FAYETTEVILLE, AR (EETV) -- Without starting running back JaTarvious 'Boobee' Whitlow, head coach Gus Malzahn had to choose between a plethora of talented running backs.
Malzahn gave the starting nod to senior Kam Martin who made the most of his opportunity (more on that later).
The Auburn offense had seven touchdowns with four coming through the air and three on the ground. The balanced attack was needed as a daunting trip to Death Valley looms.
Defensive lineman Marlon Davidson had his best game of the year, leading the Tigers with two sacks and three tackles for loss. The Arkansas offensive line had no answer for the ferocious defensive line in Auburn's 51-10 win.
Let's take a look at some of the key takeaways from the game:
1. Running back depth
For the third time this season, Auburn had at least eight different ball carriers. Without starting running back Whitlow, Kam Martin was named the starter for the first time this season.
Martin finished with 10 carries and lead the team with 84 yards rushing.
D.J. Williams led the team with 11 carries and finished with 48 yards on the ground. Williams, with a "bowling ball" type body frame, is a perfect complement to Martin.
"DJ came in and you can see he's a pretty good load," Malzahn said. "He can break tackles, and he falls forward."
There were three different players who scored on the ground: Bo Nix, Shaun Shivers and Harold Joiner.
The latter of the three rushed for a career-high 59 yards. Which included a 32-yard touchdown run to put the finishing touches on an impressive offensive performance from the Tigers.
"Harold Joiner, you saw, kinda has something too," Malzahn said. "He's a big guy."
2. Defensive dominance
For the second straight game, Auburn forced four turnovers. The Tigers came into the game tied for dead last in the country in interceptions, a whole whopping one.
Auburn doubled their interception totals, coming away with two for the game.
Defensive lineman Marlon Davidson had his best game of the season, leading the Tigers with two sacks, three tackles for loss and one fumble recovery.
"Marlon is an impact player," Malzahn said. "He's a real football player, plays the run well, plays the pass well and he played very well."
Auburn gave up only 52 yards rushing and 234 in total. The Tigers now rank 16th in points allowed (17.1) and 12th in rushing yards allowed (94.3).
Auburn started the game not allowing a single first down on Arkansas' first four drives, and held the Razorbacks to 4-of-17 on third down conversions.
The Tigers are No. 1 in the SEC in allowing the least amount of third down conversions on the year, with opposing teams converting 29.8 percent of third downs against this stout defense.
3. Offensive line improvement
Auburn's offensive line was a huge talking point coming into the 2019 season and for good reason. Last year, the offensive line gave up 1.9 sacks per game which was tied for 49th in the country. In 2017 the Tigers ranked 100th in that category, giving up 2.57 sacks a game.
This year, however, the offensive line is giving up 1.4 sacks per game, tied for 32nd in the country. There has been steady improvement with this unit, a unit that starts five seniors.
Giving up sacks is not the only metric used to judge an offensive line. The big-uglies in the trenches have done a great job getting separation from the opposing defensive lineman.
The push that the offensive line is getting has lead to open running lanes for an Auburn team that is averaging 239.6 yards rushing a game which ranks 11th in the country.
The senior experience has certainly played a part in their development.
4. Up next
Auburn will go on the road to face LSU in Death Valley where they have not won in 20 years. After the win, Malzahn echoed the fact that it's hard to win on the road.
"Twenty years? That's a long time... It's hard to win on the road in this league," Malzahn said. "We'll get back to Auburn and I'll flip the switch."
The game can be seen this Saturday on CBS at 2:30 p.m.
