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HawgBeat continues its summer preview series on Arkansas’ 2019 football opponents with a closer look at Auburn. The Razorbacks host the Tigers on Oct. 19. The kickoff time and television information for this game have yet to be announced.

2018 record: 8-5 (3-5 SEC)

Auburn spent the first half of the 2018 season ranked in the top 10, peaking at No. 7 with a season-opening win over Washington. A loss to LSU on a last-second field goal was the only blemish on the Tigers’ record through five weeks, but then they lost back-to-back games to Mississippi State and Tennessee. Following bounce-back wins over Ole Miss and Texas A&M, Auburn dropped a pair of games to the division champions - Georgia and Auburn - sandwiched around a blowout win over Liberty. The Tigers did manage to finish the season strong, though, demolishing Purdue 63-14 in the Music City Bowl.

Head coach: Gus Malzahn (7th season)

It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that most Arkansas fans probably know more about Malzahn than their own coach, Chad Morris. A high school coaching legend in Arkansas with stops at Hughes, Shiloh Christian and Springdale, Malzahn also has ties to the Razorbacks as a player (walk-on receiver in 1984 and 1985) and coach (offensive coordinator in 2006). Perhaps no coach is more polarizing in the state than Malzahn. There was a desire by some to hire him after Bret Bielema, while some didn’t want any part of him. In the end, he leveraged Arkansas’ interest - whether real or perceived - into a massive contract. During his tenure with the Tigers, Malzahn has won the SEC and finished runner-up for a national championship (2013) and also won the SEC West (2017). Including one year at Arkansas State, his overall record is 62-30 with a 28-20 mark in SEC play.

Key Returners

~RB JaTarvious Whitlow: Leading rusher in 2018 with 787 yards and 6 TD on 150 carries… Also caught 15 passes for 173 yards and two TD… Scored two rushing TD against Arkansas last season