Auburn tries to stay Unbeaten against Arkansas

The most intriguing match-up in college football on Saturday will be a battle in the SEC between the Auburn Tigers and the Arkansas Razorbacks. Both of these teams are highly ranked, and deservedly so. It will be interesting to see which team can impose their will offensively as both teams have very opposite approaches to moving the chains.

The Tigers are currently ranked 7th in the AP poll due to a solid 6-0 start. It hasn’t been easy for Auburn as they have won all but 2 of their games by 1 touchdown or less. They seem to be getting it done with a “bend but don’t break” philosophy on defense. Starting in week 2, the Tigers had a 3 game stretch In which they beat Mississippi St by 3, Clemson by 3 and the 12th ranked South Carolina Gamecocks by 8. They gave themselves a chance to breath after that stretch with an easy win against Louisiana Monroe, but are back to work with 2 consecutive games against top-25 SEC opponents.

Auburn’s offense revolves around Cameron Newton. He is quickly running up the charts In the Heisman voting, but isn’t getting nearly enough National attention because of the outstanding play of Michigan’s quarterback Denard Robinson. Newton as a quarterback is tremendous! He has completed almost 65 % of his passes, and has thrown 12 TD passes thus far. His quarterback rating of 180.7 has him ranked in the top-5 in the country. What’s more amazing is that he also leads the team in rushing! He has carried the ball 104 times for 672 yards and 9 touchdowns. It’s hard to contain him as he has tremendous ability and size. At 250 pounds he’s a bruising runner, and it difficult to take down when he drops back to pass. The Razorback defense will have their hands full.

Arkansas may have what it takes to slow down Newton enough to pull out this upset win on Saturday. They’re defense is allowing just 15 points per game, and has played teams like Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M. They have proven that they can shut down good offenses, but whether or not they will be able to stop this Auburn attack is another story.

The Razorbacks have what many college football experts believe to be the best passing quarterback in the country. It’s hard to argue with them as Ryan Mallet has already thrown for 1748 yards. His QB rating is slightly lower than Newton’s, but his accuracy is amazing. He is completing close to 70 % of his passes through 5 games with 13 touchdowns. Mallet is fortunate enough to have an incredible cast of wide receivers that have great hands and the ability to make yards after the catch. Knile Davis is a good division 1 running back, but doesn’t get too much action in this high-powered passing attack.

Auburn is currently listed as a 3.5 point favorite at home by most sportsbooks. However, making an educated college football pick on this match-up will take a lot of studying. My opinion is that even though Auburn has struggled to many of their wins, they have yet to play their best game. The Razorbacks better hope they don’t get it as these two SEC giants square off in a game that has BCS implications!

Related posts:

1. SEC Showdown: Auburn vs. S. Carolina
2. Top-25 SEC Showdown: Arkansas hosts LSU
3. Sugar Bowl Showdown: Ohio St vs. Arkansas
4. Alabama vs. Auburn in Battle of Top 25
5. Auburn vs. S. Carolina for SEC Championship

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