Friday, October 14, 2005
AU Preview: Arkansas
#21 Auburn returns to action this week against Arkansas in the Tigers' first road game of the year. Time to see if Brandon Cox can handle a SEC road game. Fortunately, he gets his first one against a team that lost to VANDY, for crying out loud. The Auburn Tigers are seeking their 13th straight SEC win.
The game is at 6PM Central, but is not being televised due to Arkansas failing to sell out. The Arkansas coach and athletic director decided to pull television coverage due to the lack of a sellout.
Since Auburn is finally back in the Top 25, I have some key matchups to pass along, courtesy of ESPN.com.
Arkansas WR Marcus Monk vs. Auburn DC David Irons
Monk is Arkansas' best playmaker, and is a good combination of size and ability. Fortunately for Auburn, Irons is both physical enough to jam him and fast enough to match him down the field. Monk will certainly get the best of Irons on at least a few plays, but Irons is skilled enough that he should be able to limit the damage, or possibly even cover Monk long enough for Auburn's defensive line to remove an unfortunate QB's head from his body.
Auburn LT Marcus McNeill vs. Arkansas RDE Anthony Brown
McNeill dwarfs Brown (114 lb edge), so expect to see Auburn run right at this matchup with any combination of running backs. This should keep Brown from being too much of a factor in terms of putting pressure on Cox, as he'll be playing on his toes to be able to react to the run.
Auburn RB Tre' Smith vs. Arkansas MLB Pierre Brown
I'm not sure that I'd call this a significant matchup, since Smith gets fewer carries than both Kenny Irons and Brad Lester at this point, but ESPN maintains that Tre is Auburn's best short yardage guy, and anticipates him being able muscle past the undersized, coverted OLB playing in the middle for Arkansas.
General
Auburn and Arkansas actually have similar offenses in terms of overall yardage. Auburn is averaging 422.0 yards of total offense per game (40th in NCAA), and Arkansas is averaging 424.6 (36th in NCAA). The major difference is in how those yards are being obtained. Auburn gets more through the air (244.0 pass yards per game - 57th in NCAA) than on the ground (178.0 - 31st in NCAA), while Arkansas is one of the nations top rushing offenses (286.4 - 3rd in NCAA) and one of the most miserably inept passing offenses (138.2 - 114th in NCAA). The key matchup in the game is Auburn's front 7 against Arkansas's RBs and offensive line. If Auburn's defense can control the line of scrimmage, expect a slaughter in line with the Mississippi State game, or even the South Carolina game. If they can't, expect a close win that comes from Arkansas doing something stupid.
Jason's Prediction: Auburn 35, Arkansas 7
The game is at 6PM Central, but is not being televised due to Arkansas failing to sell out. The Arkansas coach and athletic director decided to pull television coverage due to the lack of a sellout.
Since Auburn is finally back in the Top 25, I have some key matchups to pass along, courtesy of ESPN.com.
Arkansas WR Marcus Monk vs. Auburn DC David Irons
Monk is Arkansas' best playmaker, and is a good combination of size and ability. Fortunately for Auburn, Irons is both physical enough to jam him and fast enough to match him down the field. Monk will certainly get the best of Irons on at least a few plays, but Irons is skilled enough that he should be able to limit the damage, or possibly even cover Monk long enough for Auburn's defensive line to remove an unfortunate QB's head from his body.
Auburn LT Marcus McNeill vs. Arkansas RDE Anthony Brown
McNeill dwarfs Brown (114 lb edge), so expect to see Auburn run right at this matchup with any combination of running backs. This should keep Brown from being too much of a factor in terms of putting pressure on Cox, as he'll be playing on his toes to be able to react to the run.
Auburn RB Tre' Smith vs. Arkansas MLB Pierre Brown
I'm not sure that I'd call this a significant matchup, since Smith gets fewer carries than both Kenny Irons and Brad Lester at this point, but ESPN maintains that Tre is Auburn's best short yardage guy, and anticipates him being able muscle past the undersized, coverted OLB playing in the middle for Arkansas.
General
Auburn and Arkansas actually have similar offenses in terms of overall yardage. Auburn is averaging 422.0 yards of total offense per game (40th in NCAA), and Arkansas is averaging 424.6 (36th in NCAA). The major difference is in how those yards are being obtained. Auburn gets more through the air (244.0 pass yards per game - 57th in NCAA) than on the ground (178.0 - 31st in NCAA), while Arkansas is one of the nations top rushing offenses (286.4 - 3rd in NCAA) and one of the most miserably inept passing offenses (138.2 - 114th in NCAA). The key matchup in the game is Auburn's front 7 against Arkansas's RBs and offensive line. If Auburn's defense can control the line of scrimmage, expect a slaughter in line with the Mississippi State game, or even the South Carolina game. If they can't, expect a close win that comes from Arkansas doing something stupid.
Jason's Prediction: Auburn 35, Arkansas 7
