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Why Auburn football could struggle with Arkansas on Saturday
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- Why Auburn football could struggle with Arkansas on Saturday
After playing a brutal October schedule, the Auburn Tigers get a sigh of relief this Saturday when they face Arkansas in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Although the Razorbacks are not ranked, Auburn can not take them lightly. Like Auburn, Arkansas is working to establish an identity under a first-year head coach. Alex Golesh and Ryan Silverfield both moved from the American Athletic Conference to the SEC and are facing the usual challenges of a head coach making such a giant leap.
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Auburn is a two-score favorite over the Razorbacks , but Arkansas feels they have an equal chance to win. Here are five factors that could lead Auburn to struggle with SEC rival Arkansas on Saturday.
Auburn's offensive line fails to pick up Quincey Rhodes Jr.
Arkansas' defense is not full of sack machines, but Auburn must be aware of one player at all times: edge rusher Quincy Rhodes Jr.
According to Pro Football Focus , Arkansas has created just 59 pressures this season (Auburn's defense has created 125, for comparison), and Rhodes has accounted for 13 of them, or 22%.
Oct 31, 2026; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Austin Simmons (13) is pursued by Arkansas Razorbacks defensive lineman Quincy Rhodes Jr. (97) during the second quarter at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images
The pressure on Auburn's struggling offensive line should lessen on Saturday, but taking a whole game off could spell doom for Byrum Brown and the Auburn Tigers.
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KJ Jackson breaks out in his return to Alabama
St. James' KJ Jackson (1) stiff arms Trinity's Robert Hall (7) as he carries the ball during their game on the St. James Campus in Montgomery, Ala., on Friday October 13, 2023.
Arkansas quarterback and Montgomery native KJ Jackson has proven to be a quality passer in the SEC , especially over the last two weeks. He has completed 63% of his passes for 480 yards over his last two starts. However, he has not thrown a touchdown pass in three weeks.
Auburn defensive coordinator DJ Durkin points to "inconsistency" in the defense as a factor in Auburn's recent losses. Auburn must find ways to consistently exploit Jackson's mistakes and keep him from having a true "breakout" game 54 miles from his hometown.
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Auburn still struggles to run the football
Jeremiah Cobb has not posted a single 100-yard rushing game this season, and Omar Mabson has failed to reach 20 rushing yards in three straight games. Could Saturday's game against Arkansas end Auburn's rushing struggles? The door is wide open for the Tigers to do so.
The Razorbacks rank one spot higher in rushing defense than Auburn in the SEC, and the Tigers will face two solid run defenses in Mississippi State and Alabama to close out SEC play. Saturday's game is Auburn's best chance to tweak its run game, and the result of Saturday's game could impact the unit for the rest of the season.
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Auburn's defense gives up too many late-down conversions
Another factor that could benefit Arkansas is its ability to convert 3rd and 4th down situations into 1st downs. The Razorbacks convert 43% of their 3rd downs and 47% of their 4th downs.
However, Auburn struggled to get Ole Miss off the field last week in late-down situations, and failure to do so again could lead Arkansas to pull off an upset.
Auburn drops another home game to the Razorbacks
Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman cheers with fans as he walks off the field as Auburn Tigers take on Arkansas Razorbacks at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. Arkansas Razorbacks defeated Auburn Tigers 24-14.
The road team has won the last four meetings between the Tigers and Hogs, and Auburn hopes to end the trend on Saturday. It also does not help matters that Arkansas head coach Ryan Silverfield is 3-0 against Alex Golesh, as Memphis defeated USF in all three seasons Golesh was the Bulls' head coach.
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Taylor Jones is the lead writer for Auburn Wire, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) and BlueSky . Follow Auburn Wire on X and Facebook .
This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Why Auburn football could struggle with Arkansas on Saturday
