Tyler Wilson continued his offensive dominance in the first half of play, leading the Razorbacks to a 10-0 advantage over Auburn after 30 minutes of play.
Wilson came out hot, connecting with wide receiver Cobi Hamilton for a 41-yard play to move the chains to the Auburn 34-yardline. Wilson completed his next two passes before the Tigers' defense forced a fourth-and-goal to set up a 26-yard field goal attempt for Arkansas' Zach Hocker. The kick hit off the right upright to leave the game tied 0-0 with 11:05 remaining in the first quarter.
Auburn's first drive of the game came up short, moving just 36 yards on nine plays. Sophomore quarterback Kiehl Frazier completed his first three passes, hitting senior wide receiver Emory Blake twice and freshman receiver Ricardo Louis for a total of 23 yards.
Arkansas' defense collected its first sack on the game after defensive ends Chris Smith and Trey Flowers found Frazier for a 5-yard loss. Five plays later, on third-and-7, middle linebacker Alonzo Highsmith pushed past the Auburn offensive line to drop Frazier for 11 yards, forcing the Tigers to punt.
Punter Steven Clark sailed the ball 44 yards into the in-zone, giving the Razorbacks the ball on their own 20-yardline.
Wilson then conducted an 80-yard drive, ending with a 2-yard rush over left guard into the in-zone by running back Dennis Johnson to light up the scoreboard first. Hocker's point after attempt sailed through the uprights, giving Arkansas a 7-0 lead with 1:02 left in the first.
The Razorback defense came out strong in the second quarter, collecting its third sack when defensive tackle Robert Thomas dropped Frazier for a loss of 12 yards. The next play saw Frazier's first incompletion of the game. Clark's 35-yard punt gave the ball back to the Razorbacks on their own 19-yardline.
The Tiger defense stopped the Arkansas drive after one set of downs, but a fumble by Blake gave the visiting team the ball with 9:01 on the clock.
The last score of the half, a 27-yard field goal by Hocker, pushed the Razorback lead to 10 going into the locker room.
Wilson completed 14-of-18 for 163 yards, while Frazier was held to 9-of-14 for 131 yards.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
