By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer
The Auburn Tigers (5-1) are coming off a BYE week that really could not have come at a better time. After an extremely physical game with the Florida Gators, the Tigers needed some extra time to rest and prepare for a brutal second half of the season. Luckily, the brutality of the schedule probably won’t start this weekend.
The Razorbacks, (2-4) are currently on a three-game losing streak to San Jose State, Texas A&M and Kentucky. While the San Jose State lose is simply inexcusable, the Razorbacks did show resilience against A&M and Kentucky. Things are not going to get much easier for the Razorbacks this weekend, however. They currently have the 86thbest rushing team in the nation. To put that into perspective, there’s only 129 FBS teams. This plays right into Kevin Steele and the Auburn defensive unit’s hands.
Meanwhile, the Tigers have not had a perfect outing on offense this season either. They currently rank 101stin passing yards a game, and with the current struggles of freshman QB Bo Nix, the Tigers are going to need to get back to running the football.
The issue is that JaTarvious Whitlow, the Tigers top back, is still going to be sidelined for several weeks. Gus Malzahn will have to stay patient and find ways to get his team running the football again. Ultimately, this game appears to be the perfect opportunity for Bo Nix to rebound, as he goes against an Arkansas defensive that allows 27 points per game.
Even with the injuries and struggling offense, the Tigers should have plenty of talent to take care of the Razorbacks. Arkansas has anything but an elite defensive unit, and the tigers have the best D-Line in the SEC. Those two factors will be enough to secure an Auburn victory.
Prediction: 35-10 Auburn
