Auburn eked out a win over Chad Morriss previous team when it beat Arkansas 30-28.
With home field advantage and a weaker opponent than Georgia, Auburn looked much improved to begin the game. As the minutes passed, some of the very same problems from the previous weeks exposed themselves once again.
After 2 games where the Tigers defense might not get off the field on 3rd downs, it came out and forced a three-and-out. Through the entire very first quarter, it held Arkansas to drives that lasted 5 plays or less, building up 3 three-and-outs and 2 sacks.
Auburn developed an eight-point, 20-12 lead by halftime and led 260 backyards to 203 backyards.
When it came back out, its offending line struggles ended up being more evident. Auburn constructed momentum on its very first drive, however it was rapidly eliminated when the Razorbacks broke through the offending line and sacked quarterback Bo Nix twice in a row. Arkansas offense put together a 13-play, 85-yard goal drive. A failed two-point conversion saved Auburn from losing its lead.
The Tigers got a momentum boost when they started the fourth quarter by scoring a touchdown on the first play. However the defense didnt feed off that momentum and permitted Arkansas to march directly down the field into the red zone. It held the Razorbacks to a basket on that drive, however allowed them to score on the next drive.
The weather had a more visible effect on the offense, which had a number of dropped passes and slips. Auburns rushes dominated the field, building up more rushing backyards in the very first half (215 yards) than in their last three games integrated.
The defense finally tightened up on its last and most crucial chance. With just a couple of minutes left and down one point, 27-28, it suppressed all of Arkansas run efforts. Its 3rd down stop gave Auburn the ball back with 2:16 to go. It was just sufficient time for Auburn to enter basket territory and secure the win.
Special teams jump begins offense
Auburn continued to have trouble finishing drives, and kicker Anders Carlson made 2 field objectives so that the Tigers could still end the drive with points. While Carlson missed out on a consent, 44-yard basket in the final minutes that would have protected the win, he got another possibility and made the 39-yard field goal for the 30-28 win. The special groups was responsible for 16 of the 30 points.
Auburn likewise had more tries to return the ball than in past video games. Both its punt returners and kick returners assisted put Auburn in an excellent position at the start of each of its drives. Christian Tutt managed the punt returns and balanced 10 lawns per return. Tank Bigsby averaged 27 backyards per return with a 35-yarder.
In addition to putting points on the board, the special groups likewise dominated the field position fight. Punter Aidan Marshall pinned the Razorbacks inside the 10 two times while Nix punted the ball out at the 25. Carlson had three touchbacks in the very first half. If not for his one out-of-bounds kick just outside completion zone, he would have had four.
The Tigers had not reached the end zone because the 4th quarter against Kentucky on September 26. They went the whole video game versus Georgia without a goal, however the special groups ended the dry spell when Jordyn Peters blocked a punt and Barton Lester recuperated the ball in the end zone.
Run video game offenses strength
By its second drive, Auburn had as numerous hurrying yards as it had actually had the entire video game versus Georgia. By the end of the half, Auburn had 11 rushes for 10 yards or more, including a 41-yard rush by D.J. Williams and a 26-yard rush by Tank Bigsby. Nix had a 15-yard hurrying goal. Compared to the 26 rush attempts, Auburn had just nine pass attempts in the first half.
However, coach Gus Malzahn often points out the significance of not being one-dimensional. This game was the ideal example of that. While Auburn was effective on the ground, its offense might not finish drives up until the death video game started clicking at the end of the third quarter. Auburn completed with 187 passing lawns and 259 rushing backyards.
For 2 weeks, Auburns getting video game has had to bring the whole offense. Even though running back Bigsby was the offending gamer of the video game after Georgia, he had much higher contributions through the air than on the ground. However that completely reversed in the game versus Arkansas.
Pass rush breaks through
On Arkansas very first drive of the 2nd half, it marched down to the Auburn eight. While the line pushed through to deal with Arkansas for an eight-yard loss, a face mask penalty turned it into an Arkansas gain.
Regardless of pretty constant pressure in the pocket, the Razorbacks still discovered success in the death video game. They discovered the holes in the secondary and capitalized. They completed with 21 receptions for 302 passing backyards.
The next time the Razorbacks threatened in the red zone, Derick Hall got in Franks face and required him to toss it away. That led to a third-down stop, which required the Razorbacks to settle for a basket.
Arkansas very first attempt to put together an offending drive ended when Colby Wooden broke through the line and drove quarterback Feleipe Franks into the ground. Wooden packed Arkansas on its next third-down attempt.
Secret play:
Auburn had Arkansas backed up deep in its own territory. Barton Lester fell on it, offering Auburn its first points of the game. Auburn dominated the rest of the quarter, which assisted bring it through weaker efficiencies throughout the rest of the video game.
Key player: Kicker Anders Carlson
Auburn continued to have difficulty completing drives, and kicker Anders Carlson made 2 field objectives so that the Tigers could still end the drive with points. By its 2nd drive, Auburn had as numerous hurrying yards as it had had the entire game versus Georgia. On Arkansas first drive of the 2nd half, it marched down to the Auburn eight. Carlson broke his streak and offered Auburn fans a heart attack when he missed the last-minute field goal, he likewise scored the most points of any gamer on the field and secured the win with the 39-yard field objective.
It was just adequate time for Auburn to get into field objective area and protect the win.
Carlson broke his streak and offered Auburn fans a heart attack when he missed the last-minute field goal, he likewise scored the most points of any player on the field and protected the win with the 39-yard field goal. Carlson made 3 basket for nine points. He went 3-4 basket efforts, however he made the most important one.
