FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — After a much-needed bye week to get rested and healthy, the Arkansas Razorbacks (4-3, 1-3) are set to head to the Plains for a matchup with the Auburn Tigers (3-4, 1-3) on Saturday.
The Hogs have lost six straight games to the Tigers, including a controversial win in 2020, when, while trailing 28-27, Auburn quarterback Bo Nix spiked the ball backwards and Arkansas safety Joe Foucha recovered, but the referees declared there to be no clear and immediate recovery, and Auburn retained possession.
Auburn kicked a field goal with seconds on the clock and took home a tainted 30-28 win.
The Tigers are below .500 on the season, and are also coming off a bye. In their last game, Ole Miss put up 578 yards of offense, including 448 on the ground.
Saturday's game is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. CT at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Here are the five biggest questions as the Hogs get ready to take on the Tigers:
1. Can the Hogs' offense have a repeat performance of the BYU win?
Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said this week he was pleased with where the offense was at following the win over BYU, adding that they had opened up the playbook more. In that game, the Hogs accumulated 644 yards of offense and 52 total points.
The Razorbacks will have a more difficult task this week, as they head back into SEC play against a team that, while they have struggled in the win column, has still beaten the Razorbacks six years in a row.
"I think they're playing really hard," Pittman said. "It's Auburn, we haven't beat them since I've been here. We're 0-2 against them. I think they're playing hard. For them to come back after being down 21-0 the last game against Ole Miss, and come back and make that a close, good football game on the road. I think it says a lot about their coaching staff, and the kids still believing in them and playing extremely hard."
Regardless of where they fall in the win-loss column, an SEC defense is still an SEC defense, and it will pose a significantly bigger threat to the Arkansas offense.
2. Will the rested and healthy secondary be able to stop passing game?
Pittman said during the SEC teleconference that most of the players who had been dealing with injuries have been full participants in practice. That is a welcome sight for a secondary that has struggled to stay healthy since Week 1 of this season.
With the return of nickel backs Myles Slusher and Jayden Johnson, as well as corner Malik Chavis and safety Khari Johnson, the Arkansas defense will look to shore up some of the holes defending the pass. The defense is currently allowing 304 passing yards per game, almost 80 yards worse than 2021.
Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford, while a capable runner, ranks second-to-last in the SEC in passing yards, throwing for just 1,014 on the year. After a week off to rest and heal up, the Arkansas secondary will look to get back on track against a subpar thrower in Ashford.
3. What kind of follow up will Matt Landers have to breakout performance against BYU?
Wide receiver Matt Landers had a career game the last time the Hogs took the field, catching eight passes for 99 yards and three touchdowns in the 52-35 win. He became a favorite target of Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson in the game, and will look to make that two games in a row on Saturday.
Landers is on pace to have his best season since joining the collegiate ranks. On the season, he has brought in 25 receptions for 360 yards and three touchdowns.
From week's 4-6, Landers caught just three passes. It will be interesting to see if he can build on his break-out game.
4. Can the Hogs' defensive front get back on track?
After leading the SEC in sacks for much of the season, the Arkansas defensive line has regressed slightly, only compiling four sacks in the last two games. In the 40-17 loss to Mississippi State, Will Rogers was not sacked or hurried at all.
The Auburn passing attack is not elite, but if the defense is unable to get pressure on Ashford, he can make the defense pay with his legs and by finding open receivers. He has only been sacked 13 times this season, which is in part because of his scrambling ability, but how many times will the defense be able to get pressure and force the Auburn signal-caller into a mistake?
Pittman said on the SEC Teleconference that they Hogs need to get better and pressuring the quarterback.
"I think we have to be better at that," Pittman said. "Certainly we have to be willing to play man coverage more and get after it. The problem with Ashford, and Finley for that matter, is they’re very good runners. If you don’t have somebody spying the quarterback, then you could have major problems if you can’t get him on the ground. We’ve got to be good at both those things."
5. Does Raheim Sanders eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark on the Plains?
Sophomore running back Raheim Sanders leads the SEC with 870 rushing yards this season.
In his last outing against BYU, Sanders set a career-high, rushing for 175 yards, 64 of those being on a breakaway touchdown that put the game away for good.
After surrendering 448 yards on the ground against Ole Miss, an Auburn team that is already giving up 204 yards per game could be the perfect situation for a rested Sanders to eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark.
