To close out an October in which the Tigers have not won a single matchup, Auburn (3-4, 0-4) will head to Fayetteville to take on another struggling SEC team in the Arkansas Razorbacks (2-5, 0-3).
While the Auburn Tigers’ coaching staff is a topic of heavy debate at this point, the Razorbacks’ debate has already been settled following a complete routing by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at home, 56-13, preceded by an upset loss on the road against the Memphis Tigers. Former Arkansas Head Coach Sam Pittman’s time as the head hog began in 2020, and he went 32-34 overall during his time. His greatest season in 2021 culminated in a win against Penn State in the Outback Bowl and was the only season of the Pittman era in which the Razorbacks finished 0.500 or higher in conference play.
The Razorbacks’ interim head coach, Bobby Petrino, has been their offensive coordinator since November of 2023, but has a history with the program since long before. Petrino was Arkansas’ head coach from 2008-2011 and saw a fair amount of success, finishing 34-17 during his tenure, but was ultimately relieved of his duties due to off the field issues. Petrino has previously worked with Auburn DC DJ Durkin at Texas A&M in 2023 where they were both OC and DC respectively.
With Petrino at the helm, while the Razorbacks have yet to win a match, they have looked explosive on offense, averaging 39.5 points per game and putting up at least 30 points in their recent matchups against the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers and No. 4 Texas A&M Aggies. Quarterback Taylen Green has looked stellar, having a collective 1,910 yards and a 17-5 TD-INT ratio. Green’s QBR of 90.9 is third overall in the country, following only USC’s Jayden Maiava and Georgia’s Gunnar Stockton. Arkansas’ leading rusher, Mike Washington Jr. has also been explosive, averaging 7.1 yards per attempt against conference opponents and scoring three touchdowns as well.
While their offensive attack has been strong, the Razorbacks’ defense has struggled heavily, not having allowed less than 30 points in a game since before conference play began. Overall, the Arkansas defense has let up 32.7 PPG, with their most coming in their most recent matchup against Texas A&M, allowing the Aggies to put up 45 in their home stadium. This Razorbacks defense has struggled the most against opposing rushers. The Razorbacks have allowed 225.8 rushing yards per game, coming to 5.0 yards per carry, ranking 122nd nationally. They have also given up 17 rushing touchdowns, which is the fifth highest in the country.
Arkansas and Auburn have a long history with each other, with their overall record being 20-13-1 in Auburn’s favor. Arkansas won their most recent matchup in 2024 in Auburn 24-14, but Auburn had won seven of the nine meetings prior to that, having a six-game win streak from 2016-2021.
The Auburn Tigers will face the Arkansas Razorbacks on October 25, 2025, at 11:45 A.M. in Fayetteville, Arkansas. This game will be available to stream on ESPN.
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Braden Hensley | Sports Writer
Braden is a freshman majoring in Aviation Management. He started with the Plainsman in fall 2025.
