Auburn gets November started at home this weekend with Arkansas coming to Jordan-Hare Stadium, and there’s plenty to watch as the Tigers try to snap a skid against an SEC opponent that has only one conference win this season.
That lone league victory for the Razorbacks came on the road at Vanderbilt in October, and Auburn is trying to rebound after back-to-back losses to top teams in the country. For Alex Golesh, this one carries a little extra weight, too.
During his three seasons as head coach at USF, he faced former Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield every year and never came out with a win. Saturday gives him another shot at changing that.
The matchup sets up as one Auburn should have a real chance to control. The Tigers are a double-digit favorite, and while the number on the spread does not always tell the full story, this looks like one of their better opportunities all season to grab an SEC win. Still, the Tigers will have to back that up for 60 minutes.
That starts with the defense. Auburn’s last two losses have followed a frustrating pattern: against LSU, the Tigers gave up 31 first-half points and went into the break buried.
Against Ole Miss, they surrendered 28 unanswered points to finish the game. Golesh and the rest of the defense are trying to make sure this one becomes a four-quarter battle, with DJ Durkin’s coaching in focus.
The matchup helps. Arkansas is averaging just 16.4 points per game in conference play, which is last in the SEC so far. If Auburn can jump out early - the kind of start it got in the win over Georgia - the Tigers should be in position to keep the Razorbacks under control, especially with the home crowd helping to make life difficult.
The other big piece is the run game. Auburn has kept tinkering with the offensive line, and the results have been uneven.
In the loss to Ole Miss, the Tigers managed only 68 rushing yards. Against LSU, they finished with 67 on the ground.
Golesh has made it clear in his offenses that the run game has to exist to open things up through the air, and Auburn simply has not been able to establish that often enough in its losses.
If the Tigers can get that going against Arkansas - especially with who could be the most important contributor in the backfield - it could go a long way toward finishing the season the right way.
Kickoff is set for 11:45 central at Jordan-Hare Stadium, with the game airing on the SEC Network.
In Other News...
Auburns New-Look Roster Sent A Loud Message In The Opener
Auburns season opener offered an early glimpse of how different this roster can look, and the Tigers wasted little time making that point. In a 92-59 win over Southern Louisiana, Auburn piled up points, got balanced scoring from across the lineup and kept the pressure on defensively, continuing a trend of fast starts under this group.
Tahaad Pettiford set the tone with 18 points and four assists, while five Tigers finished in double figures and the defense swatted away 11 shots, led by Bukky Oboyes five blocks. It was the kind of opening-night performance that suggests Auburn has plenty of options on both ends, and the next test comes against Appalachian State on November 9. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns New-Look Roster Just Gave Fans A Reason To Believe
Auburns new season opened with the kind of balanced performance that can make an early November crowd start to lean forward. The Tigers rolled past Southeastern Louisiana 92-59 at Neville Arena, with five players reaching double figures and Tahaad Pettiford leading the way with 18 points. Auburn also controlled the glass with 50 rebounds and protected the rim with 11 blocks, signs of a roster that already looks comfortable playing with energy on both ends.
For a team trying to establish its identity right away, the opener offered plenty to like beyond the final margin. Auburn moved to 1-0 and now turns to a non-conference meeting with Appalachian State, where the next test will be whether this early balance and activity can carry over against a different kind of challenge. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns New Coach Has Extra Stakes In This SEC Reunion
The SECs latest coaching shuffle has created an unusual reunion for Auburns new staff, with several familiar names now working their way into the league from the American Conference. Jon Sumrall, Alex Golesh and Ryan Silverfield all made the leap, and for Auburn the most immediate intrigue comes from Goleshs path to the Plains after he was reportedly in the mix at Arkansas before landing in Auburn.
Now the story line gets even more interesting because Silverfield ended up taking the Arkansas job, setting up a matchup that carries more than the usual conference weight. Golesh will see his former American peer across the sideline, and Auburn has a front-row seat to a coaching race that has already reshaped part of the SEC landscape. [Read more 🡒]