AUBURN, Ala. — Arkansas hits the road for the third time in four weeks and opens Southeastern Conference play against Auburn on Saturday.
The Razorbacks (2-1) hold an all-time record of 58-48-3 in conference openers since joining the SEC in 1915, but are 2-2 under head coach Sam Pittman, who is looking forward to battling an Auburn (2-1) team coming off a 45-19 victory over New Mexico.
“Auburn has a really good team," Pittman said. "They play hard. They look the part. I think they will have a really good team throughout the season. I think they'll be a hard out for whoever plays them. I have a high respect for Coach Freeze. He does a wonderful job."
Last season, Arkansas welcomed the Tigers to Fayetteville and got blown out 48-10. Many called the loss a "low point" for the 2023 Razorbacks, who allowed 21 points in the first quarter and picked up only 10 first downs to go along with 255 total yards of offense.
"We're similar defensively... and for them, offensively, so we will have to make a few changes to stop what they were doing last year," Pittman said. "We don't want to run the same thing we did last year, I can tell you that."
Arkansas is looking to secure back-to-back victories over Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., for the first time since 2006-08.
3 keys to victory for Arkansas
Pound the rock:
Arkansas's rushing attack has been a significant strength through the season's first three weeks, and the team should look to keep the ground on the ball more if they want to beat Auburn.
With new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino calling the plays, a refreshed offensive line and running back Ja'Quinden Jackson getting a bulk of the carries, the Hogs rank second nationally in rushing efficiency and eleventh in rushing yards per game (259) and yards per carry (6.58).
Six different Razorbacks have accounted for at least one rushing score this season as Arkansas leads the country in rushing touchdowns (15).
Pittman said he talked with Petrino, and the two discussed a more run-centric game plan ahead of Saturday's bout with the Tigers.
"We probably need to run the ball more," Pittman said. "Bobby [Petrino] and I talked about it, and he said, 'Yeah, we're averaging a bunch... over six [yards] a carry.' We have some really good backs... you can win close games when you run the football."
Jackson has been the workhorse in Arkansas's backfield, securing three consecutive 100-yard rushing games to begin the season. He carried the Razorbacks to a 37-27 victory over Alabama-Birmingham last weekend, totaling 147 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries (9.8 yards per carry).
Additionally, he leads the SEC in multiple offensive categories, including all-purpose yards per game (148.7), rush yards per carry (8.5), rushing yards (397) and rushing yards per game (132.3).
While Jackson's impact has been more than noticeable, Pittman credited the work of new offensive line coach Eric Mateos and the Hogs up front for their early-season success on the ground.
"[The running backs] are running extremely hard," Pittman said. "A lot of it is Coach Mateos and the new guys... a lot of it has to do schematically with what we're doing. We're pulling, we're down blocking, we're doing more with those guys, which we can because they're a little more athletic."
Although Auburn allows only 97.3 rushing yards per game, they haven't faced a rushing attack like Arkansas's yet this season. The Tigers allowed six yards per carry on 26 rushing attempts in their victory over New Mexico last week.
It's an area the Razorbacks can exploit and should if they want to return to Fayetteville with a victory.
Win third down:
Keeping drives alive and controlling the clock are two critical areas, especially for a team like Arkansas, which hasn't been able to hit the big play touchdowns.
The Razorbacks tout the country's best third down offense, converting 27-of-40 (.675) third down attempts this season. The next closest team is Indiana, which owns a 20-31 (.645) conversion rate.
Auburn's offense averages 44 points per game, so the Hogs must extend drives and take points where they can get them.
“I think usually, you play a little bit better when you know you didn’t play well [the week before],” Pittman said. “These games are about us versus us… the fire that you play with is something that’s expected… and that’s a little bit how we feel right now going into the Auburn game.”
Arkansas is third in the SEC and fifth in the country in total offense, with an average of 587.3 yards per game. Converting third downs and giving the defense time to rest will significantly influence whether the Hogs will improve their record to 3-1 or fall to 2-2.
Pressure the quarterback:
During Monday's press conference, Pittman praised Auburn redshirt freshman quarterback Hank Brown, who led the Tigers to victory in his first collegiate start last week.
Brown completed 22-of-44 passes for 235 yards and four touchdowns. The redshirt freshman was mistake-free, which helped Auburn to a 26-point win.
"They did a great job protecting [Brown],” Pittman said. “He looked really comfortable in the game, running the offense and was very accurate. If you didn’t know he was a redshirt freshman, you wouldn’t have known it watching the game. He did a wonderful job."
Auburn's offensive line allowed zero sacks, which gave Brown time to operate in Coach Hugh Freeze's offense.
It'll be challenging for Arkansas, but the defense should focus on generating pressure and forcing Brown to show his inexperience.
So far this season, the Razorbacks haven't been able to generate much pressure on opposing quarterbacks, racking up only five sacks, four of which came against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
“We’re not hitting [the quarterback]," Pittman said. "We’ve got to find a way.”
Pittman said Auburn is a run-first team, and getting to Brown will force the Tigers to play behind the sticks, thus disrupting their game plan.
“I think they’re really confident in throwing the football with Brown,” Pittman said. “They’re a run-first offensive football team... we've got to get to the quarterback."
Arkansas and Auburn take the field on Saturday in the national spotlight. Coverage from Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., begins at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN.
