Arkansas
Run, Run, Run to Win, Win, Win: Who’ll Do It Best in Auburn?
First time I saw Auburn play football, it was against Arkansas, and the best player in Tigers history was on the field.
No, it wasn’t Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, who led Auburn to the 2010 national championship. It was in 1984 when the Tigers topped Arkansas 21-15 in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.
The incredible Bo Jackson won MVP honors with two touchdowns, 88 yards rushing on 18 carries and a superb catch for 25 yards. He didn’t exactly show himself to be a man among boys that day but he was a Hall of Famer in the making.
Another Arkansas connection with Auburn is Gus Malzahn, who was a walk-on for the Razorbacks, coached Shiloh Christian and the amazing, undefeated 2005 Springdale High team that led to him being hired as the Hogs’ offensive coordinator.
Then, Malzahn ended up as Auburn’s offensive coordinator where he tutored Newton and helped win the national title. He became the Tigers head coach from 2013-20, leading Auburn to the SEC championship in 2014 and an appearance in the national title game.
If you’ve never been to Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium on The Plains, it’s a fun experience. Seeing the live golden eagle named Aurea fly around the stadium prior to kickoff while 88,000 fans watch in delight is a unique pregame ritual.
None of that will matter when the Hogs and Tigers square off today at 2:30 p.m. in Jordan-Hare. The Tigers are about a field goal favorite, so an entertaining show should be on tap with a tight finish.
The outcome between two teams which hope to finish in the top half of the SEC but could also be in the bottom third comes down to a single match-up — La’Quinden Jackson versus Jarquez Hunter.
That means big boy football, with the offensive lines and defensive lines squaring off to control the line of scrimmage. Hogs coach Sam Pittman loves that kind of game and his improved O-line should have the edge against an Auburn defense that has been so porous that the lowly New Mexico Lobos racked up 400 yards last week.
Pittman said he’s been impressed with Hunter, the Tigers’ tailback and the opposite number of Jackson.
“He gets his shoulders turned, and he’s a tank,” Pittman said of Hunter. “He’s a hard guy. He’s just what you want. He runs extremely hard. I respect him as a player. He’s a very good football player. Plays the game like it should be played.”
Ditto all that for Jackson, who has three 100-yard games for a total of 397 yards on just 47 carries for an 8.4-yard average and six touchdowns. He’s the real deal with quick feet, evasive sideways jump cuts, the power to run through and over tacklers, and enough speed to break a big one.
“He’s a really great player,” said Hogs fellow running back Rodney Hill. “His practice ethic is insane. He keeps all [of our running backs] involved, and he’s a leader pretty much to all of us. He keeps all of our heads straight. Like, if we mess up on something, he’s there, he keeps us up.”
Pittman is counting on the Hogs’ running game to remain dominant — quarterback Taylen Green is part of that with his quickness and escapability — in Arkansas’ SEC opener.
“Really pleased (with the rushing attack) because I think you can end up winning close games when you can run the football,” Pittman said. “So I’m really pleased with that part of it. We can run the ball, probably need to run it more.”
Run it well and it opens up the play-action passing game offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino loves so much. That could lead to big plays for Green and his favorite target Andrew Armstrong, who has 18 catches for 301 yards but no touchdowns … yet.
It’s a big game for both teams. Win and momentum can easily lead to more wins. Lose, and, well, Arkansas fans have seen that act before.
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Kentucky had a need at wide receiver entering the only transfer portal window of the offseason. The Wildcats addressed the position again on Day 10. UK has added a second transfer to the room. This is a familiar name to those who follow recruiting.
Arkansas transfer Ja’Kayden Ferguson committed to the Wildcats after his visit to Lexington over the weekend. The wide receiver was a former UK commit who flipped to the Hogs during the 2025 recruiting cycle. Now Ferguson has flipped back to the Big Blue.
Ja’Kayden Ferguson was a three-star recruit out of Metro Houston who picked Kentucky following a June official visit ahead of the 2024 season. However, Ferguson decided to open up his recruitment five months later and flipped to Arkansas. The 6-foot-2 receiver appeared in six games for the Razorbacks as a true freshman and burned his redshirt. Ferguson played just 20 offensive snaps.
The SEC transfer becomes the eighth current full-time scholarship player in Kentucky’s current wide receivers room. Some more additions are expected.
