RazorBacks Try To Make Kittens Out Of Auburn's Tigers  

---

Arkansas (2-3) at (20) Auburn (4-2)

Saturday, October 11th, 5:00 p.m. (et)

By Pat Taggart, Associate College Football Editor

GAME NOTES: The struggling Arkansas Razorbacks are set to do battle with 20th- ranked Auburn, a team fresh off a heart-breaking defeat.

Arkansas opened the season with narrow victories over a pair of week non- conference foes, causing many fans and analysts to think that the team may be in for a rough season under first-year head coach Bobby Petrino. Considering that the Hogs have been blown out in three straight outings to fall to 2-3, those thoughts have proven to be prophetic. The Razorbacks have lost to Alabama, Texas and Florida by a combined score of 139-31, and many of the Fayetteville faithful are questioning wether or not the right man was hired to lead the program.

As for Auburn, it is 9-1 over the past five seasons following a loss. That is good news considering that the team is coming off a 14-13 setback to nationally-ranked Vanderbilt. At 2-2 in SEC play, Tommy Tuberville's squad simply can't afford another loss if it hopes to stay in the race for the league title.

Auburn holds a 10-6 lead in the all-time series with Arkansas, including a 9-7 victory in last season's meeting.

Arkansas is only averaging 17.4 ppg this season, and the offense is generating 352.2 total ypg. The Razorbacks have 11 offensive touchdowns in five games, and fans are yearning for the days when Darren McFadden and Felix Jones lit up the scoreboard for the Hogs. Casey Dick has taken the majority of snaps for Arkansas, and he has completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 1,189 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions. D.J. Williams has caught 25 passes for 291 yards and two scores to pace the receivers, while Michael Smith leads the backfield with 423 yards and three touchdowns.

Smith ran for 133 yard on 20 carries in last weekend's 38-7 loss to Florida, and the tailback scored his team's only touchdown on a six-yard run. Arkansas finished with 351 total yards, but almost every drive stalled. "We improved from last week to this week in practice and in the game," said Dick after the loss. Clearly, there is much more improving to do.

The Razorbacks have allowed 22 touchdowns to opposing offenses thus far. They are yielding 38.0 ppg and 388.0 total ypg, numbers that can clearly stand some improvement. Foes are generating 5.3 rushing yards per attempt and 11.4 yards per pass completion against the Hogs, who have struggled mightily against both means of attack. The top defensive performer for Arkansas is Jerry Franklin, who has recorded 42 tackles to go with an interception and a forced fumble. Unfortunately, the Razorbacks have not made nearly enough big plays on defense. To be specific, only five sacks and two interceptions have been registered to date.

Florida was able to rack up 462 total yards last weekend against Arkansas, which allowed over 200 yards on the ground and through the air. "I think that the defense did well," said Petrino after the game. "They put us in a situation to have an opportunity to win." Not quite sure what game the coach was watching, but the stats seem to contradict his assessment.

The Tigers attempted to utilize the spread option through the first five games of this season, but after seeing little production, head coach Tommy Tuberville decided to ditch that new philosophy. Unfortunately, the offense struggled once again in the narrow loss to Vanderbilt. Chris Todd threw a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes, but the offense was then shut out over the final three periods. Auburn was limited to 208 total yards in the clash

Overall this season, Auburn is generating a mere 18.7 ppg while gaining 309.2 total ypg. With 10 offensive touchdowns in six games, the lack of scoring punch is obvious. Todd has taken the vast majority of snaps, and he has been mediocre at best. The fact of the matter is that Auburn was always a power running team, but even 44 carries didn't yield positive results against Vanderbilt. "Our protection broke down when we were throwing the ball," said coach Tuberville. "When you can't run the ball, you can't slow them down. In the second half, they got us on our heels and started bringing people and we didn't have time to get it off." It is hard to believe that the Tigers are one of the nation's worst offensive teams, but that is indeed the case.

Auburn is tied for second nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 11.2 ppg. The Tigers have held five of their first six opponents to 14 points or less, which is only the second time since 1988 that they have achieved that feat. Furthermore, Auburn ranks seventh nationally in total defense (248.8), 13th against the pass (154.3) and 14th against the run (94.5). The club leads the nation in opponents' third-down conversion percentage, surrendering just 17 first downs in 93 attempts (.183). One player to keep an eye on is Sen'Derrick Marks, who leads the SEC with eight TFLs. Antonio Coleman has four sacks, and he teams with Marks to form a dynamic duo.

Auburn held Vanderbilt to 263 total yards and 14 points last weekend. The play against both the run and the pass was solid, but the Tigers only managed one sack and one takeaway in the clash.

Expect Auburn to get a much-needed victory this weekend over an Arkansas team that may not win an SEC game this season. The Tigers may be able to break out offensively on Saturday.

Predicted Outcome: Auburn 31, Arkansas 13

Web Producer- Brett Haas
Copyright 2008 WAAYTV.com, The Sports Network contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

THE MOST RECENT REPORTS  

---

Preview: Mississippi State vs. Arkansas  

Arkansas Holds On For 30-23 Win  

Can Razorbacks Break Unbeaten Tulsa's Streak  

Arkansas Host Rebels  

Kentucky Comes From Behind to Defeat Arkansas  

Razorbacks Take To The Road Against Wildcats  

Razorbacks Tame Tigers  

RazorBacks Try To Make Kittens Out Of Auburn's Tigers  

Texas skins Hogs  

more>>