Cam Coleman will be critical if Auburn pulls out a victory at Arkansas

Here’s the truth: Saturday’s matchup in Fayetteville could be Hugh Freeze’s final game on the Plains. After opening the season 3-0, the Tigers have dropped four critical games in a row. The third-year head coach needs a win. Now.

Freeze has the talent to win big games. He boasted top ten recruiting classes in 2024 and 2025, adding mega-talent wide receiver Cam Coleman to the Tigers’ roster.

On paper, Arkansas is one of the most manageable teams on Auburn’s schedule. The Razorbacks have given up an average of 32.7 points per game and are 2-5 (0-3) heading into Week 9.

The Tigers should win on Saturday. But victory in Fayetteville won’t come easy.

Since the Razorbacks fired Sam Pittman following their Week 5 blowout against Notre Dame, Arkansas has proven itself as a highly competitive SEC program. Led by interim coach Bobby Petrino, the Razorbacks have scored seventy-three points in the past two weeks and nearly upended SEC powerhouses Tennessee and Texas A&M.

Auburn will need to utilize key weapons like Coleman to win on Saturday. The sophomore standout has totaled 413 yards in 2025 and is widely regarded as one of the nation’s best receivers.

"They’ve got a receiver that we really have to understand where he’s lined up,” Petrino said on Coleman per Phillip Jordan of Auburn Wire. “He’s a special, special player. A kid I’m very familiar with out of high school. We actually had him committed to us at (Texas) A&M.”

Petrino served as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator when Coleman committed to the Aggies in 2023. The five-star receiver flipped his commitment to Auburn when Jimbo Fisher was fired.

While Coleman hasn’t had the state-of-the-art season that some predicted, the spectacular receiver has still averaged 13.8 yards per reception. In his breakout performance against Missouri, the Alabama native recorded 108 receiving yards.

“He’s probably as good a receiver as there is in the entire country,” said Petrino. “We have to know where he’s at every play and how we’re going to slow him down and take away his free access, and make sure they have to beat us left-handed.”

Kickoff is set for 11:45 CST at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. For Petrino, victory on Saturday could mean an open door to a permanent role as the Arkansas head coach. For the Auburn Tigers, who are eye-to-eye with another 5-7 season, victory in Fayetteville is a must. A fifth consecutive in-conference loss would almost certainly end Freeze’s tenure on the Plains.