No. 11 Auburn (5-1, 1-1 in SEC) travels to Fayetteville Saturday to take on Arkansas (2-4, 0-3 in SEC). Auburn leads the all-time series 16-11-1 and leads 7-5 when they travel to Fayetteville.
Bo Nix:
The freshman had the worst game of his young career against Florida two weeks ago. He was 11-of-27 for 145 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. Coming out of the bye week, head coach Gus Malzahn is confident in his freshman quarterback and wants to put him in a better spot going forward.
“You get on the practice field and the things that he can execute at a high level, that's what you call.” Malzahn said, “Things that maybe we need a little more time, we don't call it. So, you know, it's really as simple as that: what he feels comfortable with.”
Auburn’s Running Backs:
Boobee Whitlow’s injury will have him sidelined for a while with the earliest return estimate being the Georgia game. Auburn’s remaining running backs will need to step it up in Whitlow’s absence.
Auburn is second in the SEC in rushing attempts on the season with 271 and will look for its tailbacks to keep up the work on the ground. Look for Kam Martin, Shaun Shivers, D.J. Williams, Malik Miller and Harold Joiner to see the field against Arkansas and contribute.
Rakeem Boyd:
The junior running back is not only the Razorbacks leading rusher, but he’s also the SEC’s leading rusher. Through six games, Boyd has 617 yards and five touchdowns on 106 carries.
In three SEC games, Boyd has had a total of 50 carries for 290 yards and two touchdowns. Last week against Kentucky, Boyd rushed for an Arkansas career high 134 yards and two touchdowns all on 15 carries.
De’Jon Harris:
The senior linebacker is one of Arkansas’s defensive anchors. He has two fumble recoveries in the last two weeks including a scoop and score against Texas A&M. His two fumble recoveries tie him for first in the conference.
Harris is a machine on defense leading the SEC in total tackles for the last two seasons with 100+ total tackles in his sophomore and junior seasons. Through 2019, he has 44 total tackles which ties him for fifth in the SEC.
Keys to Victory:
Arkansas:
- Disrupt Auburn’s offensive flow
Auburn’s offense has struggled on the road this season averaging 22.7 points a game through three road/neutral site games. If Arkansas’s defense can get to the Auburn offense often, the Razorbacks have a chance to win.
Auburn:
- Regain offensive confidence on the road
Auburn’s offense has struggled at times and it showed against Florida. Now the Tigers just need to get the confidence that they displayed against Mississippi State back and carry into the next two road games against Arkansas and LSU.
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