Here’s everything you need to know before No. 3 Alabama kicks off at home against Florida in a marquee SEC showdown.

When: Saturday, Sept. 20
Where: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
Game Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU
Current Line: Arkansas (-13.5)
Game buzz: Arkansas is on cloud nine this week after a blowout win on the road against Texas Tech. However, a tough challenge awaits the Hogs as Northern Illinois comes to town.The Huskies have been dominant in the MAC for the past several years and come into today’s game already taken down another Power 5 conference opponent in Northwestern. This is all but a sure thing for the Razorbacks.

SATURDAY DOWN SOUTH PREVIEWS

NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES

Players to watch:

  • QB Drew Hare
  • RB Cameron Stingily
  • WR Da’Ron Brown
  • RB Akeem Daniels
  • RB Joel Bouagnon
  • WR Juwan Brescacin
  • LB Jamaal Bass

Keys for Northern Illinois:

  • Control time of possession: As I’m sure NIU saw last week, Arkansas was dominant in the time of possession battle against Texas Tech. In order to avoid the same scenario, it’ll be wise of the Huskies to hold on to the ball as long as they can. Keeping the ball away from Arkansas and their running game would go a long way in keeping the NIU front seven fresh throughout the 60 minutes. If they are forced to defend for too long, they’ll probably wear down quickly, thanks to the 1-2 punch of Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams.
  • Hare needs to get mobile: Quarterback Drew Hare is no Jordan Lynch, but if NIU wants to have a chance to win, Hare needs to be both a passing and running threat to the Arkansas defense. His ability to keep the defenses honest with the run should open up things for his No. 1 target Da’Ron Brown in the passing game and possibly provide some opportunities for the deep ball.
  • Stay calm: Going on the road to face an SEC team is certainly no easy task. The environment at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium will be loud and intimidating. This isn’t anything new for the Huskies, who have won a 17-game road winning streak, which is the longest in college football. But this will be the biggest test of Drew Hare’s young career and it’s important his demeanor remains calm. If the Huskies try to speed things up and stray from their ground and pound game-plan, they’ll be prone to mistakes, something which they cannot afford against the Hogs.

Glaring weakness to watch: Pass defense. The Huskies’ pass defense is easily the weakest part of their team, giving up 259 passing yards per game which is good for 89th nationally. Arkansas has yet to really unleash any sort of intimidating passing game this season, but head coach Bret Bielema referred to it as “the best kept secret in Fayetteville.” It wouldn’t be surprising if this is the week that the secret gets out.

Most interesting part of the game: Da’Ron Brown. So far this season, the senior wideout has been explosive downfield, catching 19 passes for 357 yards and four touchdowns. No other NIU receiver has come close to his production this season, so you can bet Hare will be looking his way. With a somewhat questionable Arkansas secondary, we’ll see how the Hogs’ respond to guarding a prolific receiver like Brown and if they’re able to limit any damage from him.

Team buzz: As mentioned before, NIU has the nation’s longest road winning streak with 17 games. The Huskies are no stranger to the limelight either, appearing in the 2012 Orange Bowl. But that was with former quarterback Jordan Lynch at the helm. With Lynch gone and Hare now leading the offense, can the Huskies stay atop the MAC and possibly crack the Top 25 with a road win against an SEC opponent?

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS

Players to watch:

  • QB Brandon Allen
  • DE Trey Flowers
  • WR Keon Hatcher
  • S Alan Turner
  • RB Alex Collins
  • RB Jonathan Williams
  • RB Korliss Marshall
  • OL Denver Kirkland
  • LB Brooks Ellis
  • S Rohan Gaines
  • TE AJ Derby
  • CB Tevin Mitchel
  • WR Jared Cornelius

Keys for Arkansas

  • Dominate the line of scrimmage. So far this season, the line of scrimmage has been generally won by both Arkansas offense and defensive lines. That needs continue tonight for the Hogs. As big as the offensive line is, that should be no problem when the Hogs are on offense, but the defensive line absolutely needs to be disruptive in the NIU backfield. Darius Philon and Bijhon Jackson are two guys that should play well today.
  • Take care of business. NIU definitely qualifies as a trap game for the Hogs, coming off a big win against Texas Tech last week and another huge game against Texas A&M next week. It’s important that Arkansas doesn’t have a letdown this afternoon. Not only do good football teams avoid those kinds of letdowns, but NIU has the talent to make Arkansas pay if the game stays close throughout.
  • Let Brandon Allen throw it. Against a struggling NIU pass defense, this is the ideal game for the Hogs to let Brandon Allen air it out. He’s got the weapons on the outside in Keon Hatcher and Jared Cornelius and with AJ Derby and Hunter Henry as reliable options at tight end. If Allen can prove he can move the ball down the field, it’ll certainly make things tougher on Arkansas’ next opponent, Texas A&M, when game planning for their upcoming game against the Razorbacks.

Glaring weakness to watch: Secondary against WR Da’Ron Brown. The Huskies senior receiver is their only real receiving threat. I fully expect Tevin Mitchel to be covering him, so the Hogs shouldn’t have too tough of a time covering the NIU playmaker. But they can’t relax for a second because Brown’s numbers clearly suggest he’ll burn defenses deep when given the opportunity.

Most interesting part of this game: Arkansas ability to put the game away. Arkansas’ mission this year is to prove to the SEC they’re a team to be taken seriously. Well, here’s a chance for the Hogs to do just that. Good teams take care of business in these “trap games.” It’ll be interesting to see if Arkansas is able to impose its will against a less-talented team or if they’ll have a letdown and allow the Huskies to hang around.

Team buzz: There’s no question that Arkansas has the superior talent in this game and will once again lean heavily on their run game. If Brandon Allen and the Hogs’ passing game can get rolling this week, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the hype surrounding the Hogs increase as a possible upset to Texas A&M next week.