The Auburn Tigers arrived in Fayetteville, Arkansas this past weekend looking to avenge their loss to the Florida and it’s fair to say the team did more than just that.
Gus Malzahn’s squad posted 491 yards of total offense, forced five three-and-outs on defense, and generated four fumbles in their 51-10 route of Arkansas.
Now, let’s put this into perspective for a moment. Auburn was playing Arkansas, a team that is now 2-5, sits at dead last in the SEC West, and is No. 81 on ESPN’s FPI (football power index) rankings. The Razorbacks have not been competitive since the departure of Bobby Petrino in 2011. However, this may have just been the opponent that Auburn needed to face in the week prior to making the trek to Baton Rouge.
What does a team take away from such a blowout victory?
Well, you cannot blow out a team if your offense does not score a massive amount of points. True freshman Bo Nix completed 12 of his 17 pass attempts for 193 yards through the air, and the team had seven different backs attempt at least one rush, racking up 298 yards on the ground. If nothing else, this should build confidence within the Tiger offense.
From a defensive perspective, Auburn should be more than satisfied with their performance. Senior defensive lineman Marlon Davidson had three tackles-for-loss in the first half alone, and recorded a pair of sacks before the second team defense was subbed in during the second half.
Another positive for the Tigers was getting everybody playing time against an SEC opponent. This means that everyone on Auburn’s defensive depth chart has some degree of SEC game experience, which will only benefit the team in the late stretch of the season.
Was Arkansas a quality win for Auburn’s playoff resume? No.
However, this opponent came at the right time. This Saturday, the Tigers will travel to Baton Rouge to play in a stadium that they have not been victorious in since 1999, five months before Bo Nix was born. If Auburn can find a way to break the curse, their playoff dreams will be alive and well, but a loss would mean a New Year’s Six bowl would be the team’s ceiling.
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