Auburn Football Three Keys: Arkansas

Three keys Auburn

The 3-4 Auburn Tigers host the 4-3 Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, with both teams looking for a win toward bowl eligibility as the number of remaining games winds down.

By Steve Wright

Here are the three keys to an Auburn victory over Arkansas:

Stop Raheim Sanders

Arkansas has several ways to move the ball, but their bell cow is running back Raheim Sanders. Sanders is the leading rusher in the SEC – and No. 8 in the nation – as he averages just under 125 yards per game. He is a huge part of the nation’s No. 9 rushing attack, one that rolls for 240 yards per game on the ground. This is a major mismatch for Auburn. The Tigers are No. 119 in the country in rushing defense, gave up almost 300 yards and six touchdowns to Georgia, and allowed Ole Miss to rumble for about a mile and a half on the ground. If Auburn doesn’t stop Sanders, it cannot win this game.

Tank Bigsby Is Back!

The Tigers may have lost 48-34 to Ole Miss in the game before their bye, but one thing to come out of that game was that star running back Tank Bigsby finally introduced himself to the 2022 season. Bigsby went for 179 yards on 20 carries – picking up a pair of touchdowns – after not crossing the 50-yard mark in any of his previous four outings. Arkansas is 0-3 in games where the opposition has rushed for 160 yards or more, so fuelling up Bigsby this week and letting him loose is a massive key.

Robby Ashford Can’t Turn It Over

This has to be a game where Auburn runs the ball because Robby Ashford isn’t getting it done at the quarterback position. His completion percentage of just 47.9% hurts to look at, and Ashford, to date, has more interceptions (five) than touchdowns(four) on the season. Ashford will have to make a key throw or two – that is the life of a college quarterback – but he cannot put the ball in a spot where it can be turned over in what could be a close, tense game.

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