FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – For the Auburn Tigers, a rainy day has never felt so Pleasant.
Rayshawn Pleasant intercepted two fourth-quarter passes, returning the first for a go-ahead touchdown and securing Auburn’s 33-24 victory with his second on a soggy Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
“I don’t think anybody can question the effort and passion they show,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said. “What they did today on the road in this league continues to speak volumes for their character.”
Alex McPherson kicked a career-high six field goals, the Tigers forced four turnovers in the final 15 minutes and outscored Arkansas 17-0 in the fourth quarter to earn their first SEC victory.
“They affected the quarterback and it made a difference,” Freeze said. “Defensively, they’ve been so consistent all year. It’s really good to see them get those turnovers.”
Trailing 21-10 at the half, the Tigers turned to quarterback Ashton Daniels, who made his Auburn debut.
“Poise, maturity, confidence,” Freeze said of Daniels, who completed 6 of 8 passes for 77 yards and rushed seven times for 35 yards. “He gave us a little spark and I was really happy to see that.”
After Pleasant returned the opening kick of ther second half 49 yards, Jeremiah Cobb rushed for 20 yards on the next play, going over the 100-yard mark on the drive for the second straight game and the fourth time this season, finishing with career highs of 28 carries and 153 yards.
Auburn advanced to the Razorbacks’ 4-yard line but had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by McPherson, trimming Arkansas’ lead to 21-13.
Auburn’s defense forced a three-and-out, then Justin Jones blocked the Razorbacks’ punt, giving the Tigers excellent field position at the Arkansas 43-yard line.
Daniels rushed for 15 yards to set up McPheron’s 43-yard field goal, pulling the Tigers within one score at 21-16 with 5:05 left in the third quarter.
Arkansas answered with a 27-yard field goal after a 50-yard completion to lead 24-16 with 57 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
On the last play of the quarter, Daniels connected with Eric Singleton Jr. for a 48-yard gain to the Razorbacks’ 25-yard line.
For the third time in the second half, Auburn’s drive ended short of the goal line, leading to McPherson’s career-best fourth field goal, a 26-yarder, cutting the Razorbacks’ lead to 24-19 with 12:03 to play.
After showing blitz, Auburn dropped eight in pass coverage, with Pleasant intercepting Taylen Green’s pass and returning it 49 yards for a pick-six that gave Auburn a 27-24 lead with 9:15 remaining.
“When Coach Durkin made the call, I already knew what was fixing to go down,” Pleasant said. “I’ve seen that play on film a thousand times during my film study during the week. I’m grateful and blessed. He made the right call at the right time. It was up to me to go make the play and I made the play.”
Xavier Atkins punctuated his otherworldly performance by forcing a fumble after an Arkansas completion that Sylvester Smith recovered and returned 23 yards, setting up McPherson’s 47-yard field goal, his fifth of the game, giving Auburn a 30-24 lead with 6:23 to play.
Atkins led Auburn with 13 tackles, two sacks, four tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
Needing a touchdown to take the lead, Arkansas went to the air, but Pleasant was there again, picking off Green at Auburn’s 45 and returning it 17 yards, setting up McPherson’s final field goal, a 37-yarder with 1:06 to play.
“I couldn’t be happier for him,” Freeze said of McPherson’s career day.
Arkansas elected to receive after winning the toss, a decision that backfired for the Razorbacks when Bobby Jamison-Travis tackled Mike Washington for a 3-yard loss on fourth down at Auburn’s 33-yard line.
The Tigers converted on fourth-and-1 from their own 42, picking up 14 yards on Cobb’s run up the middle.
Scoring on its first possession for the third straight game, Auburn then took a 7-0 lead on Cam Coleman’s spectacular one-handed 23-yard touchdown catch on a well-placed pass from Jackson Arnold midway through the first quarter.
“I think he and Eric Singleton both ought to be on top 10 of SportsCenter catches tonight,” Freeze said.
Atkins ended Arkansas’ second possession with his sixth sack of the season, knocking the Razorbacks out of field goal range.
Pinned at its own 6-yard line after a short Arkansas punt, Auburn put together a 15-play, 76-yard drive, taking a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter on McPherson’s 36-yard field goal with 12:05 remaining in the first half.
The Razorbacks responded with a 58-yard catch-and-run from Green to Raylen Sharpe, trimming the Tigers’ lead to 10-7.
After Auburn went three-and-out, Arkansas quickly capitalized, opening the drive with a 36-yard pass and taking a 14-10 lead on Braylen Russell’s 2-yard touchdown run with 5:24 to play in the half.
With a chance to regain the lead before the half, Cobb opened the drive with a 19-yard run, adding two more 10-yard gains to help the Tigers reach the Razorbacks’ 15-yard line.
After eight consecutive rushes gained 60 yards, disaster struck when Kani Walker intercepted Arnold’s pass and returned it 89 yards for a pick-six that gave Arkansas a 21-10 halftime lead.
The Tigers (4-4, 1-4) return to Jordan-Hare Stadium next Saturday to host Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network.
“It’s time for us to give Jordan-Hare some excitement,” Freeze said. “We’ll get ready for that and look forward to it.”
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer