3 reasons Arkansas is the perfect remedy for all that ails Auburn
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The Auburn Tigers have a bye next weekend, but first, they need to get past the Arkansas Razorbacks in order to enter the off week on a positive note.
Coming off a disappointing collapse against LSU last weekend, coach Gus Malzahn’s crew needs something to go right on Saturday night in Fayetteville to build some momentum.
Fortunately for the Tigers, the Razorbacks have quickly become a mess this season, sporting a 2-4 overall record and allowing at least 40 points to each of the three SEC teams they have faced.
Therefore, Saturday night’s game could be just what the doctor ordered for the Tigers. Here are three reasons Auburn is catching Arkansas at the perfect time:
QB Jarrett Stidham will get back on track
Stidham had an impressive completion percentage heading into the LSU game, but then connected on only 9 of his 26 throws in the loss.
While Arkansas is allowing just over 200 yards per game through the air, the Hogs aren’t exactly keeping opposing quarterbacks in check, allowing completions on 57.1 percent of passes.
Efficiency is the name of Stidham’s game, so he should be able to get back on track against the Razorbacks’ porous defense.
Arkansas is also allowing 173 rushing yards per game, so Stidham should be able to get some big plays off of play-action passes, too.
Barring some major change, Auburn’s offense should have no trouble racking up points against Arkansas, which should only help Stidham’s confidence heading into the bye week.
OC Chip Lindsey will get to tweak his play-calling
Last weekend, Auburn went ahead 20-0 before collapsing in the second half, thanks in large part to first-year coordinator Chip Lindsey’s uninspired play-calling.
Lindsey dialed up 17 straight first-down runs in the second half — many of which were straightforward handoffs to star RB Kerryon Johnson.
Yes, Johnson has been a huge part of Auburn’s success this year, but even he can’t succeed when everyone knows what’s coming.
Calling plays with a lead isn’t easy, but Auburn is likely to have another advantage early in Saturday’s game against the struggling Razorbacks, so Lindsey will have do a much better job dialing up plays in the second half.
Gus Malzahn can ease some tensions
After last week’s collapse at LSU, Malzahn’s seat got a whole lot hotter. Outside of a national championship game appearance in his first year at the helm of the program in 2013, Malzahn’s Auburn teams have made a habit out of losing games they should win.
No SEC road game is ever easy, but Arkansas is a mess right now and coach Bret Bielema is facing his fair share of criticism as well.
It would be foolish to expect this year’s Tigers to match the 56-3 beatdown they put on Arkansas last year, but another lopsided victory would make for a more peaceful bye week in Auburn.
Although, if the Tigers go up big early on Saturday night, you can bet fans will be watching closely to see how Malzahn and his staff handle it differently this time around.
Saturday night’s game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. CT and can be seen on the SEC Network.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
