The evocation of 2012 is never a good thing around Auburn, yet it has been a common recurrence this fall on the Plains.
That train-wreck season was recalled again Saturday when Auburn was throttled by Arkansas, 41-27, at Jordan-Hare Stadium. It was the Tigers’ fourth consecutive loss — their second such losing streak under second-year head coach Bryan Harsin — as they fell two games below .500 (3-5 overall, 1-4 SEC) for the first time since that disastrous 2012 campaign a decade ago.
The latest chapter in Auburn’s self-made horror franchise came, fittingly, on Halloween weekend. It also came fresh off the bye week — when Auburn, and Harsin’s teams in general, have historically played well — and against a team the Tigers have dominated for the better part of a decade. Auburn had six straight wins against Arkansas entering Saturday, with an average margin of victory of 29 points during that stretch. It ended the day with its first home loss to the Razorbacks since 2012. The Tigers now have an active losing streak against each of the other six teams in the SEC West for the first time since 2012, and they’ve lost eight of their last nine games in conference play over the last calendar year, with the lone win an overtime escape against Missouri earlier this season.
Auburn had a chance to begin salvaging its season against Arkansas. It failed to do that, and now the team is in dire straits entering the final month of the season after falling to 9-11 overall during Harsin’s tenure.
Here are AL.com’s key takeaways from Auburn’s latest loss:
Auburn wastes Robby Ashford’s strong outing
Auburn’s offense has been an enigma for much of the season, and Saturday was no different. Despite getting an impressive performance from Robby Ashford, Auburn had little to show for it on the scoreboard.
Ashford completed 24-of-33 passes for 285 yards and a touchdown, and he added another 87 yards on the ground. Most importantly, he didn’t commit a turnover. Still, the Tigers couldn’t capitalize on quality field position and again struggled to close out drives.
Auburn’s first two drives of the game started near midfield — the first at its own 49-yard line, the second at Arkansas’ 47-yard line — but the Tigers mustered just 40 yards on 14 combined plays on those possessions, which ended in a missed 46-yard field goal by Anders Carlson and a make from the same distance.
Auburn couldn’t make the most of advantageous field position early on, and its most successful drives came in far more inopportune situations. The Tigers’ first touchdown of the game came after the Razorbacks pinned them at their own 7-yard line following a 78-yard punt. Auburn quickly marched downfield with a five-play, 93-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a 41-yard touchdown run by Tank Bigsby.
Even Auburn’s longest sustained drive of the day — a 13-play possession to open the second half — failed to yield any points. After marching down to the Arkansas 28-yard line, Ashford was sacked on third down, and Anders Carlson’s 52-yard field goal try on the ensuing snap was blocked.
Most of Auburn’s success offensively came late in the game, with the result well in hand, as the Tigers scored two late touchdowns — a touchdown pass from Ashford to freshman Camden Brown, and a rushing score from Jarquez Hunter to close the final gap in the waning seconds.
Another tough day for Anders Carlson at home
Jordan-Hare Stadium may boast one of the better environments in college football, but it has been far from a homefield advantage for kicker Anders Carlson, who has endured his share of struggles at home this season.
That was the case again against Arkansas, as Carlson made just two of his four field goal tries against the Razorbacks. The sixth-year senior missed a 46-yard attempt on Auburn’s opening drive and then connected on his second attempt from the same distance on the Tigers’ second possession. He tacked on a 24-yarder just before halftime to get Auburn within four at the break, but then on the team’s opening drive of the second half, he had a 52-yard attempt blocked, as Auburn came up empty in a key moment coming out of halftime.
In Auburn’s last three home games, Carlson is 4-of-8 on field goals, with one blocked try and all four misses coming from at least 40 yards out.
No answer for poor run defense
Auburn’s run defense was reeling entering the bye week. The extra time off did little to solve those issues for the Tigers against one of the nation’s top rushing offenses.
The Razorbacks ran for 290 yards and four touchdowns against the Tigers, with SEC leading rusher Raheim “Rocket” Sanders leading the way. Sanders amassed 171 yards on 16 carries — averaging 10.7 yards per touch—as Auburn surrendered more than 200 rushing yards in a third consecutive game. It’s the first time since 2012 that Auburn’s defense has allowed three straight opponents to run for 200-plus yards in a single season. That year, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M were the culprits; this time around it’s Georgia, Ole Miss and Arkansas.
Sanders did the heavy lifting, and he broke the dam for Auburn with a 76-yard run in the third quarter after the Tigers pinned the Razorbacks at their own 6-yard line. Arkansas scored a handful of plays later to take a 31-13 lead late in the quarter. Quarterback KJ Jefferson and Rashod Dubinion ran for two touchdowns apiece for Arkansas; Jefferson also completed 16-of-24 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown.
In six game against Power 5 competition this season, Auburn has given up 265.5 rushing yards per game.
Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.
