Razorback sophomore running back Raheim Sanders (#5) from Rockledge, FL looks for a hole to hit against Alabama at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

By Otis Kirk

FAYETTEVILLE -- After both teams enjoyed a bye week, Arkansas and Auburn are now ready to begin a five-game stretch to end the regular season.

Arkansas (4-3, 1-3) and Auburn (3-4, 1-3) are tied with Texas A&M at the bottom of the SEC West standings. Sam Pittman feels he has a team in good physical shape heading for this key SEC game.

"Well, we’re certainly excited to go to Auburn," Pittman said. "A really fine football team, well coached, and they play extremely hard. We used the bye week trying to get healthy. We feel like we’re about as healthy as we’ve been since the beginning of the year and we’re looking forward to a great crowd there at Auburn and a fine football team."

Pittman pointed to three Auburn players he's concerned about heading into the game. Quarterback Robby Ashford and running backs Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter.

"They’re running the ball really well," Pittman said. "Obviously the biggest concern is Bigsby and Hunter. They’re really good players. And then you go back to Ashford. You know we haven’t seen a whole lot of running quarterbacks this year and with him being a dual threat quarterback, that creates a lot of problems for us. They’re big and physical up front. They look like an SEC team. Their receivers are tall. Those are the things. They run the ball extremely well, have great tailbacks with their quarterback being a dual threat, that certainly creates a new problem that we haven’t had for a while (Jalen Milroe)."

Ashford has completed 67 of 140 passes for 1,014 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. He's second on the team in rushing with 74 carries for 310 yards and three touchdowns. Bigsby leads the team in rushing with 99 carries for 524 yards and six touchdowns. He has caught 15 passes for 97 yards. Hunter has 49 carries for 239 yards and four touchdowns. He has caught nine passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns.

It's no secret Arkansas' banged-up defense has had issues stopping teams. Auburn is averaging 22.3 points and 377.7 yards per game. Bryan Harsin, like Pittman, feels his team benefitted from the bye week.

"The bye has helped us," Harsin said. "We had a good practice on Sunday. I thought we came out yesterday and the guys were working hard. We’re looking forward to being back at home. It’s been a month since we played at home. It seems like the energy is there, and we’re getting a few guys back and trying to heal up some of those injuries and some of the bumps and bruises from the season. Hopefully that week has helped us and we continue to build on that this week."

While Auburn has lost four games. Each time they lost the team that beat them was ranked. Penn State beat them 41-12, LSU 21-17, Georgia 42-10 and Ole Miss 48-34. Pittman was impressed how the Tigers responded to a big deficit early against Ole Miss only to come back and make it a competitive game.

"Yeah, you know, in all honesty, you don’t really look at a team’s record," Pittman said. "You just look at the team on film and Auburn’s very scary. I think they’re very talented on both sides of the ball. A lot of times it depends on when you get those teams — if you get them early in the season or you get them on the back end or whatever. You can make a run and you get these top-10 teams later in the year, things of that nature.

"But we look at the team and their team is scary because they’ve got a lot of talent and they play extremely hard. Being on the road, too, makes it even that much harder because Jordan-Hare is a tough place to play and I’ve been in there several, several times. We don’t really look at the record, but we do look at the team and I think they’re a really good football team."

While Pittman is concerned about Auburn's offense Harsin is feeling the same about the Hogs. Arkansas rolled up 644 yards of total offense in its win over BYU. That included KJ Jefferson passing for 367 yards and five touchdowns. Rocket Sanders rushed 15 times for 175 yards and two touchdowns.

"The biggest challenge is they’re really good," Harsin said. "There’s the tailback, the quarterback, the wide receivers. I think their O-line from what I’ve seen, they do a lot of really good things up front and they’re well coached. And the tempo of their offense too. They’ve got creativity. I think (Kendal) Briles does a really good job with what they do on the offensive side.

"The balance of the run game with the QB, the backs, the sweeps, different ways they get guys the ball. And every week it’s a little different. I think the creativity they bring you’ve got to know your assignments. And then they have really good players to get the ball to, and then from that the pass game opens up and they try to keep that balance pretty consistent. I just think overall they’ve got a good system. They’ve got good players, and then they utilize them well."

With the bye week, Harsin wouldn't be surprised to see Briles add a few things to the Arkansas offense.

"They’ve got different wrinkles every week," Harsin said. "Certainly coming off a bye week they’ve had a chance to get some guys healed up, and then they’re probably going to have some things they look at, and maybe they come out in a little different package. So there’s going to be some things we’ve got to be ready for that they’ve had a little longer time to work on. 

"Same with us. We had a bye week as well, so the matchup that way with two teams having a bye week, is going to be the challenge in the game for both sides. Getting some guys back and some of the new wrinkles that both sides come up with at game."

Sanders leads the SEC with 140 carries for 870 yards and seven touchdowns. He has also caught 15 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown. Harsin is impressed with Sanders.

"Well, I think, one, he's having a big year, and he's a really good player," Harsin said. "I think he's explosive, and he runs hard. From what I've seen, I think he's got really good vision, and he's one of those guys that he's not a guy that usually goes down on the first tackle. So in order to slow him down, you've got to get multiple players to the ball because he runs hard.

"And so that's the challenge there, is getting him, get him one-on-one, you've got to be ready to make that open-field tackle, and you've got to be ready to tackle a guy that's really trying to make it really difficult on you to get him down. And then you've got to get other guys to the ball to have success against him consistently. And then he's also a weapon in the pass game and in other areas as well. He's just overall just a really good football player. and he seems to make things happen when the ball is in his hands, and they try to get him the ball."

Pittman's lone trip to Jordan-Hare as head coach was in 2020 when Auburn escaped with a 30-28 victory benefitting from a very strange call late in the game. Pittman of course has been to the stadium as an assistant coach as well.

"Well, it’s a great place to play," Pittman said. "I think it’s a huge home field advantage for Auburn, just like Razorback Stadium is for us, but it’s a huge advantage for them. I can’t say that I was disappointed that we got an 11 o’clock game. I would much rather have an 11 o’clock than a 7 o’clock. They’re a proud program, I’m sure they’ll have a lot of people there and very loud.

"We cranked it up just a little bit more noise-wise, decibel-wise and things of that nature this week to prepare for it. It starts with the band. That band’s on the field. They won’t get out of your way. You can’t get through them to get onto pregame warmups and all that kind of stuff. It’s a special place and certainly we’re going to have to be ready for that. You’re right, two years ago, I don’t know what there was — 17, 18, 19 thousand people — certainly it’ll be different and hopefully we’ll be prepared for it. We’re certainly working on it."

Arkansas and Auburn will kick off at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.