ARKANSAS 38, AUBURN 14 — NOTES
Sarah Bentham • Arkansas News Bureau
Streak Third Best
Tyler Wilson completed 19 passes in a row against Auburn extending from midway through the first quarter until late in the third period. It was the third-longest streak in Southeastern Conference history.
Wilson got off to a slow start, completing just 2 of 7 passes before getting into rhythm. For the night, Wilson was 24 of 36 for 262 yards with two touchdowns.
Wilson went into the Auburn game averaging 303.4 passing yards per game and 305.6 yards of total offense. His two touchdown passes against the Tigers give him 12 for the season.
His 8.81 yards per attempt was third in the conference and 12th in the nation. His completion average of 13.67 yards was third in the SEC and 12th in the NCAA.
Wilson has been particularly prolific passing in the first half. He went into Saturday’s game with 539 passing yards in second-quarter action and had passed for 994 yards in the first half of the first five games.
Trend Bucked
Arkansas broke a 15-season streak Saturday by beating Auburn 38-14.
Going into the game, Arkansas had established a trend of losing its next SEC game after its first SEC loss of the season. It had happened in 17 of 18 years and every season since 1996. The trend had held true even in years that the Razorbacks won a nonconference game following its first SEC loss.
The only other year in the previous 18 that Arkansas bucked the trend was in 1995. Danny Ford’s team broke a two-season run by losing to Tennessee, then beating Ole Miss the following week.
Critical Miscue
A missed 34-yard field goal with 11:55 left in the first period against Auburn ruined Arkansas’ perfect record inside its opponents’ 20-yard line — the area coach Bobby Petrino calls the critical zone. Arkansas was facing a fourth-and-5 at the 17 and Zach Hocker’s attempt hit the left upright.
Going into the game, Arkansas had scored a touchdown or field goal in all 20 trips inside the critical zone.
Going into the Auburn game, Arkansas led the SEC and was tied for the NCAA lead in offensive performance inside the opponents’ 20. In pure number of red zone conversions, the Razorbacks were second in the country. Of the 20 conversions, 15 were touchdowns and five were field goals.
The TD performance was ranked second in the SEC and 15th in the NCAA.
First With Ball
The only time this season Arkansas has not had the ball first was at Alabama, when the Tide won the toss and elected to receive. That means Arkansas has won every game in which the Razorbacks have had the initial touch.
Against both Auburn and Texas A&M the week before, Arkansas was unsuccessful on its first possession and its opponent scored first.
Connecting Rush
Michael Dyer of Little Rock Christian and Kiehl Frazier, a freshman quarterback from Shiloh Christian in Springdale, were responsible for a chunk of Auburn’s rushing yardage against Arkansas and each scored a touchdown on the ground.
Dyer ran 21 times for 112 yards and Frazier had 54 yards on 13 tries.
Going into Saturday’s game, Dyer and Frazier were No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, on the Tigers’ list of leading ground gainers.
Dyer went into the Arkansas game with seven 100-yard rushing performances under his belt. He had gained 567 yards in Auburn’s first five games.
Frazier topped his career-best 48 yards on nine carries against South Carolina. He went into the game with 81 yards rushing for the season.
Bequette Back
Defensive end Jake Bequette started against Auburn after missing three games and part of another. He had one tackle in his return.
Bequette suffered a hamstring injury and did not dress out against Troy or Alabama. The senior captain was in uniform against Texas A&M, but did not play.
Arkansas did play without a handful of key contributors. DT Robert Thomas (leg) and RB Ronnie Wingo (toe) were dressed out, but didn’t play after suffering injuries against Texas A&M. DE Tenarius Wright missed his second game with a broken arm.
Third-Time Charm
Arkansas is off to a 5-1 start for the third time since joining the Southeastern Conference — the others happened in 1998 and 2006. It also is the 27th time in school history the team has begun a season 5-1.
TD Pass Streak
Arkansas has passed for a touchdown in 23 straight games, the longest active streak in the SEC and the fifth-longest streak in the nation.
Going into Saturday’s games, Texas Tech had the longest streak at 66 games, followed by Notre Dame (31), North Carolina State (29), and TCU (26).
Coaching Ties
Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino and Auburn Coach Gene Chizik met at the Arkansas 37 prior to Saturday’s game and chatted for a couple of minutes before shaking hands and pointing at one another as they left to join their teams. The two coached together at Auburn in 2002 — Petrino as offensive coordinator and Chizik as defensive coordinator.
There are other coaching ties. Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn played at Arkansas and was offensive coordinator for the Razorbacks in 2006. Auburn’s assistant head coach and receivers coach Trooper Taylor and Arkansas defensive ends coach Steve Caldwell were on the staff at Tennessee together in 2004-05.
State Switchers
Three Auburn Tigers have Arkansas ties and four Arkansas Razorbacks are from Alabama.
Arkansas Tigers are Michael Dyer of Little Rock Christian, Kiehl Frazier from Shiloh Christian, and walk-on Garret Harper, also from Shiloh Christian. Alabama Razorbacks are punter Dylan Breeding and receiver Maudrecus Humphrey, both from Hoover High School; defensive end Trey Flowers from Huntsville’s Columbia High School; and Jeremiah Jackson from Hoover Spain Park High.
— Arkansas News Bureau
