5 Reasons Auburn Should Be Worried About Arkansas, Part 3
Nov 2, 2013; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Brandon Allen (10) is carted off the field after an injury during the first quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Back to the action.
Arkansas promptly kicked the second half kickoff out of bounds, which gave Nick Marshall and Gus Malzahn possession at the 35-yard line. We finally got to see a little bit of the HUNH and a lot of Tre Mason, and Mason scored his third touchdown ten plays later.
21-3 Auburn.
The Razorbacks can still run the football, and Jonathan Williams raced 26 yards on the next play from scrimmage. However, Allen overthrew Jeremy Sprinkle in the end zone on the next play – yet another scoring opportunity that came up inches short.
Two plays later, Allen hit his receiver to convert on 3rd-and-6 only for the play to be called back on account of offensive pass interference. The Hogs ran a standard pick play (or a rub route, as the offensive coaches would rather call it – pick is such an ugly word, you know), which every offense in the country runs and gets away with. And Arkansas somehow made it so obvious that the referee was forced to flag them for offensive pass interference.
When the final gun sounded, Auburn had 366 total yards (145 below their final average), and Arkansas had 346. The Tigers ran for 233 yards (their third lowest total of the regular season) and the Hogs rushed for 222. Arkansas had 25 first downs while Auburn had just 18.
The PI and subsequent draw play forced the Hogs to punt, and they finally pinned Auburn deep in their own territory at the Tigers 9-yard line. Auburn was stopped for small gains on first and second down, and then the Gus Malzahn play-action passing attack showed it’s teeth. On 3rd-and-7 from the Auburn 12-yard line, Marshall hit Sammie Coates for an 88-yard touchdown.
28-3 Auburn.
While the pass was well thrown, and Coates is a great receiver, the score probably could have been avoided had the Arkansas defensive back not fallen down as he tried to break up the pass. And yet again, the Hogs were so very close to making a big play – this time forcing Auburn to punt from deep inside their own territory – only to have it go horribly wrong.
But Arkansas was still in the game. The Razorbacks got a big kick return, scored a quick touchdown, forced the Tigers to go three-and out, and then scored again.
28-17 Auburn.
Yet, with 14:54 left in the game, it was too little too late. Arkansas could not afford any more missed opportunities, and still they continued to shoot themselves in the foot.
On Auburn’s first play from scrimmage in the fourth quarter, Marshall fumbled. Three Arkansas players were between Marshall and the football, yet the quarterback somehow recovered. Seven plays later – six of them runs by Mason – the running back found the end zone for the fourth time.
Nov 2, 2013; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Auburn Tigers running back Tre Mason (21) rushes for a touchdown against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the fourth quarter at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
35-17 Auburn.
Down three scores, and with barely a passing game to speak of, the deficit was too big for Arkansas. Brandon Allen completed only one of his final five passes for all of eight yards, and to wrap it up, Alex Collins fumbled late in the fourth quarter and Auburn recovered.
Late in the game, ESPN analyst Matt Millen (who is not always the best with words) actually put it pretty well when he said Arkansas “will not go away,” that they actually have some good football players and can win games if they do not beat themselves.
He is exactly right on that point.
Arkansas proved in the following weeks that they would, as they say, never yield. If only they did not shoot themselves in the foot repeatedly against the Tigers, and miss opportunity after opportunity, that early November night could have turned out very differently.
When the final gun sounded, Auburn had 366 total yards (145 below their final average), and Arkansas had 346. The Tigers ran for 233 yards (their third lowest total of the regular season) and the Hogs rushed for 222. Arkansas had 25 first downs while Auburn had just 18.
Arkansas controlled the pace of the game the entire night – which is exactly the opposite result Gus Malzahn had in mind when he designed the Hurry Up No Huddle philosophy.
But Auburn didn’t screw it up, and Arkansas did.