The margin of victory last year in Fayetteville might have been 18 points but Auburn’s win against Arkansas was a lot closer than the score indicated. The Razorbacks had success on the ground. The two-headed monster of Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins churned out 196 yards of Arkansas’ 222 yards. The Hogs ran the ball 47 times compared to the 22 times quarterback Brandon Allen put the ball in the air. LSU was the only team that rushed for more yards against Auburn’s defense through their first nine games.

Early in the contest, despite the fact that Auburn knew that Bret Bielema’s squad was going to pound the ball on the ground, the Tigers still had a difficult time stopping the Hogs rushing attack. Nine of the 13 plays on the first drive were runs that equated to 52 of the first drive’s 61 yards. For the first half, 30 of the 47 Razorback plays were runs that equated for 135 of Arkansas 219 yards of offense. Their slow, deliberate pace equated to nearly 22 of first half’s 30 minutes.

Last year, the Razorbacks offensive line had eight games to gel prior to squaring off against Auburn. That included three consecutive tests against the stout defenses of Florida, South Carolina and Alabama leading up to the Auburn game.

This year Williams and Collins return. Three of the five offensive lineman return as well. Brey Cook will be at right tackle like he was last year. Denver Kirkland will start at right guard after playing left guard last year. The Hogs replace Travis Swanson at center with junior Mitch Smothers. Luke Charpentier makes his debut at left guard. Dan Skipper moves from right guard to left tackle. The Hogs showed a two tight end set against Auburn multiple times. All-SEC freshman tight end Hunter Henry, tied the team lead in touchdowns last year, returns. A.J. Derby replaces Mitchell Loewer.

The Hogs line won’t have 8 games under their belt but Auburn doesn’t have the pass rush off the edge that it has last year either. The departure of Dee Ford and the loss of Carl Lawson to injury could hamper the Tigers ability to corral Williams, Collins as well as Korliss Marshall. Speed off the edge for containment needs to come from somewhere for Auburn. Ends Elijah Daniel and Gabe Wright could get help from linebacker Cassanova McKinzey and star hybrid Justin Garrett. They need to be a disruptive force.

Time of possession won’t play a part in the game if the Tigers score when they have the ball. Last year it wasn’t a problem with Tre Mason rushing for 168 yards and four touchdowns. If the offense sputters and Auburn’s defense struggles to get off the field because they can’t stop the run, it could be a long day and a much closer game than expected.