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Oct 12th, 2007 01:32AM
by: whatsshakinbacon

Auburn versus Arkansas Preview
Volume LXXVIII
October 12, 2007

There’s no harder day at work than the Monday you return from a vacation. You get swarmed with phone calls, personnel issues and paperwork. But the hardest part is simply making that adjustment back to reality while visions of white sandy beaches and the sound of waves crash in the back of your mind.

Arkansas finds itself in this position Saturday night in Fayetteville when they return to the gridiron with an SEC welcome back party hosted by the improving Auburn Tigers.

Auburn has found a running game a la Brad Lester at tailback, something seriously lacking in losses against South Florida and Mississippi State. Lester returned last week from a five game academic suspension. Meanwhile Arkansas hasn’t yet found the passing game many expected David Lee to bring with him. Of the 13 completions against Chattanooga, only 6 were to receivers, three of those to the combo back-receiver Reggie Fish.

Auburn’s quarterback Brandon Cox has turned his season around. The insertion of freshman Fort Smith Northside product Kodi Burns at QB several weeks ago served as a wakeup call to the inconsistent Cox, who has posted SEC-like numbers since. Elsewhere, Rogers product Lee Ziemba has helped as a freshman on an offensive line that is maturing quickly.

But make no mistake, the strength of this year’s version of Auburn is its defense. Despite 4 defensive mainstays being gone last week due to injury, the Tigers gave up only 7 points in their victory over Vanderbilt in what many considered to be a trap game the week after a big win against Florida in Gainesville. Unfortunately for Arkansas, the youngsters who filled in for the injured Tigers performed extremely well against a seasoned Vanderbilt offense. Injury reports this week have two of the four hurt players markedly improved, but maybe not well enough to take the field Saturday.

Though the offenses and defenses are pretty well defined, the real story of this matchup is without a doubt the two men leading their respective teams. The loser Saturday night will surge ahead in the race for a pink slip. Houston Nutt’s seat is the hottest in all of football, and Tommy Tuberville, despite being the third winningest coach in the country since 2000, is feeling pressure from Tiger nation after early season losses.

Will an injured Darren McFadden be able to play without fumbling? Will Brandon Cox continue his streak of good outings? Both of these questions will be answered Saturday night. But player performances will pale in comparison to the importance of a solid game plan and a motivational coach. I wish I were fortunate enough to hear both pre-game speeches. I suspect they will be the most impassioned the bowels of Razorback stadium have ever heard.

In a game rife with intangibles, the impact of team momentum has to be worrisome for Razorback fans. Auburn has turned their season around. Losses to Mississippi State and South Florida are far less surprising than at the time they occurred. Both of those teams have looked impressive as they move into the meat of their seasons.

And on the plains Tommy Tuberville is stressing that his Auburn bunch is pulling together as a team. He credits the last couple of games for growing this club together. One quote from practice this week stands out: “…the thing I liked the most is we played together as a team. Everybody was pulling for each other.” Winning against a top five Florida team in Gainesville has gone a long ways towards jumpstarting Auburn.

This Tiger club may have things figured out. And the major concern for this fan is Arkansas appears to be heading the opposite way. Controversy is swirling around the Broyles Complex. Rumors abound of dissension not just between the staff and fans, but also between the staff itself. And at least one player has told others that he and some teammates have lost confidence in Nutt. And in statewide media last week there was more discussion regarding the morality of booing than football itself.

Saturday night comes down to one main theme. These are two teams heading in two different directions. It is entirely possible that they will reverse courses Saturday night. I’m inclined to give the nod to Auburn, but over the last three years Nutt has always seemed to win the statement games needed to secure his job.

This Saturday will feature a team pulling together and playing team ball versus one searching its soul for a healing victory…A motivated Auburn wanting to avenge its loss from a year ago against an Arkansas team that craves a rallying point. Unlike last week, the Razorbacks cannot afford to flatly waltz through 60 minutes expecting to win, they must be motivated. A repeat performance from the Hogs and we won’t have to worry about booing, because an empty stadium makes no sound.

Bacon out…