Arkansas

Run, Run, Run to Win, Win, Win: Who’ll Do It Best in Auburn?

Published

3 months ago

September 21, 2024

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.

HOGS FEED:

• Convenient off week for coach lines up with game that will shape Arkansas football program

• SEC schedule, TV, who’s favored

• Hogs add a little more Kentucky flavor to basketball team

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Arkansas

Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Arkansas Razorbacks Prediction, Odds and Picks

Published

11 hours ago

December 27, 2024

Press Room

Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Arkansas Razorbacks Prediction, Odds and Picks

The Texas Tech Red Raiders take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Liberty Bowl, and both squads could have an entirely different look compared to the regular season. For Tech, the Red Raiders lost their offensive coordinator but should be a tad more stable in terms of roster outlook compared to the Razorbacks. Arkansas is down to six scholarship offensive linemen and will be missing two key starters in this bowl game. Furthermore, both squads have had players leave for the transfer portal, but the Razorbacks losses were significantly more impactful such as WR Andrew Armstrong heading to the NFL. Furthermore, Arkansas will be without two of its better defensive players: safety TJ Metcalf and EDGE rusher Landon Jackson.

Texas Tech’s biggest loss could be star RB Tahj Brooks, but he has participated in every bowl game practice leading up to the game despite not making an official decision with less than 24 hours to go before kickoff. Stability is key in modern-day bowl game matchups, and while neither side has much, the Red Raiders have a clear edge in that department. With all things considered, I’ll take Texas Tech on the moneyline.

Texas Tech ML (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number up to -140.

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Arkansas

Raynor and Wallace lead Arkansas State past Bowling Green 38-31 in the 68 Ventures Bowl

Published

19 hours ago

December 27, 2024

Press Room

Raynor and Wallace lead Arkansas State past Bowling Green 38-31 in the 68 Ventures Bowl

Associated Press

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Jaylen Raynor passed for 221 yards and two touchdowns to go with a rushing score, and Zak Wallace had 99 yards rushing and a TD to help Arkansas State beat Bowling Green 38-31 on Thursday night in the 68 Ventures Bowl.

Wallace scored on a 14-yard run with 3:10 left in the fourth quarter for a 38-24 lead. He carried the ball on the last six plays of the drive, gaining 59 yards on the eight-play, 68-yard march. It was his 11th rushing touchdown of the season, nine coming in the last six games.

Rahkeem Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 58 yards to give Bowling Green a short field. Five plays later, Smith made a 23-yard catch in the end zone to get within 38-31.

Hunter Summers easily recovered the onside kick and Wallace powered through the middle of the defense for a 19-yard gain to seal it.

Corey Rucker added 107 yards receiving and two touchdowns for Arkansas State (8-5), which won a bowl game for the first time since 2019 — the same year it last won eight games in a season.

Rucker caught a long pass from Raynor and raced for a 79-yard touchdown for a 24-14 lead with 4:13 left in the first half. Following a fumble recovery by Noah Collins, Raynor found Rucker for a 6-yard TD to make it 31-21 early in the third.

Connor Bazelak threw for 390 yards and three touchdowns for Bowling Green (7-6). Harold Fannin Jr. had 17 catches for a career-high 213 yards and a touchdown.

Fannin reached 125-plus yards with a touchdown for the sixth time this season, which leads the FBS.

Bowling Green’s special teams struggled. Zach Long missed his third field goal attempt of the game (one was blocked) with 10:19 left. The Falcons allowed Courtney Jackson to return a punt for a 60-yard touchdown in the first quarter, and BGSU also had a fake punt come up short of a first down in the second half.

Record Holder

Fannin made a catch midway through the first quarter to become the single-season record holder for receiving yards by a tight end in the FBS. He entered needing just 11 yards to surpass Jace Amaro’s record of 1,352 in 2013 at Texas Tech. Fannin finished the season with 1,555 yards.

___

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Arkansas

Liberty Bowl by the numbers: Arkansas vs. Texas Tech

Published

1 day ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

Liberty Bowl by the numbers: Arkansas vs. Texas Tech

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Texas Tech (8-4) vs. Arkansas (6-6)

6 p.m. CST Friday (ESPN)

Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee

0 Starts for Texas Tech QB Will Hammond, who will open under center for the Red Raiders against Arkansas after No. 1 QB Behren Morton had shoulder surgery. Morton threw for 3,335 yards and 27 TDs in 2024. Hammond has completed 15-of-23 passes for 191 yards with one TD and no interceptions this season. Hammond won’t have 1,000-yard receiver Josh Kelly to throw to on Friday. The wide receiver has opted out of the game.

