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Razorbacks Remain Undefeated in Front of Sold Out Crowd

Arkansas sets up showdown with No. 3 LSU

Kent Smith

Razorbacks Remain Undefeated in Front of Sold Out Crowd
Razorbacks Remain Undefeated in Front of Sold Out Crowd /
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – It was clear from the very first routine that Auburn was unlikely to hang with No. 4 Arkansas Friday night in Barnhill Arena. Grace Boyd made her transition from the high bar to the low bar and shot across the mat like an invisible giant had thumped her in mid-air.

Still, while more new fans become drawn to the undefeated program as the Razorbacks make a run at a potential national championship, it's important for them to know Arkansas isn't competing with whichever team is in the gym that particular day. The Razorbacks are competing with themselves and a handful of teams nationally. 

Teams are ranked on a cumulative average, so Jordyn Wieber's squad looked to equal or improve upon a 197.338 or at least remain close. No. 6 Alabama was on its way to posting a 197.575 against No. 8 Florida and No. 3 LSU was about to fall a full point from last week's season high with a 197.225 against Missouri, so there was pressure for Arkansas to stay as high in the 197 range as possible.

In the end, the Razorbacks easily dispatched of Auburn, 197.225-196.675. The second highest score of the season was enough to avoid doing much damage to the team's national average. 

They slide ever so slightly to a 197.3 on the year. That will be enough to stay near the top of the SEC, which will always guarantee a Top 10 ranking. When things settle out as a few more teams finish their weekend competitions, Arkansas will likely find itself around No. 6 as the tiniest of margins separate the Top 7 programs nationally.

The Razorbacks are a Top 5 team on vault, so it was no surprise to see Arkansas get out to a lead following the first event. However, what was surprising was how big that lead was. Auburn struggled on bars, making numerous uncharacteristic mistakes, which allowed the Razorbacks to get out to a large 49.225-48.875 lead on the strength of a pair of 9.875 vaults by Leah Smith and Frankie Price.

That sent Arkansas to the uneven bars, which has been the team's weakest event, although that requires a bit of perspective. Weakest in this case is ninth in the country. Still, Wieber's Razorbacks repeatedly stuck landings, improving nearly a full point over their season average on the event with a 49.400. 

Arkansas posted three 9.9 scores from Reese Drotar, Cally Swaney, and Maddie Jones. Meanwhile, Auburn scrambled to avoid having to count a fall on vault, allowing the Razorbacks to expand their lead, 98.625-98.150, after the first full round of events.

When the Tigers took to the floor, a packed house of Razorbacks fans showed their understanding of the sport as they deadpanned Auburn. The awkward energy led to yet another fall, which is the rarest of occurrences on floor. 

Down at the end of the arena, Arkansas wasn't exactly blowing the doors off their beam routines, but several saves avoided falls that would have led to big deductions. A 9.875 by Jones salvaged the rotation and set the Razorbacks up to bring things home on floor, the team's best event.

However, if there was a moment of controversy, this is where it took place. Smith went out and hit what appeared to be a flawless routine that had fans calling for a perfect 10. However, when the score was posted, an inexplicable 9.825 flashed on the board, which was by far Smith's lowest score of the year and the lowest of the event. 

Fortunately for the Razorbacks, Jones followed with a 9.9, then Williams added a 9.95 and Price rounded things out with a 9.9. Arkansas will now face current SEC leader LSU next Friday in Baton Rouge at 7:30 p.m. on SEC+.

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HOG FEED:

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RECRUITING RUNDOWN: WHO RAZORBACKS MADE RECRUITING OFFERS TO OVER PAST WEEK

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Kent Smith
KENT SMITH

Kent Smith has been in the world of media and film for nearly 30 years. From Nolan Richardson's final seasons, former Razorback quarterback Clint Stoerner trying to throw to anyone and anything in the blazing heat of Cowboys training camp in Wichita Falls, the first high school and college games after 9/11, to Troy Aikman's retirement and Alex Rodriguez's signing of his quarter billion dollar contract, Smith has been there to report on some of the region's biggest moments. 

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