AUBURN — After getting back on the winning side of things, Auburn will host the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday in both teams' first conference game of the season.
Here are five things to watch for in Saturday's matchup:
T-will's return to JHS
The Arkansas defense is led by former Auburn linebacker and linebacker's coach, Travis Williams. Williams will most likely come into Jordan-Hare on Saturday with a sour taste in his mouth after the Tigers hung 48 points on his defense a year ago.
The Razorbacks have taken a step forward under William's guidance in 2024, allowing just 185 rushing yards through three games and just 22 points per game.
With a physical defense up front, led by Landon Jackson and Xavian Sorey Jr., Williams will most likely throw the house at the young Hank Brown, getting his first SEC start for Auburn.
Petrino Vs. Durkin
Bobby Petrino and DJ Durkin were both on Texas A&M's staff last year as the offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively. This time, they'll be aiming to stop one another.
Petrino has a top-three offense in the league coming into Saturday's game, averaging a whopping 587.3 yards per game. On the other side of things, Durkin has a bottom-tier defense after three weeks, giving up the most yards through the air as any team in the league.
The big storyline between the two coordinators for Saturday is whether one has an advantage due to their familiarity and time spent together last year on A&M's staff.
Can Auburn contain Taylen Green?
Auburn had trouble keeping Devan Dampier in the pocket and getting him to the ground last week. This week, they'll face another electric signal-caller in Taylen Green.
Green comes into the game totaling 806 yards through the air and 245 yards on the ground. The Razorbacks' offense goes as he goes, so a big point of emphasis for Durkin and the Tigers will be to keep him contained and under duress throughout the game.
Hank Brown
All the hype is around the redshirt freshman after he provided the offensive spark the Tigers needed in their win over New Mexico. This week, Brown will see an uptick in competition with the Razorbacks.
Brown threw for 235 yards with four touchdowns a week ago. The biggest thing was that he didn't turn the ball over - a problem for the Tiger's offense thus far.
Brown did a nice job of spreading the ball around to his playmakers last week, and with the possible addition of Cam Coleman back in the receiver room, he'll have no shortage of playmakers around him to alleviate some of the pressure.
Can he keep the offense rolling as the stakes get higher?
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CTS on ESPN.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email logan.fowler@1819News.com.
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