Auburn Daily Roundtable: Tigers seeking bowl eligibility vs Arkansas

Auburn football is on the verge of becoming bowl eligible with a win over Arkansas this week.

That's a little easier said than done, however.

The Tigers (5-4, 2-4 SEC) are one win away from solidifying a trip to the postseason for the first time since 2021 - where they lost 17-13 to Houston in the Birmingham Bowl. It was an overall negative experience for a program about to find itself in a tailspin the following offseason.

Getting somewhere not named the Birmingham Bowl is currently on the docket for Hugh Freeze and the Tigers, who with a win this Saturday at Arkansas would be on pace for a better destination.

Arkansas has severely underperformed their expectation for the season, especially with the weapons they have at quarterback with KJ Jefferson and running back with Rocket Sanders.

It felt like the Hog's win over Florida had a significant impact on the outlook for this game on Saturday between the Tigers and the Razorbacks.

Auburn fans felt that if Arkansas had lost in the Swamp, this game would have taken the life out of the Hogs, but they got the big win.

Here are our thoughts on the Tigers' big matchup with the Razorbacks.

Auburn has held all but one of their SEC opponents underneath their scoring average. Do they do it against Arkansas (27.9 PPG)?

Lance: I think so. The Tigers' defense has done a great job of slowing things down in the redzone and creating takeaways this season. The Hogs are tied for second-worst in the SEC in turnovers lost. If Auburn can create turnovers and force possible touchdowns into field goals, they'll keep Arky under 28 points.

Daniel: Yes. Arkansas has struggled to score at times this season.

Joshua: Auburn has performed extremely well defensively this season so far, holding both Georgia and LSU below their season averages for points per game. I think this is something Auburn will continue to do and will hold the razorbacks to below 27.9 PPG.

Jeremy: Absolutely. I think under 28 is definitely doable for the Tigers defense Saturday.

In two games against Auburn, Jefferson has completed 62.7% of his passes and has 573 total yards of offense with 5 touchdowns. What do the Tigers have to do to get him out of his element?

Lance: Apply some pressure with their pass rushers. The Tigers have struggled this season to get home, but they ended up having great success against Vanderbilt. With the Hogs allowing four sacks a game, maybe last week's performance is something to build upon?

Daniel: Pass rush. Plain and simple.

Joshua: Auburn needs to apply consistent pressure on Jefferson throughout the game to keep him from getting into a rhythm. If they are capable of preventing that then Auburn's defense should be able to contain him.

Jeremy: They have to keep him from taking off and keeping the chains moving. Auburn needs to contain the run to stop KJ from having similar stats from the last two years.

Arkansas is in the top half of the league in rush and pass defense. Where does Auburn have more success this weekend?

Lance: On the ground, for sure. Auburn doesn't have the passing game they were hoping for this year, and although Payton Thorne has had two solid games in a row, I don't expect him to continue his upward trend against Arkansas.

Daniel: Through the air. Thorne has hit his stride and the receivers are starting to do the same.

Joshua: Considering the past two games Payton Thorne has been giving the most snaps under center, I feel that it is safe to say he is it going forward. Without the pressure of him having to look over his shoulder, I feel Auburn will have more success through the air. This is also because I think Arkansas will look to shut down the run game as much as possible.

Jeremy: On the ground. I like the way this offensive line has run blocked this year, and Jarquez Hunter has been taking over through explosive plays.

Who scores the first points of the game for Auburn?

Lance: I'll go with Jeremiah Cobb. The Tigers seem to feed him in the redzone.

Daniel: A TD run by Jarquez Hunter.

Joshua: I think with the quicker reads that Payton Thorne is being given from the play calling perspective, that we will see the first points being put on the board through the air by either Rivaldo Fairweather or Jay Fair.

Jeremy: Jarquez Hunter scored first last week, and he will again.

Is it a good or a bad thing that Payton Thorne has stepped into a more permanent role in Auburn's offense?

I think it's a good thing. Auburn's offense has lacked rhythm and consistency this season and sticking with one guy and working with him seems to have given the Tigers better results.

Daniel: It's a good thing. He appears to have figured things out.

Joshua: I think its a positive thing for the QB room as a whole to have a solidified starter. The "fire drill" style quick changes were not working for the offense.

Jeremy: Definitely good. The Robby experiment was a failure, and should have been put to bed earlier.

Final score predictions.

Lance: Auburn 23, Arkansas 26

Daniel: Auburn 20, Arkansas 17

Joshua: Auburn 28, Arkansas 14

Jeremy: Auburn 24, Arkansas 17

Recruiting pages to bookmark

2024 Auburn Tigers Commitment List and Evaluations

2025 Auburn Tigers Commitment List and Evaluations

Engage with Auburn Daily on Socials!

Join the Locked on Auburn Discord

Follow Auburn Daily on Twitter

Like Auburn Daily on Facebook

Subscribe to Locked On Auburn on YouTube