Arkansas Suffers 3rd straight Loss
Bo Nix and the Auburn Tigers pulled off a big upset against the Number 17 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks this past weekend. This moves Arkansas to 4-3 after a magnificent 4-0 start to the season. Early in the 1st quarter, Auburn quarterback Bo Nix found Ja’Varrius Johnson open downfield for a 39-yard touchdown. This set the tone for the game. After this, it felt like Arkansas was trying to catch up for the rest of the game. Arkansas was able to kick a field goal the next drive, but Auburn responded with another touchdown. Right before halftime, Arkansas began to wake up a little bit. With 18 seconds left in the first half, Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson found Treylon Burks in the endzone for their first touchdown of the game, making it 14-10 at the half. After halftime, Arkansas put up another good drive ending with a 30-yard touchdown pass from KJ Jefferson to Treylon Burks. Arkansas’ defense followed the touchdown with a 3 and out, forcing Auburn to punt. The punt put Arkansas deep into their own territory. Then momentum started to shift back toward Auburn as Arkansas put up a terrible series that ended with KJ Jefferson fumbling in the endzone and Auburn’s Marcus Harris jumping on the ball for a touchdown. Auburn went on to score two more touchdowns and a field goal and beat Arkansas 38-23.
Two key injuries on defense created a hole that the Tigers did a great job at exploiting. Corner Ladarrius Bishop and All-American safety Jalen Catalon were both out for the game, which forced some younger players to step up into crucial roles. Bo Nix ended up passing for 292 yards, and 2 touchdowns on Arkansas’ depleted secondary. When asked about Catalon after the game, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said he is going to miss the rest of the season due to his shoulder injury.
Arkansas has had a rough three weeks as they have fallen to three SEC opponents making them 1-3 against the conference. This week Arkansas is looking forward to an in-state matchup against Pine Bluff at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. This game comes after Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek has pushed for Arkansas to play other schools in the state, and it is the first of these matchups in football. After the UAPB game, Arkansas will enjoy a BYE week to rest up and prepare for the remainder of the season. Coming up, Arkansas will play at home against Mississippi State, at LSU, at Alabama, and then at home against Missouri.