Auburn Tigers quarterback Jackson Arnold (11) warms up earlier than Auburn Tigers tackle Missouri Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. Arkansas and Auburn are comparable in quite a few methods. None of them are fascinating for the respective packages.
Each groups had sturdy begins to the yr. Auburn received its first three video games and Arkansas received its first two. Since then, the Tigers (3-4, 0-4 Southeastern Convention) have dropped 4 straight and are averaging simply 23.6 factors and 335 yards per sport, fourth-worst and second-worst within the SEC, respectively.
Arkansas (2-5, 0-3) has misplaced 5 in a row and has the worst protection within the league in each scoring (32.7) and complete yardage (443.9).
Forward of the matchup on Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark., one obtrusive distinction is that the Razorbacks have fired their head coach, whereas Auburn hasn’t — but.
Three of the Tigers’ 4 straight defeats have come by one rating, most lately a 23-17 double-overtime residence loss to Missouri. Skating on skinny ice, coach Hugh Freeze addressed what it could imply to obtain a press release of help from athletic director John Cohen.
“It will be big. That may make everybody really feel loads higher, for positive,” Freeze stated. “I understand how shut we’re, and I do know I can get this mounted. I would like an opportunity to repair this. … I feel we match the Auburn tradition. I feel the expertise degree has modified. Sadly, we simply have not gotten over the hump in a really tough stretch of video games, however I imagine that is coming very, very quickly.”
On the sector, Jackson Arnold has thrown for 1,190 yards — 14th within the SEC — and hasn’t handed for a landing since Sept. 20. Freeze continues to be dedicated to Arnold as a starter however left the door open for Stanford switch Ashton Daniels to seem down the stretch.
“We’re going to play to win,” Freeze stated. “(Ashton) is ready to play the previous couple of, however it’s actually arduous to complain about (Arnold) within the first half of the final two video games. We now have to get that consistency all through the sport or we’ve to go discover a spark.”
The Razorbacks’ issues have not been on the QB place. Taylen Inexperienced’s 17 passing touchdowns and 1,910 yards rank second and third within the SEC, respectively.
For interim head coach Bobby Petrino — who took over for the fired Sam Pittman on Sept. 28 — the high-octane offense has to proceed towards a formidable Auburn entrance.
“(Auburn) does an important job of their schemes and what they do,” Petrino stated. “It should be an important problem for our offense. We have got to have the ability to run the soccer and be affected person, keep away from third-and-long. I feel we’ve to be environment friendly. We now have to essentially be environment friendly on first down.”
–Area Stage Media
