The first bit of action for the month of November is only a couple of days away on the Plains as the Auburn Tigers and Head Coach Alex Golesh return to begin the final stretch of the regular season.
Auburn is preparing to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks inside of Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday, with both teams trying to get back on track in another crucial part of the season.
The Tigers will head into the game as losers of back-to-back games, having just come off of a 45-15 defeat at the hands of the Ole Miss Rebels on the road. It was a game in which Auburn once again struggled to get much of an offense rolling and the defense could not keep up with the opposing offense.
The Razorbacks meanwhile are also coming off of a loss to the Missouri Tigers at home 34-10, dropping to 3-5 in Ryan Silverfield’s first season.
Arkansas has won the last two times it has played in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Now, the Tigers look to reverse that fate and get back above the .500 mark.
As is the case every single week, here are some keys to victory for both sides leading into the SEC showdown.
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Auburn Tigers:
Once again, the run game has to get going
It seems like a broken record at this point in the season, but it is absolutely true in the grand scheme of things. Simply put, Auburn feels like a one-dimensional offense right now. It does have some stout rushing performances, but it feels like if the run is not working for quarterback Byrum Brown, it is not going to happen in an abundance. It is another week against a run defense that is ranked near the bottom of the SEC. If the Tigers want to kickstart a streak of positive momentum at the end of the season, it has to start now and it has to start with the run game. Otherwise, you might see the Razorbacks get stops and mount confidence.
Get off the field on third downs
It only happened very briefly against Ole Miss, but when a defense can get off the field on a critical third down, it does wonders in terms of confidence. Auburn forced the Rebels into a punt on the game’s opening drive last week, something that needed to happen if the Tigers wanted to stand a chance at staying close in the first half. Now against yet another mobile quarterback and a singular, highly-favored receiver, this defense finds itself in a similar situation. Letting KJ Jackson get in a rhythm is dangerous. Auburn has to get off the field and find ways to ramp up the intensity.
Arkansas Razorbacks:
Find open spots in the passing game
While the Tigers defense has been poor as of late, one thing has truly stuck out in the last two games—the pass coverage. Auburn has given up 388 and 263 yards respectively through the air in those outings. Now while the number against Ole Miss does not look that drastic, the product on the field resembled something close to the game against LSU with a lot of chunk plays. With the connection between Jackson and Chris Marshall being so high, he will be that go-to guy on Saturday, and if they can link up, watch out.
Tackles for loss reign supreme
In the last two games combined, the Tigers have given up a combined 22 tackles for loss, with about half of those being recorded as sacks. Auburn currently is last in the SEC in sacks given up. The answer is simple for the Arkansas defense—get pressure in the backfield in some way. If the Tigers get behind the sticks, life has been difficult to get by. While there are some third-down conversions thrown in, the long run has shown things do not bode well if the tackles for loss are constantly made.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
