AUBURN, AL (EETV)- Although the Auburn football team celebrated a revitalizing win against New Mexico last week, fans find themselves asking: is this team ready for SEC play?
As the team prepares to give a warm Auburn welcome to the visiting Arkansas Razorbacks, sports media outlets nationwide have been buzzing about this matchup. Yahoo Sports lists Auburn with a 58.6% chance to win, which may as well be a coin flip in the eyes of most fans. It does not help that most outlets are split on picking a favorite in this matchup, leading to a general sense of uneasiness in the Auburn faithful.
These concerns are admittedly well-founded as Arkansas is shaping up to be a solid contender-- and not just to Auburn, but to the SEC as a whole. Despite the Hogs’ identical record to Auburn, their sole loss was admittedly much more well-fought.
The Razorbacks entered their game against Oklahoma State as 10-point underdogs, yet held a 21-7 lead at the half before eventually succumbing to the powerful Cowboys offense. Compared to Auburn’s loss to Cal, the Razorbacks' loss certainly appears to be more quality, though they’ve yet to have a matchup truly comparable to Auburn’s game against Cal.
Arkansas has no shortage of weapons, either; junior quarterback Taylen Green has accounted for over one thousand yards by himself in the past three games. On the other side of the ball, defensive tackle Cam Ball leads a stout Razorback run defense which, averaging less than 70 rushing yards allowed per game, will surely provide ample challenge for star Auburn back Jarquez Hunter.
That’s not to say Auburn is in any kind of rough shape coming into this matchup, though; in fact, the Tigers are looking stronger than ever. Thanks to the New Mexico game, redshirt freshman quarterback Hank Brown has had time to adjust to a true college playstyle, and though facing his first SEC defense could cause Brown some strain early on, he made his ability to overcome challenges, adversity, and adjust to defenses abundantly clear in the New Mexico game.
Freshman phenom receiver Cam Coleman is listed as questionable for Saturday’s matchup, and though this can be perceived as a massive hit to the Auburn offense, the stats do not lie; nine different receivers have scored for Auburn in three games, a feat nearly unheard of in SEC play.
Hank Brown will have targets no matter what, but if head coach Hugh Freeze decides Coleman is physically cleared, Brown will find himself with yet another powerful weapon to cut through a below-average Razorback pass defense.
Despite Arkansas boasting what appears to be a strong run defense, there is only so much they can protect against when it comes to dual-threat pass-catching back Jarquez Hunter. He has rushed for over 270 yards in three games, despite limited production in week one. Averaging a touchdown per game with seemingly no preference for ground or air, Hunter has thoroughly proven his ability to be a dangerous scorer and a threat to this supposedly strong Razorback defense.
By far, the biggest determining factor plaguing Auburn fans this week is their own defense. Auburn’s defense has proven its ability to show up in clutch situations, but many fans find themselves feeling as if the offense and defense just cannot show up on the same days- solely defense against Cal, solely offense against New Mexico. If Auburn is to win this demanding SEC matchup, both sides of the ball will need to be firing on all cylinders.
All eyes look to Jordan-Hare Stadium at 2:30 p.m. CT to see Auburn’s football team open SEC play against Arkansas.
