Auburn heads into Saturday’s home game against Arkansas with no wiggle room left, and the formula is pretty clear: the Tigers need cleaner defense, a real spark in the run game and a much better finish when turnovers come their way.
The matchup kicks off at 11:45 a.m. on the SEC Network, with Auburn sitting at 4-4 overall and 2-4 in conference play. Arkansas arrives at 3-5 and 1-4. It’s the 35th straight season the teams have met since 1992, and Auburn owns the edge in the series at 21-13-1, including a 9-7-1 mark on the Plains.
One of the biggest questions for Auburn is how the defense holds up with bodies missing. Linebacker Bryce Deas and safety Sylvester Smith-Reed will not play, and cornerback Andre Jordan Jr. is listed as questionable. That leaves the Tigers without three defensive starters, which puts even more pressure on the rest of the unit to absorb the load.
Golesh pointed to depth as the answer, and he specifically mentioned young players who have been asked to do more.
“It’s not just young guys; it’s all the depth. As you’re going and guys are getting dinged here and there, you’re putting more on guys.
I’ve seen a bunch of guys that have tried to step up,” Golesh said on Wednesday. “Jaquez Wilkes is one that comes to mind.
He just continues to play more and more. In a program, that’s the progression you’re hoping for.
A guy comes in, contributes on special teams, and continues to gain confidence. And then becomes a mainstay offensively or defensively -- that’s the natural progression for most.”
Auburn also needs its ground game to look like a strength again. Over its last three games, the Tigers have averaged 107 rushing yards and just 3.0 yards per carry. For the season, they’re at 152 rushing yards per game, but the recent dip has been hard to ignore.
Byrum Brown leads Auburn with 484 rushing yards, while Jeremiah Cobb and Omar Mabson II have combined for 639 on the ground. And history says this is a matchup where Auburn has usually been able to lean on the run: since 1992, the Tigers have averaged 202.1 rushing yards per game against Arkansas, their third-highest average against an SEC opponent.
Golesh said the staff has kept pushing to get that part of the offense back on track.
“In some areas I feel like we have, in some areas I feel like we haven’t,” Golesh said. “That’s the part you’re continuing to hammer home: We haven’t pulled back on practice.
We’re continuing to hammer. It’s a fine line of making sure we’re fresh, but there’s also an intent right now that we’re not in the place, we need to be.
And I don’t know if we’re ever going to get to a place like that. But gosh darn it, we’re going to keep chasing it.”
The other major swing factor is what Auburn does after creating a takeaway. Last week against Ole Miss, the Tigers intercepted Trinidad Chambliss and had a chance to grab control, only to fumble on the next drive. Ole Miss recovered, then turned that into points on its next possession, a sequence that helped the Rebels seize momentum before halftime in a 45-15 win.
Golesh was blunt about how costly that sequence was.
“Disappointing that, after the turnover, we don’t go score. Where we’ve got to be way, way, way better is, get the turnover on the short field, we’ve got to go score,” Golesh said.
“We turn it back over, and that’s a huge, huge, missed opportunity in the game. There’s a lot of things in that game we don’t take advantage of.
There’s a lot of things in that game we don’t do well.”
Now Auburn gets a chance to test that lesson against Arkansas quarterback KJ Jackson, who has thrown five interceptions this season and will be making his first start in Jordan-Hare Stadium as the Razorbacks’ quarterback. The Tigers have picked off a pass in all but one game this season, including the first six before failing to do so against LSU.
If Auburn is going to take care of business at home, it likely starts with forcing Jackson into mistakes and making those turnovers count.
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Auburns Offense Faces One Familiar Problem Against Arkansas
Alex Golesh has made it clear Auburns offense cannot afford another uneven night when Arkansas comes to town, and the message starts with the basics: run the ball, stay on schedule and keep Byrum Brown upright. The Tigers have leaned on those themes all season, but this matchup puts a sharper spotlight on them, especially with the offensive line expected to be tested by Arkansass pass rush.
Auburn is looking for a cleaner showing in the trenches, where improved rushing production would help control tempo and give the offense more time on the field. The formula is straightforward enough, but the challenge is making it hold up for four quarters, and the Tigers will need all three of their offensive priorities to come together if they want to avoid another familiar problem. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Faces Real Pressure In What Feels Like A Must-Have Arkansas Game
The weekly picks from The Auburn Daily staff were as clear as they come, with every voter backing Auburn to handle Arkansas in a game that already carries a little extra weight. Around the SEC, the panel also weighed in on other marquee matchups, including Alabama against LSU and Georgia against Ole Miss, but for Auburn the focus is squarely on a meeting that feels hard to sidestep in the bigger picture of the season.
A unanimous prediction does not erase the pressure, though. Auburn has reached the point where a win over Arkansas feels less like a nice step forward and more like a result it needs to keep the season on track, which is exactly why this one stands out on the schedule. The confidence from the staff says plenty about how the matchup is viewed, but the stakes around it are what make the game worth watching. [Read more 🡒]