Don’t look now, but Auburn has won four consecutive games, its best streak since opening the 2014 season with five consecutive wins. The Tigers absolutely pulverized Arkansas on Saturday night at Jordan Hare Stadium, which might just push them into the Top 15 this week.

As a result, AU is 5-2 as it enters its road game against Ole Miss on Saturday.

Here’s an analysis of Auburn’s 56-3 victory.

5 TAKEAWAYS

• Auburn ran Arkansas out of the building: Bo Jackson, who attended the game to take part in the Charles Barkley statue-dedication ceremonies, must have been an inspiration for the Tigers. Even without Kerryon Johnson, who was held out while recovering from his ankle injury, Auburn rushed for 543 yards, a school record for an SEC regular-season game.
• It might be time to give Kevin Steele an extension: Under their first-year coordinator, the Tigers entered the game 11th in the FBS in scoring defense, allowing 16 points a game; it held the Razorbacks to a field goal. Auburn also contained Arkansas to just 25 yards on 31 carries, with Rawleigh Williams III – the SEC’s second-leading rusher – to 22 on 13 attempts. Hogs QB Austin Allen – the conference’s leader in passing yards and TDs coming in – threw for only 187 yards and was knocked out twice with injuries.
• Where in the world is Daniel Carlson? Remember when Auburn’s place-kicker was arguably its important player on offense? Carlson, who made all six of his field-goal attempts in AU’s 18-13 home victory over LSU on Sept. 24th, has gone just 1-for-2 over the past 3 games. Carlson’s been great, but the Tigers’ recent trend of finishing drives with touchdowns has been even better.
• Sean White has an off night passing and the Tigers still won going away: Auburn’s running game was so effective, White was nearly an afterthought. The SEC’s most accurate passer coming in with a completion percentage of 69.7, the redshirt sophomore was just 6 of 11 for 77 yards and a TD. But he made up for it with his legs, rushing 4 times for a career-high 61 yards and a score.
• Tony Stevens contributes without catching a pass: Stevens, who entered the game as Auburn’s leader in catches, receiving yards and TD grabs, didn’t add to any of those statistics, but that was just fine. He made a key block on Stanton Truitt’s 45-yard touchdown reception.

REPORT CARD

Offense: A – Jump-started by Eli Stove’s 78-yard TD run on its first play, Auburn scored 28 points in each half. The Tigers’ 53-point margin of victory was the largest for either team in the series, which has now reached 26 games. AU’s 56 points were a season-high for an SEC game.
Defense: A – After taking a 28-3 lead into halftime, the Tigers didn’t let up and pitched a second-half shutout. Arkansas, which came in averaging nearly 446 yards a game, was held to 215. Auburn also held the Hogs to their lowest point total since they were blanked 52-0 by Alabama in 2013.
Special teams: B – Kevin Phillips averaged only 39.7 yards on his three punts. Auburn did not field return a kickoff.
Coaching: A – Auburn was expected to win – the Tigers were favored by more than a touchdown – but beating an SEC West rival by such a convincing margin was impressive and surprising. The hot seat Gus Malzahn seemed to be sitting on after AU’s 29-16 loss to Texas A&M on Sept. 17 has definitely cooled.
Overall: A – The Tigers aren’t just winning games; they are punishing opponents. This was the easiest victory over Auburn’s 4-game unbeaten streak, during which AU has outscored its opponents 170-37. Auburn, which visits Ole Miss on Saturday, might not lose another game until the Iron Bowl on Nov. 26. Who had the Tigers potentially going 9-3 during the regular season?

GAME PLAN

Even though Auburn ran the ball 83 percent of the time while winning by nearly 7 TDs, Arkansas had a 32:37-27:23 time-of-possession edge. AU ran 69 plays after executing 74 two weeks ago against Mississippi State.

GAME BALLS

RB Kamryn Pettway: The redshirt sophomore ran for a career-high 192 yards and 2 TDs on 27 carries.
WR Stanton Truitt: In addition to his TD catch, Truitt ran 8 times for 78 yards and the first 2 rushing touchdowns of his career.
DL Devaroe Lawrence: The senior recorded his first sack of the season and finished with 2 tackles.