One Key Aspect That Needs To Go Right for Auburn Football to Beat Arkansas

The Auburn Tigers are at what could be a tipping point of an otherwise solid season– after a big-time win over No. 1 Georgia, the team has been beaten by 20 points or more in each of their last two matchups. Faith in Alex Golesh is still strong but is threatening to dwindle, and a loss to Arkansas this weekend could make it very difficult for the first-year head coach to win back the Auburn faithful before next season.

However, if the Tigers are able to take down the 10-point underdog Razorbacks, a win against Samford would see the program be bowl-eligible for the first time since 2023, a strong sign that things are trending in the right direction on the Plains.

So, what do the Tigers need to do to take down Ryan Silverfield, who has never lost in a head-to-head coaching matchup with Golesh? Let’s break it down.

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As simple as it may sound, few would argue that games like these are won and lost in the trenches, especially when the two teams rank as the two worst rushing defenses in the SEC (Auburn No. 16, Arkansas No. 15), and though the Tigers rank 11th in rushing offense, the Hogs fall all the way to the bottom of the list, averaging just 105 yards of rushing offense per game.

The Tigers have plenty of solid rushing talent– Jeremiah Cobb, Omar Mabson, Bryson Washington and, of course, Byrum Brown, who currently leads the team in rushing production– and utilizing those pieces well could be the difference between a strong win and a close matchup for the Tigers, who are currently averaging 152.63 rushing yards per game, despite the fact that Cobb, their RB1, has carried the ball just 12 times in the last two games with no injury designation.

Additionally, since the Razorbacks’ top receiver, Chris Marshall, will either be out or limited due to an injury, Silverfield will likely try to establish his offense through the run, so it will fall onto defensive tackle Cody Sigler along with the Tigers’ top-level linebacker room to make sure things don’t get out of hand.

A strong rushing performance against Arkansas could finally get the Tigers moving back towards leaning on the run game, as they have moved away from it, especially with running backs, over the past few weeks. If the Tigers can establish a strong rushing presence now, they’ll be set up much better for their upcoming matchups against Mississippi State and Alabama, neither of which the Tigers have strong odds in.

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