Back in September, there was an absurd comparison made by many between Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson and Auburn football legend Cam Newton.
Jefferson came into the season giving Arkansas dark horse SEC potential if the Razorbacks could start off quick. He built a case for himself after massive upsets over Texas and Texas A&M in the first month of games.
But Newton didn’t lose a game while leading Auburn football to a National Championship back in 2010 and winning the Heisman trophy in the process. The comparisons were premature even before the Hogs lost three straight to Georgia, Ole Miss, and now AU.
Tiger fans had a field day with the comparisons as Jefferson faced struggles in both halves with his play-calling and execution:
Comparing KJ Jefferson to Cam Newton is like comparing Blake Sims to Michael Vick
— Bruce Pearl’s Afro (@AU_barner2) October 16, 2021
If I had "Cam Newton" in the backfield as my quarterback, he'd be getting the ball on 4th-and-1.
— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) October 16, 2021
Instead, Arkansas gives to the RB.
We never would've called a handoff like that with Cam Newton at quarterback.
— College & Magnolia (@CollegeAndMag) October 16, 2021
KJ Jefferson is a good QB, but the Cam Newton comparisons are ridiculous. Maybe the "scandal" skewed people's memories of Cam, but in 2010 that guy completed 66% of his passes for almost 3k yds & 30TDs & ran for 1500 yds & 20 MORE TDs. Plus this: pic.twitter.com/Sl1snGg53q
— Josh Moon 🇺🇸 (@Josh_Moon) October 16, 2021
The Razorbacks could only play spoiler from here on out after their meteoric start has officially crashed to earth following a third straight loss, this time over an unranked team.
Auburn football, meanwhile, controls their own destiny and could punch their ticket to Atlanta for the SEC Championship if this is the start of a strong second half to 2021.