.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
One of the most high-profile games of the
college
football weekend pits the
seventh-ranked Auburn Tigers against the
12th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks in an SEC showdown.
Arkansas enters this tilt with a 4-1 record, the best start for
the Razorbacks
under head coach Bobby Petrino. Last time out, Petrino's team
bested Texas A&M
on a neutral field by a 24-17 final, and the competition
level increases this
weekend. The lone loss to date came to then-top-ranked
Alabama by four points
in a game that Arkansas all but gave away.
As for Auburn, it enters with a 6-0 record, and a 37-34 victory
over Kentucky
last weekend marked the third three-point win of the season
for the squad.
Gene Chizik's group knocked off South Carolina a few weeks
ago, the same group
of Gamecocks that just upset Alabama. Clearly, the SEC is up
for grabs, and
Auburn is in tremendous position to contend for a title.
Auburn owns a 10-8-1 series lead over Arkansas, but the
Razorbacks cruised to
a 44-23 victory in last season's meeting.
Arkansas is fortunate to have one of the nation's truly elite
quarterbacks at
the helm in Ryan Mallett, who has completed 69.3 percent of
his passes for
1,748 yards and 13 touchdowns with only six interceptions.
Mallett played
poorly against Alabama, but he has been strong in the other
four outings. Greg
Childs paces the Razorbacks with 28 catches, while Joe Adams
is tops with 408
receiving yards. As for the ground attack, Knile Davis leads
the way with 203
yards, a modest total.
While Arkansas is scoring 30.0 ppg and racking up 462.8 total
ypg, the team
has been able to limit opponents to 15.0 ppg and 302.4 total
ypg. The
Razorbacks have gotten the job done against the run, as they
are yielding a
mere 3.5 yards per rushing attempt. The pass defense has been
solid when
considering the fact that the team is permitting only 167.8
ypg with four
touchdowns, but opponents are averaging 13.3 yards per
completion and that
figure can stand some improvement.
Anthony Leon tops Arkansas with eight TFLs, while Jake Bequette
has recorded
four sacks.
The Razorbacks posted 442 total yards against Texas A&M last
time out, and
Mallett completed 27-of-38 passes for 310 yards with three
touchdowns and one
interception. Cobi Hamilton stepped up with five catches for
98 yards and a
score, while Davis rushed for 82 yards.
"He's a guy that can go get the ball when it's up in the air,"
says Petrino of
Hamilton. "We have got to continue to give him touches and
he's going to make
plays."
The fact that Arkansas was able to limit Texas A&M to 324
yards was
impressive. It certainly deserves mention that the Razorbacks
held the Aggies
under 26 minutes of possession time and limited them to
4-of-17 success on
third down conversion attempts.
"We got a lot of criticism in the offseason, and we went out and
worked our
butts off," said safety Tramain Thomas after the A&M
game. "The hard work is
just paying off for us right and we are going to take it all
the way."
Auburn's offense is more than capable of challenging the
Arkansas defense,
especially with Cam Newton at quarterback. The dual threat
has rushed for 672
yards and nine touchdowns while passing for 1,138 yards and
12 scores. The
Heisman hopeful has led the Tigers to 36.7 ppg and 483.0
total ypg. The ground
attack accounts for 276.0 ypg for Auburn, while the passing
game depends on
the talents of wideout Darvin Adams.
Opponents are scoring 21.3 ppg against Auburn, which is allowing
334.8 total
ypg. The Tigers have been tremendous against the run,
limiting foes to 95.7
ypg at a clip of just 2.8 yards per carry. The pass defense
has been fairly
solid, and while foes have posted a high number of yards
through the air, the
big plays have been kept to a minimum.
Wes Byrum's 24-yard field goal as time expired lifted Auburn
over Kentucky
last time out. Newton had four rushing touchdowns and 198
yards on the ground
in that tilt, while also passing for 210 yards.
"When the game is on the line he wants the ball in his hands and
that's what
the quarterback position should do," said Chizik of Newton.
"I couldn't be
more proud of the guy."
Kentucky only managed 336 yards against Auburn last week, a
surprisingly low
total considering the fact that the Wildcats finished with 34
points. The
Tigers yielded fewer than four yards per rushing attempts and
fewer than 10
yards per pass completion. While that effort was solid, it is
time to move the
focus to the dangerous Arkansas offense.
"They throw the ball more than they run the ball, but they were
able to run it
on us last year," said Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof
of Arkansas.
"That's something that we have to make sure we do a good job
on is limiting
their running game."