1 Previous appearance in the Liberty Bowl for Texas Tech, which defeated Mississippi State 34-7 on Dec. 28, 2021. That kicked off the Red Raiders’ current three-game bowl winning streak that has boosted Texas Tech’s bowl record for 17-23-1.

2 Players in the nation had at least 2,800 passing yards and 500 rushing yards entering the bowl season – Arkansas QB Taylen Green and Washington State QB John Mateer. Green has completed 219-of-360 passes for 2,813 yards with 13 TDs and nine interceptions and run 141 times for 521 yards and seven TDs.

5 2-point conversions have been given up by Arkansas in 2024, tied for the most in the nation entering the bowl season. Texas Tech has scored four 2-point conversions this season.

7 Appearances in the Liberty Bowl for Arkansas when the Razorbacks take the field on Friday, the most in the game’s history (two ahead of Mississippi State). The Razorbacks have a 3-3 record in the Liberty Bowl after winning their past three appearances. Arkansas defeated East Carolina 20-17 in overtime on Jan. 2, 2010, Kansas State 45-23 on Jan. 2, 2016, and Kansas 55-53 in three overtimes on Dec. 28, 2022, and lost to Tennessee 14-13 on Dec. 20, 1971, Auburn 21-15 on Dec. 27, 1984, and Georgia 20-17 on Dec. 29, 1987. Overall, Arkansas has a 17-24-3 bowl record.

8 Victories and three losses for Arkansas against opponents from the Big 12 and its predecessor conferences in bowls. In bowls against other conferences, the Razorbacks have a 9-21-3 record. Overall, Arkansas has a 34-14 record against Big 12 opponents since 1928, when the Big Six formed, including a 39-31 loss in two overtimes to Oklahoma State on Sept. 7.

10 Victories, 19 losses and two ties for Texas Tech against SEC opponents. The Red Raiders played their first game against an SEC opponent on Jan. 1, 1954, when Texas Tech scored a 35-13 victory over Auburn in the Gator Bowl. The Red Raiders have a 4-6-1 record in bowl against SEC opponents.

21 Victories and 11 losses for SEC teams in the Liberty Bowl. The 1965 Liberty Bowl was all-SEC, with Ole Miss beating Auburn 13-7. Big 12 teams have a 4-7 record in the Liberty Bowl. The SEC has a 4-4 record against the Big 12 and its predecessor conferences in the Liberty Bowl.

29 Victories for Arkansas and eight victories for Texas Tech in the Razorbacks-Red Raiders series, although Texas Tech won the most recent meeting 35-29 on Sept. 19, 2015, and has victories in three of the past four meetings. Thirty-two of the 37 meetings came when the teams were members of the Southwest Conference together from 1960 through 1991.

34.5 Points per game have been scored against the Texas Tech this season, the highest average yielded by any bowl participant this season. The Red Raiders led the Big 12 in scoring during the regular season with an average of 38.6 points per game.

97 Third-down snaps were converted into first downs by Texas Texas in 2024, the most in the nation entering the bowl season. The Red Raiders have had 196 third-down snaps, tied for the second-most in the nation and have converted 49.5 percent into first downs, the sixth-best rate in the nation.

103 Yards and two TDs on 20 rushing attempts in 2024 for Rodney Hill, who is listed as the No. 1 running back on Arkansas’ depth chart for Friday’s game. Ja’Quinden Jackson led the Razorbacks with 790 yards and 15 TDs on 149 rushing attempts this season, but he has opted out of the game.

231 Plays from scrimmage gained at least 10 yards for Arkansas in 2024, the second-most in the nation entering the bowl season.

1,140 Receiving yards for Arkansas WR Andrew Armstrong, the most in the SEC this season. But Armstrong has opted out of the bowl, as has No. 2 receiver Isaiah Sategna, leaving WR Isaac TeSlaa as the Razorbacks’ leading receiver entering Friday’s game. TeSlaa has 438 yards and three TDs on 25 receptions in 2024.

1,505 Rushing yards for Texas Tech RB Tahj Brooks this season as he replaced Byron Hanspard as the Red Raiders’ career rushing leader in 2024. By running for at least 109 yards in each of his 11 games this season, Brooks lifted his career total to 4,557 rushing yards, the fourth-most in Big 12 history. Brooks is in Memphis with Texas Tech, but his participation in Friday’s game has not been confirmed by the team.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE SEC, GO TO OUR SEC PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

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