Kentucky transfer commits
| Player | Position | High School | Former School | Year |
| Olaus Alinen | G/T (6-6, 322) | Windson (Conn.) The Loomis Chaffee School | Alabama | Redshirt Junior |
| Jesse Anderson | S (6-0, 180) | Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons | Pittsburgh | Redshirt Junior |
| Max Anderson | iOL (6-5, 311) | Frisco (Texas) High | Tennessee | Redshirt Sophomore |
| Elijah “Bo” Barnes | LB (6-1, 244) | Dallas (Texas) Skyline | Texas | Redshirt Freshman |
| Jovantae Barnes | RB (6-0, 211) | Las Vegas (Nev.) Desert Pines | Oklahoma | Redshirt Senior |
| Ahmad Breaux | iDL (6-3, 278) | Ruston (La.) High | LSU | Junior |
| Jordan Castell | S (6-2, 213) | Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange | Florida | Senior |
| Xavier Daisy | WR (6-3, 210) | Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian School | UAB | Junior |
| Ja’Kayden Ferguson | WR (6-2, 187) | Missouri City (Texas) Thurgood Marshall | Arkansas | Sophomore |
| Aaron Gates | Nickel (6-0, 198) | Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian | Florida | Redshirt Junior |
| Jamarrion Harkless | iDL (6-3, 315) | Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass | Purdue | Redshirt Junior |
| Lance Heard | T (6-6, 330) | Monroe (La.) Neville | LSU | Tennessee | Senior |
| Mark Manfred III | CB (6-1, 175) | Marietta (Ga.) Sprayberry | Missouri | Redshirt Freshman |
| Kenny Minchey | QB (6-2, 208) | Hendersonville (Tenn.) Pope John Paul II | Notre Dame | Redshirt Junior |
| Antonio O’Berry | EDGE (6-6, 240) | Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne | Tiffin (D-II) | Gardner-Webb | 6th-Year Senior |
| Coleton Price | iOL (6-3, 318) | Bowie (Texas) High | Baylor | Redshirt Senior |
| Spencer Radnoti | LS (6-3, 230) | Canton (Ga.) Cherokee | Georgia State | Redshirt Sophomore |
| Cyrus Reyes | S (6-1, 200) | Taylor (Texas) High | Mississippi State | Junior |
| Hasaan Sykes | CB (6-0, 185) | Tuckert (Ga.) High | Western Carolina | Junior |
| Tavion Wallace | LB (6-1, 239) | Baxley (Ga.) Appling County | Arkansas | Sophomore |
| Dominic Wiseman | iDL (6-2, 300) | Davenport (Iowa) High | South Alabama | Redshirt Senior |
| Adam Zouagui | K (5-11, 188) | Herndon (Va.) High | Davidson | South Florida | Senior |
Arkansas
No. 20 Lady Vols Basketball vs. Arkansas: How to Watch, Prediction, More | Rocky Top Insider
Lady Vols basketball is back in Knoxville for a matchup with Arkansas after a two-game road stand. Tennessee is not only looking to stay perfect in SEC play, but is hosting its annual ‘We Back Pat’ game.
Here’s everything to know about the matchup, from broadcast details to a prediction.
More From RTI: Everything Lady Vols HC Kim Caldwell, PG Mia Pauldo Said After Road Win At Mississippi State
How to Watch — No. 20 Lady Vols (11-3, 3-0 SEC) vs. Arkansas (11-7, 0-3 SEC)
- Start Time: 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT
- Location: Food City Center (Knoxville, Tenn.)
- Watch: SECN+ | PxP: Andy Brock, Analyst: Kamera Harris
- Online Streaming: Watch ESPN
- Radio (Knoxville): The Vol Network/The Vol Network App
- Vol Network radio crew: PxP: Brian Rice, Studio Host: Jay Lifford
Betting Odds
None listed yet
ESPN Matchup Predictor
Lady Vols – 98.3%
Arkansas – 1.7%
What Kim Caldwell Said After Mississippi State
“Good to get a win on the road. We know it’s a tough environment and we know that we got to win on the road in the SEC. It was good to do that. I wasn’t really proud of the rebounding, but I thought we looked a lot better in a couple different categories so that was good.”
Last Five Games
Lady Vols:
- at Mississippi State, 90-90 W
- at Auburn, 73-56 W
- vs. Florida, 76-65 W
- vs. Southern Indiana, 89-44 W
- vs. Louisville (Brooklyn), 89-65 L
Arkansas:
- vs. South Carolina, 93-58 L
- at Alabama, 77-48 L
- vs. Vanderbilt, 88-71 L
- vs. Arkansas State, 81-72 L
- vs. Stephen F. Austin, 82-73 W
Where They Land In Rankings
Lady Vols:
AP Poll – No. 20
Coaches Poll – No. 22
Bart Torvik – No. 13
Arkansas:
AP Poll – Unranked
Coaches Poll – Unranked
Bart Torvik – No. 107
Stat Leaders
Lady Vols:
- Points: Talaysia Cooper – 14.9
- Rebounds: Zee Spearman – 7.3
- Assists: Talaysia Cooper – 4.3
Arkansas:
- Points: Taleyah Jones – 16.9
- Rebounds: Bonnie Deas – 9.7
- Assists: Bonnie Deas – 2.6
Prediction
It’s been a rough start for Arkansas’ new coach, Kelsi Musick. The team is 0-3 in SEC games, and though it’s been against three good teams, the Razorbacks haven’t been competitive in any.
While neither side has been strong, Arkansas’ defense has been the weakest point. Not only is it coming off a game in which it gave up 93 points to South Carolina, but Arkansas State hung 81 in its win over the Razorbacks on the road.
If the Lady Vols don’t get in their own way, then they should be fine. It hasn’t been perfect, and against three teams not necessarily in the mix to win the league, but Tennessee has looked much improved in the SEC slate compared to the lumps it took in the out-of-conference schedule.
I’d think UT jumps on Arkansas in the first quarter and takes a comfortable lead into the second quarter. From there, the lead should continue to grow behind forced turnovers in the press and easy baskets on the other end.
Lady Vols 85, Arkansas 61
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