Auburn Keys To Victory Against Arkansas
Auburn travels to Fayetteville to take on the Razorbacks and is looking for one more win to enter bowl eligibility.
What are some of the ways that Auburn can leave the state of Arkansas with a win? Let's get into what the keys are for an Auburn victory.
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Keep Feeding Jarquez Hunter
Auburn has looked the best it has on offense during conference play in these last two games.
The reason why? The re-emergence of Jarquez Hunter. In his past two games, Hunter has accounted for 329 rushing yards, and 2 rushing touchdowns.
With the resurgence of Hunter in this Auburn offense, this offense has scored 27 points vs Mississippi State and 31 points vs Vanderbilt. Before that Auburn hadn't scored 27 points or more since week 3 vs Samford.
Auburn should be able to take advantage of an Arkansas defensive unit that ranks 50th in run defense allowing 137 yards per game.
Payton Thorne's Continued Play
Ever since the Auburn coaching staff stopped using the two-quarterback system Thorne has looked more comfortable in the Auburn offense.
In his past two games, Thorne has thrown for 424 yards, 5 touchdowns, to only 1 interception.
His improvement over the past two weeks isn't being talked about enough by the Auburn fanbase.
He has gotten the ball out of his hands quicker, he's made better progressions and has given his playmakers opportunities to make plays.
If he continues to play at this level Auburn can win out and finish with an 8-win season in Hugh Freeze's first year as the coach on the Plains.
Containing K.J. Jefferson
Auburn is going to have to keep Jefferson within the pocket and not let him extend drives with his legs.
Now that's easier said than done but Auburn defensive coordinator Ron Roberts has been great in year one as coordinator for the Tigers.
I fully expect Roberts to try and put the heat on Jefferson and make him make a mistake which the Auburn defense has been great at. Auburn leads the SEC in "havoc rate" and has 14 turnovers on the year which is the best in the SEC.
Auburn also boasts the best red zone defense in the SEC which could be a defining factor for this weekend's matchup. Holding teams when they get inside the 20-yard line has been huge for the Tigers all year long.
Summary
Auburn has an opportunity to lock in a bowl berth in Hugh Freeze's first season on the Plains. I expect that to show on Saturday with a complete performance from all three phases - offense, defense, and special teams.
Outside of the Florida game, Arkansas has been abysmal in SEC play only winning 1 game in the SEC. I expect that to show again against Auburn who has one of the best defenses in the SEC and has found rhythm on the offense.
Auburn VS Arkansas Score Prediction
Auburn 28 Arkansas 20
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