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A spirit that is not afraid

Players to watch, keys to victory against Arkansas

Auburn running back Tank Bigsby (4) and tight end John Samuel Shenker (25) greet helmet first during a game against the Missouri Tigers in Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sep. 24, 2022.
Auburn running back Tank Bigsby (4) and tight end John Samuel Shenker (25) greet helmet first during a game against the Missouri Tigers in Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sep. 24, 2022.

After a bye week, the Auburn Tigers will return to Jordan-Hare for the first time in four weeks to try to knock off the Arkansas Razorbacks and get back in the win column, ending their losing skid that has lived on since week four. 

Auburn upset the Razorbacks in Fayetteville last season, 38-23. It seems that both of these teams are unsure of what the future of the season looks like at this point, with Arkansas sitting one game over .500 and Auburn a game below even. 

In the all-time series, Arkansas has struggled against Auburn, with the series record being 19-11-1 in favor of Auburn.

Auburn's uncertainty continues to hover over the program each week. With the announcement of four outgoing transfers this week, this feeling continues to grow. 

Before Auburn's bye week, it lost a close game to Ole Miss, 48-34, where Auburn's run offense finally showed life. This was the first time Auburn's running game was able to gain traction since week one. Auburn ran for over 301 yards against Ole Miss, the most it has rushed for this season. 

Opposingly, Arkansas got out to a red-hot start this season, climbing as high as No. 9 in the AP Poll. However, the Razorbacks dropped three of their last four games. 

Arkansas is also coming off of a bye week. Before the bye, it defeated BYU on the road in comfortable fashion, 52-35 -- perhaps a bit of a pick-me-up for a team who was sitting at .500 after week six.

Arkansas prides itself on a balanced attack. The offense is ran by 39-year-old offensive coordinator Kendal Briles. His offense is rushing for two touchdowns per game and throwing for two touchdowns per game. 

Quarterback K.J. Jefferson and the Razorback offense throw for 248.6 yards per game and rush for 240 yards per game, totaling 5.0 yards per carry. In their last win over BYU, the Razorbacks had 644 yards of total offense.

Auburn's offense finally clicked against Ole Miss. It seems it they could run the ball at will as Tank Bigsby took off for 179 yards and two touchdowns. However, the Tiger defense struggled mightily to stop the run, allowing 448 rushing yards. Auburn will look to fix the run defense before one of the most balanced offenses in the nation comes to play.

Players to Watch 

Auburn

Owen Pappoe (LB) 

For Auburn to improve its run defense after a tough outing versus Ole Miss, it will need the senior along with the rest of the linebackers to step up and fill their gaps. 

At times, Pappoe has looked like the best player on the field. Other times, he has looked lost and misaligned. Against Ole Miss, he had a terrific game, with sixteen total tackles and seven solo tackles. However, allowing 448 rushing yards is a bad look for the defense as a whole. Pappoe will look to contain a high-power run offense this week. 

Donovan Kaufman (CB)

While the run defense has been a topic of discussion, the pass defense has not. Auburn's pass defense is one of the best in the country statistically. They allow only 186.6 passing yards per game, while allowing just five touchdown passes. 

Kaufman and the other DB's are the cause of this lockdown secondary. No. 1 is also a sure tackler, as he had eleven total tackles, eight of which were solo tackles, against Ole Miss. He will need to be good in coverage and tackling against a Razorback passing attack that averages 14.1 yards per catch.

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Tank Bigsby (RB)

Last week, the junior continued his career trend of making Ole Miss fans remember his name, as he torched the Rebel defense for 179 yards. Arkansas boasts a strong run defense led by two NFL-level linebackers in Drew Sanders and Bumper Pool. With these two, they have allowed just 142 rushing yards per game. 

Bigsby has averaged 5.3 yards per carry this season. He will have a tough task of running through these two to carry Auburn to a victory. 

Arkansas

K.J. Jefferson (QB)

After sitting for two seasons as a backup, Jefferson has taken the Arkansas offense to a different level since being named the full-time starter last fall before the season. 

Jefferson has a massive frame, listed at 6'3, 245 pounds. Jefferson makes life miserable for anyone trying to tackle him, and he can get the job done both running and passing. He has thrown for 1,463 yards with 14 TDs and one interception. He has also rushed for 344 yards, including four TDs. 

Jadon Haselwood (WR)

This is Haselwood's first season with the Razorbacks. After transferring in from Oklahoma, Haselwood has taken stride with talent and production expected from him. He is Arkansas' star receiver with 406 yards and two TDs. 

Drew Sanders (LB)

Beginning his career at Alabama, Sanders was another player that the Razorback faithful were very pleased to land from the transfer portal. 

This season, Sanders has played like the 5-star billing he was projected out of high school. He's posted 63 total tackles with 26 solo tackles. He also has 7.5 tackles for loss. He has also forced three fumbles. Sanders is one of the main reasons this Arkansas defense is difficult to run on.

Keys to Victory

Auburn

It won't be easy for Auburn, but it should be able to run on the Razorback defense. When Alabama's quarterback, Bryce Young, went out with injury against the Razorbacks, it was Jalen Milroe who stepped in. His ability to scramble and make impromptu plays was the reason Alabama was able to hold on in Fayetteville. 

Robby Ashford has shown this season he can scramble and outrun just about anyone in the country. He will look to do what Milroe did against the Razorbacks in making something out of nothing. 

The key weakness of Arkansas's defense has been the pass defense, allowing 315.7 passing yards per game. This showed when Mississippi State routed Arkansas, 40-17, with 406 passing yards. Auburn could look to exploit this defense by running more pass plays, and avoid turning the ball over, which has been a weakness all year.

In Arkansas' losses this season, it has been when the defense crumbles. Arkansas is 0-2 when allowing an opposing running back has over 100 rushing yards. Auburn will look to continue their offensive success they had against Ole Miss, against Arkansas. 

Arkansas

Keep the offensive attack balanced. When Arkansas becomes one dimensional, it has lost. Arkansas is 1-3 when throwing for under 235 passing yards in a game. 

Arkansas' defense will look to stop Bigsby from running wild while keeping tabs on Ashford. They have struggled to stop the pass this season, but Ashford has struggled to maintain possession, with four TD's and five interceptions. 

Arkansas could look to get their running back, Raheim Sanders, involved early. He is considered one of the best running backs in the conference. He leads the SEC in rushing yards and is nearing the 1,000-yard rushing mark on the season already with 870 rushing yards. 

This matchup will start on Saturday at 11 A.M. CST at Jordan Hare Stadium and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.


TP Hammock | Sports Writer

TP is a senior from Montgomery, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.

Twitter: @tp_hammock


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