Auburn vs. Arkansas ... running blog (FINAL)

Here we go with our running blog of the Auburn-Arkansas game ...

(Don’t forget to check out my column which I’ll post later today.)

FINAL: Arkansas 44, Auburn 23

—Arkansas gets to 40 points first with another rushing touchdown, moving it back to a three-possession game for the Hogs. Arkansas capitalized on a huge kickoff return at the end of the third period to give the Razorbacks the ball on the Tigers’ 30 to start the drive. Talk about a momentum killer if you the Tigers after cutting the lead to 11.

—FUMBLE!!! Chris Todd drops the snap from center on fourth-and-an eyelash. That’s what happens when you’re not used to taking the ball from under center. Both times the Tigers have done it today they’ve fumbled. Arkansas has the ball back with 9 minutes to play. Auburn’s about out of time.

—FUMBLE!!!! Todd drops another one, this time while he was being sacked. Third turnover for the Tigers. Arkansas has turned those into 17 points. Can’t do that on the road with a young team and win. Period.

—Field goal – Arkansas first of the game. Six touchdowns and a 3-pointer. That’s getting it done.

—Auburn falls to 5-1. Hosts Kentucky next Saturday.

THIRD QUARTER: Arkansas 34, Auburn 23

—The most telling first-half stat? Total yards: Auburn 108, Arkansas 274. Oh, and the points. Bobby Petrino’s boys are rolling.

—FUMBLE!! Ben Tate’s fumble on the goal line was a kick to the midsection. Hard. Tate just didn’t take the handoff cleanly.
I noticed two things on that play. Chris Todd was under center, something he hasn’t done much of this year, if any. And starting guard Byron Isom was lined up as a fullback. Did either of those things have anything to do with the fumble? Probably not.
But a score there would have given Auburn the momentum, especially since its defense just forced a three-and-out and the Tigers went down the field in a hurry.
A score there would have made it 27-10. Turnovers kill.

— Touchdown Arkansas. Mallett waltzed (maybe even high-stepped) into the end zone untouched to make it 34-3. The Hogs just moved the ball down the field without incident.

—Tate dives into the end zone from 2 yards out to give Auburn its first touchdown of the game. 34-10. Not enough.
Not to kick a dead horse, but if Tate doesn’t fumble the first time on the goal line and Auburn’s defense stops Arkansas on the next drive, it’s 27-17 right now. I’m just sayin’.

—Three-and-out for Auburn’s defense. Again.

—Tate goes 60 yards (untouched) for his second touchdown of the game. Auburn 17 (14 points in less than 5 minutes), Arkansas 34.
This is the Auburn offense that we’re used to seeing. I guess it was just late getting off the bus. Maybe too late.

—Terrell Zachery is fast. The Auburn receiver set up Onterio McCalebb’s touchdown just before the end of the third quarter with a huge end-around run around the left side.
It was the Tigers third touchdown on as many drives. Now, it’s an 11-point game going into the fourth quarter.
Hold on to your seats.

—Auburn’s special teams are really bad. Just in case you forgot.

SECOND QUARTER: Arkansas 27, Auburn 3

—Just to be clear, Auburn’s defense didn’t stop Arkansas on fourth down to open the second quarter. Ryan Mallett’s pass was off.

—29 yards for Auburn on offense in the first quarter. Just one first down. Ouch.

—A hurry-up offense isn’t so great when you can’t get any first downs. The defense doesn’t get a chance to rest. Auburn needs to get some substantial drives going before its defense runs out of gas.

—Too late. On Arkansas first full possession of the quarter, Auburn’s defense was about as out of sync as the offense has been. Add two crucial penalties, including an unnecessary roughness call on safety Zac Etheridge, an it’s a Razorbacks’ score.
—FUMBLE! That one by Mario Fannin on the kickoff return hurt. Back on the field goes the Tiger D.

—Another touchdown for Arkansas. Nothing is going right for Gene Chizik and his team. Nothing.

—Well, at least Wes Byrum stays hot, putting the Tigers on the board with a field goal. They’ll need more than that, though.

—Auburn needed Walt McFadden’s interception like I need a nap. It was huge for momentum. But more so, it got the defense off the field. But it didn’t last long, as Auburn had to punt it away.

—Another penalty for Auburn. Oh, and another one. That’s seven already – five of them have given Arkansas a first down.

—Touchdown Hogs. Again. Nice play-action, rollout pass by Mallett. Everything is working for the home team.

—What kind of Auburn team will come out of the locker room in the third quarter? And will the Tigers be able to do enough to overcome a 24-point deficit?

FIRST QUARTER: Arkansas 6, Auburn 0

—Know I know why I like watching the games live, rather than on TV. Announcers bother me.

—I thought Ryan Mallett couldn’t move. But on Arkansas’ first drive of the game, Mallett (all 6-foot-7 of him) go out of the pocket and ran for the first down … running over Auburn cornerback Neiko Thorpe in the process.

—It looks pretty cold in Fayetteville. AU beat writer extraordinaire Andrew P. Gribble says it’s about 47 degrees there. It’s a nice 72 here in the Lazy Lair.

—Arkansas’ offense has scored every time it gets in the red zone: 15-for-15. Not bad. Neither was the 12-play, 73-yard drive it put together on its opening drive. Oh, the Razorbacks also had six first downs on the possession.

—The tackling woes for Auburn’s defense continue. Only twice in the first half did the Tigers bring a Razorback down on first contact.

—Man, commercials are long. And annoying.

—Auburn’s offense, three drives in, looks like out of sync. Give Arkansas’ defense a lot of credit here. I guess they read the clippings this week about how their defense isn’t that good. Looks like they’re out to prove everyone wrong.

—Starting out drives with penalties is a killer. First-and-15 is very bad. Auburn had that twice in the first quarter.

—The way things are going, that extra point botch for the Hogs could come back and bite them.

—For the first time this year, Auburn didn’t score a first-quarter point.