AUBURN, Ala. – Returning to Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time in nearly a month, Auburn will be well-rested when it clashes with Arkansas Saturday on Pat Dye Field.
Next Game:
Arkansas
Oct. 29, 2022
11 a.m. CT
TV: SEC Network
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
"The guys took advantage of the bye week, got healthy and had a good practice Sunday," said Auburn coach Bryan Harsin, whose record after open dates is 9-1 in 10 seasons as a head coach. "The energy, the enthusiasm and obviously the work we have got to put in this week all need to come together to have a great game at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
"That bye week came at a really good time for us because we had some guys that were banged up, so to get these guys back and in the mix this week will help us."
The Tigers hope to build on their highest point total since scoring 42 in the season opener. Auburn scored 34 points and rushed for 301 yards vs. Ole Miss but struggled to stop the run, an issue the team will work to correct in practice this week. The Razorbacks average 240 rushing yards per game, more than half of it courtesy of Raheim Sanders, the SEC's leading rusher at 124.3 yards per game.
"Arkansas' o-line is very good," Harsin said. "The run game, their quarterback and Sanders, they're really good players. You just keep working on getting better."
Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson has thrown 14 touchdown passes against only one interception while accounting for 301 yards per game of total offense (243.8 pass, 57.3 rush). Auburn's quarterbacks will look to create opportunities against an Arkansas defense that ranks No. 13 in the SEC in scoring (32.57 points) and total defense (457.71 yards).
"We're seeing growth in that room," Harsin said. "We're seeing guys getting better because practice has improved. The effort, the attitude, all the things that you need at that position to be better, are showing up out of practice. Ultimately, that needs to show up in the game and show up consistently through four quarters for us to do what we need to do."
Looking to add another victory to his stellar career record after open dates, Harsin and the Tigers (3-4, 1-3) host the Razorbacks Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network. Arkansas (4-3, 1-3) also returns after an open date.
"We have a lot of potential," Harsin said. "We have a long way to go, and we have a lot of potential to get there."
Three questions with TE John Samuel Shenker
Q: How important was the bye week to get rested and refreshed?
A: The bye week is always big just to get guys healthy. They've been banged up. We've had seven straight games. The health of the team was starting to deplete as most teams are at this point in the season. It was really good to refresh bodies as well as minds. I thought it was good to step away from the game for a few days, refresh the mind and just think about something else so we could start back fresh here this week.
Q: As a captain, how do you get that sense of urgency back for Arkansas?
A: The bye week came at a good time because it's really like a restart. You can restart the entire mindset of the team. We've got a five-game stretch, so it's really another season within a season. We have these five games. We know what we've made mistakes on. We know what the issues are. Now it's about just fixing those.
Q: What did you see from Robby Ashford at Ole Miss? Can this team build on that?
A: Absolutely. He used his athleticism really well in that game. Obviously, when we run the ball like that, a lot of good things can happen. It opens up a lot more and makes the defense respect a lot more. It was really good to see that. We want to build on that moving forward.
Inside the Series: Arkansas
Auburn leads 19-11-1 in the all-time series with Arkansas and has won the last six matchups. The current six-game win streak is the longest winning streak by either team in series history, and it's also Auburn's longest active win streak against an SEC opponent.
The Tigers have scored at least 30 points in nine straight games against the Razorbacks, including last year's 38-23 victory in Fayetteville. Through the first 25 games in the series, Auburn has outscored Arkansas by a total of just 633-629, an average differential of just 0.16 points per contest. The first 10 meetings (1984-2000) featured six games decided by six points or fewer, including one tie. Only three games were decided by 17 or more points.
In contrast, the last 21 games (2001-2021) of the series have featured 15 games decided by 15 points or more. During that span, the average margin of victory is 20.14 points per game.
This year, the two sides return to Jordan-Hare Stadium where Auburn leads 9-5-1.
By the Numbers
11: Junior tailback Tank Bigsby posted the second-highest rushing total of his career with 179 yards on 20 carries at Ole Miss, including TDs of 50 (career long) and two yards. He's now gone over 100 yards 11 times in his career, tied for ninth most in program history.
222: With a career-high 16 tackles at Ole Miss, senior linebacker Owen Pappoe now has 222 career tackles to his credit, 13th-best among all Auburn players since 2000. For the season, he ranks sixth in the SEC with 8.29 tackles per game.
394: Senior Anders Carlson moved into sixth among the SEC's career scoring leaders with 10 points at Ole Miss. Carlson, who now has 394 career points, passed Alabama's Leigh Tiffin (385, 2006-09). Next is Marshall Morgan, Georgia (407, 2012-15).
10: The 1972 Auburn football team won 10 games, including a win over in-state rival Alabama in the Punt Bama Punt game. The 1972 team, nicknamed "the Amazin's," will be recognized Saturday in what was is the 50th anniversary of that season.