Arkansas lost 34-3 at Auburn on Saturday. In a typical season, such an excessively lopsided defeat would have Razorbacks fans up in arms. But with the Hogs already having losses to Colorado State and North Texas, the first season under Chad Morris is far from typical.

It’s for these reasons that a 31-point defeat on the road against an opponent ranked in the top 10 doesn’t feel so bad. It’s simply not about outcomes with this team. It’s about showing improvement each week and taking steps toward becoming competitive. For the most part, Arkansas did that against the Tigers.

Here are my grades for the Hogs’ performance in Week 4:

Offense: D-minus

Arkansas’ offensive line never gave the Hogs a chance to be competitive. The Razorbacks were especially outmanned at offensive tackle, with Auburn consistently getting pressure from the edge.

Auburn had 2 sacks and 9 quarterback hurries, leaving Ty Storey spending most of the night running for his life. Storey at least proved he’s the top option at quarterback, which Morris confirmed after the game. He certainly missed some throws and his stat line wasn’t impressive, but he simply wasn’t in a situation to be successful.

The most impressive performer for the Razorbacks was easily running back Rakeem Boyd. The former Last Chance U star rushed for 66 yards on 8 carries. He also had 2 receptions for 39 yards. He has clearly moved himself up in the running back pecking order.

Defense: A

Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t look at the 34 points and think Arkansas’ defense played poorly. That was not the case at all. The Razorbacks limited Auburn to just 225 total yards. The Tigers had only one scoring drive of more than 27 yards.

Arkansas was especially effective in getting pressure on quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who was sacked 4 times. The Hogs also made some impressive stops in key situations. Auburn was limited to 4-of-13 on third down, and the Razorbacks stuffed a rush attempt on fourth and 1 deep in their own territory.

This defense is playing plenty well enough to win games. But that’s simply not going to happen until the rest of the team shows significant improvement.

Special teams: F

Arkansas’ special teams have been horrible this season. That trend continued in Week 4. The Hogs allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown and a 48-yard punt return and had a punt blocked. It’s virtually impossible for this team to win an SEC game with that sort of special teams play.

The kickoff return score was especially devastating. It came immediately after the Hogs had put together their best drive of the game and made a 29-yard field goal to pull within 17-3 early in the third quarter. At that point, Arkansas was just one play away from improbably making this a competitive game. But, thanks to poor special teams, the chance to hang around against the No. 9 team in the country didn’t last long.

Coaching: D

Eight penalties for 57 yards doesn’t sound all that bad until you examine how avoidable most of them were. The Hogs were flagged for 12 men on the field, illegal substitution and an illegal formation. Those types of mistakes, coupled with the errors on special teams, are indications the coaching staff isn’t finding ways to make this team disciplined.

Defensive coordinator John Chavis should be commended, though. He has taken over what was previously one of the worst defenses in the SEC and turned it into a respectable group to this point.

Overall: C

The bottom line is that the Hogs at least took a step in the right direction. This was an Arkansas team that looked like it could beat someone other than Eastern Illinois this season. That couldn’t have been said after the 27-point loss to North Texas in Week 3.