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FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas fans finally got to see someone different throw a pass Saturday, but punter Sam Loy’s odd chest pass on a fake punt attempt was intercepted.

Other than one snap to tight end Cheyenne O’Grady and a handful to wide receiver Treylon Burks, the Razorbacks stuck with quarterback Ben Hicks for the entirety of their 51-10 blowout loss to No. 11 Auburn at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Making his first start since Week 2, the graduate transfer from SMU completed just 19 of 39 passes for one touchdown and his first interception of the season. He also lost a pair of fumbles, meaning he accounted for three of Arkansas’ four turnovers.

Even as the score got more and more out of hand, head coach Chad Morris stuck with Hicks instead of going to Nick Starkel or even one of the Razorbacks’ young signal callers - redshirt freshman John Stephen Jones and true freshman K.J. Jefferson.

“When it got late in the game like that, it wasn't fair for any of those other guys to go in in that moment,” Morris said. “I felt all week long that through the week, the understanding of the protections, I was very comfortable with Ben.”

Neither Jones nor Jefferson have appeared in a game this season. Jones made three appearances last year, so he has already used his redshirt, while Jefferson - the four-star dual-threat quarterback from Mississippi - can still play in four games and maintain the year of eligibility.

Rather than throwing them to the wolves, Hicks remained in the game. He was sacked three times, but hit on countless other plays as Auburn’s touted defensive line was constantly in Arkansas’ backfield. When he spoke to the media afterward, Hicks had ice on his left shoulder. (He said he was “fine.”)

“When you consider what he had…coming at him all night and the speed which he was going against, I thought he did some good things,” Morris said. “I thought he kept some plays alive. He was gritty and tough.”

That defensive front for the Tigers led to Hicks and the Razorbacks’ offense getting off to a miserable start. On the third play of the game, defensive end Marlon Davidson was credited with a strip-sack when he reached out and took the ball from Hicks before he could throw it.

The play gave Auburn a short field, needing to cover just 22 yards to take a 7-0 lead. It also started a stretch of four possessions without a first down. The Razorbacks’ first four drives of the game covered minus-3, 2, 3 and 2 yards, for a total of four yards.

“Obviously the way we started wasn’t good enough,” Hicks said. “The turnover on the third play of the game and I think two or three three-and-outs put our defense in a really tough spot, so that was disappointing.”

At that point, Arkansas started completing some screens, including a 17-yard one to Rakeem Boyd near the end of the quarter to move the chains for the first time, but it was too little, too late.

Even though he found out just the night before and split first-team reps with Starkel throughout the week, Hicks said he felt prepared for the game.

“I thought I had plenty of reps and really was into the game plan,” Hicks said. “I thought we had a good game plan, but early on we really couldn’t get anything going and by that time it was 17-0.”

Morris pointed out a few positives in Hicks’ performance after the game, as he said he knew the protection scheme well and made a few key checks.

He completed a short pass to Boyd over the middle on one of those checks, but he called for the snap before the receivers were set and the play was wiped out by an illegal shift penalty. One that actually counted resulted in Cheyenne O’Grady’s 45-yard touchdown.

“I thought he recognized it well,” Morris said. “He was communicating extremely well on the sidelines. We’ve just got to continue making plays.”

It was Hicks' third start of the season and he hasn't completed at least half of his passes in any of them. His completion percentage in starts is just 47.6 percent, compared to 57.1 percent in two appearances off the bench.

Things won’t get any easier for him - or whoever is behind center next week. Arkansas hits the road for a night game at No. 1 Alabama on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN.