Late road games may benefit Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE — Unorthodox strictly on locales, Arkansas’ highway video games seem extra winnable than its residence video games for its ultimate 5 video games.

The Razorbacks at 11 a.m Saturday on SEC Community go to SEC West rival Auburn.

On successive Saturdays at Reynolds Razorback Stadium they host the impartial Liberty Flames, adopted by SEC video games vs. LSU and Ole Miss. They shut the Friday afternoon after Thanksgiving at Missouri.

At Auburn and at Missouri showing essentially the most Arkansas winnable underscores what looms vs. the Hogs at residence. Arkansas’ success in Auburn, Ala., is distant and nonexistent in Columbia, Mo.

Liberty is 7-1, and can be coming off an open date. Final Saturday, Liberty lashed BYU 41-14.

Arkansas defeated BYU 52-35 two Saturdays in the past in Provo, Utah.

Coach Hugh Freeze’s Flames acquired the second-most votes of these not included on this week’s AP High 25.

SEC West members Ole Miss (7-1) and LSU (6-2) rank fifteenth and 18th.

Auburn’s Tigers and Missouri’s Tigers are each 3-4 general, 1-3 within the SEC and unranked.

Auburn and Mizzou on paper could seem much less formidable than Liberty, Ole Miss and LSU, however think about this: Of their annual SEC West recreation, Arkansas hasn’t overwhelmed Auburn since 2015 in Fayetteville. 

Arkansas final gained at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2012, the zenith of John L. Smith’s largely ignominious interim tenure.

Third-year Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman stands 0-2 in opposition to Auburn. His 2020 Razorbacks had been denied on an SEC-admitted officiating error. The Razorbacks had been up 28-27 and recovered a ultimate drive Auburn fumble. Officers incorrectly rewarded the ball again to Auburn previous a 30-28 game-winning discipline purpose.

Auburn’s 38-23 triumph final yr in Fayetteville was the lone residence loss for Pittman’s 9-4 Razorbacks.

In opposition to Mizzou, as soon as nonconference and 4 instances since Mizzou joined the SEC, the Hogs wallow 0-5 in Columbia, Mo.

Pittman’s 2020 Hogs misplaced a wild 50-48 shootout in Columbia, and defeated Mizzou 34-17 final yr in Fayetteville.

Large video games all, however Liberty, LSU, Ole Miss and Mizzou can wait.

Arkansas and Auburn eye one another coming off open dates final week.

Seldom do Pittman’s preparations publicly parse previous particulars.

Not so this time.

He recalled for the primary time in his Arkansas tenure that the Razorbacks had been favored in an SEC recreation, when Auburn prevailed final yr. And he ruefully recalled 2020 at Auburn.

“We got here again on them, after which had the unlucky scenario there on the finish,” Pittman mentioned.

“We have now overwhelmed some groups since I’ve been right here, however they’re one in every of them that we’re 0-2 in opposition to. We’d like to alter that if we are able to. Actually that’s a driving power for us.”