GAME NOTES: SEC foes collide in Fayetteville this weekend as the Arkansas Razorbacks host the 17th-ranked Auburn Tigers, new additions to the AP Top-25.
The Gene Chizik era is off to a tremendous start, as his Auburn team is a perfect 5-0 to date. Last weekend, the Tigers moved to 2-0 in SEC action with a 26-22 triumph over Tennessee on the road. Prior to that 26-point showing, Auburn had posted at least 37 points in every other outing.
As for Arkansas, it carries a modest 2-2 record into this weekend's contest and is still in search of its first conference victory. The Razorbacks did manage to halt a two-game overall skid last weekend with a 47-19 thrashing of a previously unbeaten Texas A&M team. Still, coach Bobby Petrino knows that his Arkansas club must knock off Auburn to remain relevant in the nation's top league.
Auburn holds a 10-7-1 advantage in the all-time series with Arkansas, but the Razorbacks posted a 25-22 victory in the most recent meeting last season.
Auburn has recorded five straight games of 400 or more yards of offense for the first time since the 1994 season. The club boasts two of the top five rushers in the SEC in Ben Tate (108.0 ypg) and Onterio McCalebb (83.2 ypg). The vaunted ground attack accounts for 253.8 ypg and 5.4 yards per attempt, but a potent passing attack is also worthy of mention. Quarterback Chris Todd is a major reason that the Tigers are scoring 41.4 ppg, as he has completed 58.7 percent of his passes for 1,230 yards with 12 touchdowns and only one interception. Darvin Adams is the man to watch on the outside, as he has made 22 grabs for 363 yards and five scores.
Coach Chizik previously served as the defensive coordinator at Auburn, and he would obviously like to see some improvement defensively for the Tigers. Sure, the team's 344.2 total ypg allowed is not a horrendous figure, but foes are scoring 23.8 ppg against Auburn, and that number could undoubtedly stand some improvement. With 13 takeaways in five outings, the Tigers have made their share of big plays. Craig Stevens and Josh Bynes are currently tied for the team lead with 43 total tackles apiece, and eight different players have registered an interception for the club.
In the victory over Tennessee last time out, Auburn achieved tremendous offensive balance once again, as it posted 224 rushing yards and 235 passing yards. Tate ran for 128 yards and a touchdown, and Todd played interception- free football. Defensively, the Tigers did yield 410 total yards, including 5.2 yards per rushing attempt and 12.9 yards per pass completion. The win was a bit too close for comfort, but it is hard to complain about a road victory over an SEC team.
"There are not going to be any easy ones in the SEC," said coach Chizik. "All of our SEC games are going to be tough. We have to be well-prepared and be prepared to win them in different ways."
Arkansas rolled up 434 total yards last weekend and five offensive touchdowns to defeat Texas A&M. Quarterback Ryan Mallett completed 17-of-27 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns against only one interception. Many players made solid contributions offensively as both runners and receivers, preventing the Aggies from keying on any one or two performers.
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