Observations: Auburn 38, Arkansas 23
By starting fast, overcoming mid-game adversity and finishing well, the Tigers showed growth in what felt like a turning point for 2021.
QB Bo Nix (Todd Van Emst/Auburn Athletics)
Beating Arkansas isn’t anything new for Auburn now. The Tigers entered Saturday with a five-game winning streak over the Razorbacks, their longest active one against an SEC opponent.
But this one felt different, and for good reason. Beating this Arkansas team in this type of road atmosphere at this point in the season with this type of performance means so much for Bryan Harsin and his team.
“That was a fun game,” Harsin said after Auburn’s 38-23 win. “I think Arkansas is a really good team. Lot of respect. I like the way they play. I like the way our guys played today. That was a good football game that we got a chance to be a part of. To be on the road and to win — and going into a bye week — man, all of these things are big for our program.”
It wasn’t always pretty, especially toward the middle. Yet Auburn was able to overcome all of that with a signature performance from its starting quarterback, a clean game from the vast majority of its offense, and some clutch play from a determined defense.
Here are the Observations from Auburn’s latest win at Arkansas, along with Nerd Stats, No-Huddle Notes and the Quote of the Day on what was the biggest play of the game.