Takeaways: Auburn demolishes Arkansas on the road

The Auburn Tigers took down Arkansas with ease for their sixth win of the season.

The Auburn Tigers played their most complete game of the season in their 48-10 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Auburn moved the ball consistently on offense and the defense made the Arkansas unable to move the ball outside of the occasional first down until the game was over in the fourth quarter. Special teams were electric with a return from Keionte Scott that went for a touchdown as well as the kicking game staying perfect with Alex McPherson.

Auburn will be going to a bowl game during the first year of the Hugh Freeze era.

Here are some takeaways from Saturday's action.

Auburn is figuring things out on offense

This looks like a completely different team than it was a month ago. Payton Thorne is getting more comfortable with the offense, pass catchers like Rivaldo Fairweather and Ja'Varrius Johnson are stepping up, and the running game is grinding on all cylinders. 

During Auburn's current three-game winning streak, Auburn's rushing attack is performing as if it was the best running game in the SEC and it's helping Auburn's quarterbacks, the defense, and the overall excitement around the program.

Auburn ran the ball for 354 yards, including 109 from Jarquez Hunter. The Tigers had 517 yards of total offense. 

Auburn's defensive front left no crumbs

I said on my podcast, Locked On Auburn, all week that the biggest mismatch going into this game was Auburn's front seven against the Arkansas offensive line. They were incredible. 

Auburn's front neutralized Arkansas' run game, KJ Jefferson, and was able to create multiple turnovers to keep Arkansas to just three points until the fourth quarter when Auburn was up by over 40 points. 

Jalen McLeod had three sacks and recorded some other pressures. He also was in coverage for the Razorbacks' first third-down attempt of the game. He would get the tackle short of the first down and would force Arkansas to punt early. Marcus Harris also recorded a sack and recovered a fumble that let Auburn add three more points before halftime. 

Arkansas was 1-12 on third down. 

Rivaldo Fairweather 

The transfer tight end has lived up to the hype and has become one of Auburn's most reliable receivers in the passing game. With a score off of an RPO flair to the flat and another one off of a jump ball in the end zone, the big man has shown he can do it all.

Robby Ashford came in at quarterback after Thorne

Some reports surfaced that Holden Geriner had hopped Robby Ashford as the backup quarterback in practice. Ashford went into the game after Thorne was pulled and ran the offense. 

Worth monitoring moving forward. Odds are, we will see a backup quarterback next week against New Mexico State if the game goes how Auburn wants it to. Ashford threw an interception on his first pass after two carries for 32 yards. After the interception, Holden Geriner went in at quarterback and finished the game. 

Auburn is getting better

This team continues to get better as the season goes on under Freeze and this coaching staff. The Tigers will go to a bowl game and will have a shot to have seven wins going into a home Iron Bowl. 

An Auburn team peaking in November hasn't been a thing over the past several seasons. 

Freeze is building Auburn for the future. The fans are excited about it, and the recruits and commits are looking forward to how they can help, but after Saturday's beatdown of an SEC team on the road, it's nice to be excited about the now. 

Recruiting pages to bookmark

2024 Auburn Tigers Commitment List and Evaluations

2025 Auburn Tigers Commitment List and Evaluations

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