Last Saturday’s effort by Arkansas was so bad, Auburn coach Hugh Freeze suffered from secondhand embarrassment. He wanted to open up a can of Stone Cold whoopings all through Razorback Stadium, but decided better of it.
"I don't mean this to sound any sort of way, but we could have put up a lot of numbers [against Arkansas],” Freeze said. “We started milking some clock."
Visits to Fayetteville have often been kind to Auburn over the past decade. Since 2013, the Tigers have scored 35, 46, 52, 51, 38 and 48 points against the Razorbacks, losing just once.
Perhaps the Razorbacks let go of the rope on Saturday, especially on the defensive side that has kept them in every game this season to this point. There was pride being presented each week. However, the dam broke and there was no Flex Seal to cover the leak. The 354 yards rushing Auburn ran for was reminiscent of the 2016 game on The Plains when they rushed for 543. If it weren’t for Freeze telling his team to hold off, things could’ve gotten even uglier.
Auburn would’ve had an opportunity to do anything they wanted and Arkansas wasn’t going to stop it. The world of football starts in the trenches and Freeze was pleased with both lines' ability to generate movement.
“I was the most pleased with [Auburn] dominating the trenches on offense and defense against Arkansas,” Freeze said.
The Tigers rushed for 23 first downs while only allowing 10. Arkansas had one of the best defenses in the SEC in terms of yards per play. However, the Razorbacks struggled to stop pretty much any play — allowing nearly seven yards per snap Saturday.
Setting the edges on defense to combat Auburn’s speed was probably in the game plan somewhere. That basic skill never made it to the field as the Razorbacks struggled to stop the Tiger offense each possession.
“We lost the edge a lot,” Pittman said. “Tackling wasn’t very good. We emphasized that.”
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