Turnovers, third-down failures lead to blowout loss, 52-20
FAYETTEVILLE -- Auburn piled up 629 yards of offense and turned three Arkansas turnovers into touchdowns while taking a 52-20 blowout win over the Razorbacks in front of 71,961 Saturday night at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Kamryn Pettway rushed 11 times for 90 yards and three touchdowns for the Tigers (6-2, 4-1), who finished with 345 yards on the ground. Darius Slayton caught four passes for 146 yards and a touchdown while Ryan Davis had eight for 63 yards and a 62-yard touchdown pass.
Jarrett Stidham completed 19 of 28 passing attempts for 218 yards. He also rushed four times for 49 yards and a touchdown.
The Razorbacks (2-5, 0-4) started redshirt-freshman Cole Kelley at quarterback for a second straight week as starter Austin Allen remains sidelined with a shoulder injury.
Kelley hit a respectable 15 of 26 attempts for 163 yards but was sacked six times while the offense converted just five of 16 third-down attempts.
Trailing 10-3 midway through the second quarter, Arkansas' offense couldn't capitalize on a goal line stand and a Kevin Richardson interception.
Kerryon Johnson, who finished the night with 78 total yards, scored on a 2-yard plunge with just over three minutes remaining before halftime. The Tigers led at the break, 17-6.
The Razorbacks finally scored a touchdown with 3:57 left in the third quarter when true freshman De'Vion Warren returned a kickoff 100 yards down the visitor's sideline.
Pettway scored on runs of 2 and 38 yards in the first eight minutes of the second half to push Auburn's lead to 31-6. The lead grew to 38-6 when Davis hit Slayton for a 62-yard touchdown on an end-around pass.
Pettway's 11-yard touchdown run to end the third quarter and Devan Barrett's 4-yard touchdown reception from Malik Willis with 9:44 remaining made it 52-13.
Against Auburn's backups, Devwah Whaley capped off a 75-yard touchdown drive with a 2-yard run with 3:07 left in the game.
Connor Limpert made two field goal attempts in the first half. His first was a 34-yarder at the 7:57 point of the first quarter, and his second was from 38 yards out with 40 seconds remaining before halftime.
DID YOU NOTICE?
- Austin Allen, Jack Kraus and De'Andre Coley were out for Saturday's game.
- Former Razorback and current Detroit Lion offensive lineman Travis Swanson was an honorary captain for the coin toss.
- Arkansas only had nine players on the field on Auburn's 50-yard pass play in the first quarter.
- Blake Johnson's first punt of the game traveled 50 yards.
- Little Rock native Will Hastings had a 22-yard reception on Auburn's second drive.
- Auburn's second drive, which ended in the field goal, went 67 yards on 15 plays.
- Paul Ramirez committed a holding call on Arkansas' third possession. He had another one that killed an Arkansas drive midway through the second quarter.
- Jonathan Marshall gets credit for stopping Auburn's 4th and goal attempt in the second quarter.
- Kevin Richardson recorded his second pick in as many weeks with 7:20 left before halftime.
- Nate Dalton ran into Henre' Toliver on a punt return, resulting in a turnover and placing Auburn at the Arkansas 41 yard line.
- Paul Ramirez killed another Arkansas drive on the Hogs' final possession before half.
- Colton Jackson replaced Ramirez to start the second half.
- Darius Slayton jumped early before making a 26-yard completion, but there was no call for false start. Kamryn Pettway ran for a 38-yard touchdown on the next play to give Auburn a 31-6 lead with 7:33 remaining in the third quarter.
- With 6:29 left in the third quarter, Brian Wallace went down with what appeared to be a lower back injury. Paul Ramirez took his spot at right tackle.
- Hayden Johnson missed a block that led to a Cole Kelley strip sack with 1:30 left in the third quarter. Auburn only needed three plays to push the lead to 45-13.
- Auburn backup quarterback Malik Willis went 48 yards on his first touch of the game in the fourth quarter.
- Dylan Hays recovered an Auburn fumble with six seconds left.
- Dre Greenlaw led the Hogs with 13 tackles while De'Jon Harris was second with 11 stops.
- Arkansas finished 5 of 16 on third downs after going o for 7 in the first half.
- The Hogs had seven penalties for 50 yards.
