Auburn football schedule analysis: Grading the Arkansas Razorbacks

Here's an early look at Auburn's matchup with Arkansas.

Auburn takes on the Arkansas Razorbacks following a bye week on October 22nd.

The Hogs (9-4, 4-4 SEC in 2021) are on the rise underneath third-year coach Sam Pittman and will look to exact revenge after falling 38-23 at home to the Tigers last year. While there is some retooling to be done on both sides of the ball following an impressive 2021 season, the Razorbacks seem ready to challenge the SEC West once again.

In this matchup with the Tigers in particular, however, timing is everything.

No Arkansas matchup preview past week four of the 2022 season can be discussed without acknowledging the road traveled and the road ahead for Sam Pittman & Co. According to ESPN FPI, the Hogs have the 12th most difficult schedule in the country.

Following a week three matchup with Missouri State, here is what Arkansas' schedule looks like before they play Auburn:

Sept. 24th vs Texas A&M (Arlington, TX)

Oct. 1st vs Alabama

Oct. 8th at Mississippi State

Oct. 15th at BYU

Oct. 22nd - BYE WEEK -

Oct. 29th at Auburn

That stretch is ridiculous.

It does not include the two opening games of the season vs Cincinnati (a playoff team last season) and South Carolina. Someone please explain the logic behind scheduling a road trip to BYU (a 10-3 team in 2021 that brings back 18 combined starters) in the middle of the season.

Arkansas has talent, and in any other conference would be a division contender or potentially a playoff team (looking at you, Pac 12 and Big 12). However, life in the SEC West is tough. It will be a serious surprise if the Razorbacks make it to Jordan-Hare without either some amount of injury or some serious record blemishes.

So, what talent will the Hogs be working with? Here's a breakdown of the team by each position.

Quarterback: B+

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KJ Jefferson had the 35th best PFF grade out of Division I quarterbacks in 2021, and returns to the Hogs in 2022 as one of the better signal-callers in the SEC.

Jefferson completed 67.3% of his passes for 2,676 yards and 21 touchdowns to only four interceptions. On top of his efficiency in the passing game, Jefferson was a great runner as well, putting up a team-leading 664 rushing yards  and six touchdowns.

KJ is the most important cog in the machine. Everything starts and ends with his ability to keep defenses on their toes.

Running Back: B+

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Arkansas ran by committee last season, and the Hogs are deep enough to do so again this year. Raheim "Rocket" Sanders led the way with 578 rushing yards (5.1 YPC, five touchdowns), but Dominique Johnson (575 yards, seven touchdowns) and AJ Green (227 yards, one touchdown) will play a part in the backfield as well.

The Hogs liked to rotate their personnel out a lot last season, and regardless of who's standing in the backfield behind KJ Jefferson, the ground game should still be potent. The Hogs finished seventh nationally in rushing yards per game last year (227.8) and will push for a top ten finish again this year. This is one of the strongest units on the team.

Wide Receiver: C+

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The absence of Treylon Burks is going to loom large over this team. Burks collected over 1,100 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns and was Arkansas' best man-to-man matchup on the outside.

Warren Thompson (304 yards, two touchdowns) and Trey Knox (141 yards one touchdown) will be joined by Oklahoma transfer Jadon Haselwood in a very tall and quick receiver room.

The athletic upside of this group is absolutely there, but how KJ Jefferson transitions without Burks will be interesting to see.

Offensive Line: B+

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Four starters return on the o-line for Arkansas. All of them had a PFF grade of 70 or better and had really solid run blocking numbers.

Every projected starter is an upperclassman. After leading the SEC in rushing a season ago, it's fair to say this is one of the better lines in the conference based on experience alone. Cleaning up pass protection is a concern. Arkansas allowed 30 sacks last year, 80th nationally.

Offensive outlook vs Auburn:

Last season the Hogs racked up 460 yards of total offense... and came away with 23 points. Arkansas had more yards, first downs, time of possession, converted third downs. The problem? They were 0-3 on third down and allowed a defensive touchdown.

If the Razorbacks can clean up some of the mistakes they made in last years contest, they should be in a similar position this season. They've got most of their personnel back, and their identity is clear: they want to aggressively attack defenses with RPO action, control pace, and throw the ball deep when the opportunity arises.

232 rushing yards is what Arkansas totaled vs Auburn in 2021. Because of the question marks in the receiver room, 232 might be the number Auburn has to watch this year. Contain KJ Jefferson, bend but don't break, and the Tigers should have a shot to win.

There's plenty of opportunity for this game to get out of hand for either side.

Defensive Line: C+

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Run-stopper John Ridgeway and sack leader Tre Williams (6.0 sacks) are gone. There's still plenty of veteran talent to go around with Eric Gregory (27 tackles), Isaiah Nichols (21 tackles), Zach Williams (23 tackles) and Taurean Carter (24 tackles) will all rotate along the line this season. Getting more pressure from the unit will be important after finishing 13th in the SEC in sacks last season (25).

This was the projected weakness of the defense heading into 2021, and it's the assumed area of concern for this year's squad as well.

Linebackers: B

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Grant Morgan's 101 tackles from last season are gone, but Bumper Pool's 125 return. This unit was depended on almost too much last season, but Arkansas didn't break often and did a decent job of keeping runs from getting past the second level. Pool will be joined by former five-star Drew Sanders, who transferred in from Alabama.

Defensive Backs: B+

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Four starters return, and one transfer stepped in. Myles Slusher (50 tackle, two interceptions), and Hudson Clark (22 tackles) will hold it down at corner and nickel with LSU transfer Dwight McGlothern competing with LaDarrius Bishop (15 tackles) for the second corner spot.

Defensive coordinator Barry Odom did a good job of improving an Arkansas secondary that was very questionable before his arrival. 214.2 passing yards per game is what the Hogs allowed in 2021, and if they can get similar production this year, it may determine if they're able to replicate last year's perceived overachievement of nine wins.

Special Teams: B+

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Kicker Cam Little made 20-of-24 field goal attempts last season and is back. Punter Reid Bauer averaged 43.2 yards per punt last season, and is the defending Mortell Award winner as the nation's best holder.

Defensive outlook vs Auburn:

Auburn couldn't run the ball effectively for the back half of the 2021 season, but the Arkansas game was the moment where it became clear that there was a major issue blocking up front. The Tigers ran the ball 35 times vs Arky, the fifth-most attempts they had all season. They came away with the fourth worst yards per carry (3.9).

Arkansas' defensive front isn't intimidating, but the Tigers have to find a way to get more of a push in this matchup. Nix was efficient through the air in 2021, and Auburn's gameplan was solid, but establishing a presence upfront at home against a mid-tier SEC defense (on paper) needs to happen.

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