(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Opening up your road schedule with an SEC win is never something to complain about, especially with a team that carried 27 players on the road for the first time ever.
Not only was it their first time on the road, it was also the first time in overwhelming Neyland Stadium.
If you’ve never been to Knoxville, trust me, that place is loud. Regardless of how powerful the Vols are, the crowd alone can sometimes be enough to will Tennessee to victory.
Last Saturday this was not the case, as a stronger Auburn squad continued their offensive success in a 26-22 “misleading” victory over the Vols. While the scoreboard may have seemed close, for those who watched the game, you know otherwise.
A touchdown as time expired, coupled with an Auburn defense giving up more fourth quarter points, led to the final tally.
The Tiger victory led to some eventual respect, with a front page story on ESPN.com about the jump into the national rankings. While Auburn sits at 5-0, this is no time to get complacent, as Gene Chizik knows.
Facing a much improved Arkansas team on the road will be yet another tough task for the Tigers to embark upon.
The Razorbacks have showed promise at times, losing a shootout to UGA, yet being dominated in Tuscaloosa by Alabama.
Bobby Petrino’s squad bounced back quickly, thwarting Texas A&M’s hopes at victory last week with a 47-19 blowout win.
Armed with 6'7" quarterback Ryan Mallett, the Razorback offense is ranked seventh in the country in passing offense and will no doubt be the toughest unit the Tigers have faced thus far through the air.
The Tiger defense has been somewhat susceptible to the big pass play this season, ranking dead last in the SEC in first downs allowed.
Despite that, they still rank in the top 10 in passes intercepted, even without intercepting a ball from Tennessee’s pick-prone Jonathan Crompton last week.
If Auburn wants to win in convincing style this week, a few forced turnovers may be key.
While there’s always the chance of an SEC upset, the Tigers are the better team. Arkansas has the home crowd on their side, and Auburn hasn’t always performed well in morning games.
This year, that is completely out of their element after opening with four straight night games.
Arkansas has played the role of Auburn spoiler before, knocking the No. 2 Tigers out of national title contention in 2006 with a lopsided 27-10 loss.
The similarities this time around? An unranked Arkansas team, a 5-0 ranked Auburn team, an 11 am start time and Gus Malzahn. He's on the good sideline now, at least for the Auburn Tigers.
The Tigers aren’t ranked in the top five and certainly aren’t on anyone’s short list for the national title, but no matter how you cut it, an Arkansas victory could derail this Tiger team.
Sure, the 11 am start has the potential to spell disaster, but not this time around. Chizik will once again have his team ready to roll, even if it means making halftime adjustments to come back and win the game, as we have seen so many times before.
We all know Auburn’s offense will score, and Gus Malzahn’s unit has the capability to hang an astronomical number of points on Arkansas this weekend.
If they can shake off the early morning rust, expect them to do just that.
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