The Arkansas Razorbacks came into their game with Auburn Saturday afternoon needing a big win. Razorback’s coach Houston Nutt had acknowledged on Friday that if his Hogs were to win, it would be the biggest of his career especially after going 13-19 the past two years. Nutt got his win over the Tigers in a stunning performance by his Hogs as they shut down Auburn’s vaunted power game and made their stifling defense look like a sieve torching it for 277 rushing yards on 45 carries led by a tandem of running backs, Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. McFadden and Jones each ran for more than 100 yards and a touchdown as Arkansas posted an impressive 27-10 victory over the second-ranked Tigers
The Razorbacks, (4-1, 3-0 SEC) had not played since September 23, when they edged Alabama in double overtime, 24-23. Arkansas did not need the extra session Saturday thanks to the dominant ground game.
“We started the week off by making our guys fully understand that this was the most important game that we could probably play all year,” Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville said. “It was a game against the only other undefeated team. (In the SEC West).”
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His plea proved prophetic as the Razorbacks came into Jordan-Hare Stadium and controlled things from the outset, taking a 10-0 advantage in the first quarter and leading thereafter.
“These players and the coaching staff, they laid it on the line,” Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. “I thought our offense and defensive lines were the key, they controlled the line of scrimmage.”
McFadden finished with 145 yards on 28 carries. His 63-yard scamper in the second quarter gave Arkansas a 17-7 lead and was the first rushing touchdown allowed by the Tigers this season. Jones added 104 yards on 13 carries and a one-yard scoring run in the third quarter for Arkansas, which now is the only team in the SEC West without a conference loss.
“We knew that in order to win the game we would have to be able to run the ball and score some touchdowns off the run,” McFadden said. “If we couldn’t do that, we wouldn’t have been able to win the game.”
With McFadden and Jones carrying the load for Arkansas, true freshman quarterback Mitch Mustain was not called on to do much but still made an impact. Mustain completed 7-of-10 passes for 87 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Monk late in the first quarter that gave the Razorbacks a 10-0 lead.
“I don’t know if we’re a good football team, but for two hours and 40 minutes today we were a good football team,” Nutt said. “To go on the road and win a game like this against a team the caliber of Auburn, it’s huge.
