turned out on the Plains for him the way Tigers’ fans have wanted, but they’re not an abject disaster. Pittman, for example, has yet to beat him.

As to how much any of it matters on Saturday remains to be seen. What is known is that for the losing team, things become awfully scary awfully fast.

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Arkansas’ losses to Auburn sting Sam Pittman more than most others

A win over Auburn remains elusive for Arkansas coach Sam Pittman. He aims to change that when the Razorbacks return.

Beating Alabama takes a Herculean effort. But beating Auburn?

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman is 0-for-2 in his two seasons running the Hogs against Auburn. Matchup No. 3 is next week, after both teams come off their byes.

Two seasons ago the Razorbacks lost on a controversial end-of-game call that should have been a fumble. Instead, it was ruled an incomplete pass and the Tigers held on for a two-point. Arkansas ultimately finished 3-7 in the COVID-19-shortened season.

Last year the Hogs were the favored team as the game shifted back to Fayetteville. But Arkansas – much like this season – was beaten up. Auburn used a 10-0 fourth quarter to win by 15 points and send the home team to its third consecutive loss and make them 4-3.

Now the Razorbacks are 4-3 again, just having snapped a three-game skid with last week’s win over BYU, and Auburn lies in front.

“They’re a good football team,” Pittman said. “But we haven’t beat them since we’e been here and certainly that’s a driving force as well for us. We’ll see what happens.”

A victory would provide a path forward to a potential New Year’s bowl game, something last year’s team achieved, and won over Penn State. A loss wouldn’t start the signal fires burning, quite, but it would be a rough loss considering the drama Auburn has undergone this season.

Needless to say, motivaiton is high for Pittman and the crew.

“We haven’t beaten some teams since I’ve been here,” Pittman said. “They’re one of them. We’d like to change that if we can.”

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Arkansas’ not taking it too easy during bye week

Sam Pittman’s Arkansas football team isn’t sitting around waiting on the Auburn game during the bye week.

Sam Pittman is of two minds this week while his Arkansas football team relishes their bye.

The Arkansas coach’s main priority is health. His team has been battered and beaten this year. Last week against BYU, the Razorbacks were down six players in their secondary. Linebacker Bumper Pool and wide reciever Jadon Haselwood have played most of the season through nagging injuries. Quarterback KJ Jefferson didn’t just suffer a head injury against Alabama, he also has an achy shoulder.

Pittman is going with only light on-field work because of all the issues.

“We’ve had some fingers, some hands, some concussions, some things of that nature where going into this bye week, if we (went full practice), I’d be concerned about getting us prepared for the rest of the year,” Pittman said.

But that doesn’t mean the Razorbacks are resting on their laurels, either. Arkansas travels to Auburn after the bye week. Pittman hasn’t beaten the Tigers in his two seasons as Arkansas coach. The Hogs were even favored last year.

“We haven’t beaten some teams since I”ve been here,” he said. “They’re one of them. We’d like to change that if we can.”

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Rise and shine: Arkansas vs Auburn kickoff time announced

Arkansas and Auburn will play in the morning in two weeks down on the Plains.

Early starts have been the norm more often than not for Arkansas this season. It’s no different in Week 9 when the Razorbacks return from their bye week, either.

Arkansas and Auburn will kickoff from the Plains on October 29 at 11 a.m. CT. The Tigers have won six straight games between the two teams.

Arkansas is 4-3 and beat BYU, 52-38, on Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak. The victory earned the Razorbacks three points in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll a month after they were ranked inside the Top 10.

Auburn hasn’t sniffed the Top 25. The Tigers have lost four of their last five games with the one win coming in double-overtime against Missouri at home.

The 11 a.m. kickoff time is the third such Arkansas will have had this season. The Hogs hvae played one primetime game of their soon-to-be eight so far.

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