Hogs 'got punched in the mouth ... didn't respond'

Auburn running back Kamryn Pettway runs away from a group of Arkansas defenders during a game Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- The Arkansas Razorbacks held Auburn to 198 fewer rushing yards Saturday night than when the teams played last season.

Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, that was still way too many rushing yards.

Auburn rushed 47 times for 345 yards en route to beating the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville 52-20 at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

At least the Tigers didn't set records against the Razorbacks as they did in beating them 56-3 season.

Auburn rushed 57 times for 543 yards in that game to set a record for an Arkansas opponent.

Rice had held that record with 505 rushing yards in 1953 when the Owls beat the Razorbacks 47-0 in Houston.

Auburn set a school record for the most rushing yards by an SEC team against a conference opponent, surpassing the Razorbacks' 542 against South Carolina in 2007.

The Tigers' total Saturday was still the most rushing yards against the Razorbacks this season, surpassing Alabama's 308 on 41 carries last week.

"We've got to tackle better," Arkansas senior defensive back Kevin Richardson said. "We've got to make tackles in the open field, we've got to make tackles in the box. It comes down to that.

"We're here to play football and make tackles. That's just part of the game that's fundamental and we've got to work on that."

Senior linebacker Dwayne Eugene said the Razorbacks' defensive game plan was built around limiting Auburn rushing yards.

"Going into the game, we knew he had to stop the run," Eugene said. "That's something we obviously didn't do.

"It was definitely difficult, but Auburn's a great team. They're great up front. That's probably one of the most physical offensive lines we've played. Their skill positions are crazy."

Auburn was led by junior tailbacks Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson.

Pettway rushed 11 times for 90 yards and 3 touchdowns and Johnson rushed 21 times for 73 yards.

Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham had 4 carries for 49 yards, including an 18-yard scramble; backup Malik Wallace had a 48-yard run; and receiver Eli Stove had a 45-yard run on a reverse.

"We had the intent and the idea to make the game go in our favor we had to stop them from running the football, and at times did it in the first half," Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said. "But in the second half it just got out of control.

"We lost the edge on a couple of plays. Lost some tackles that need to be made and get the ball down."

Auburn rushed for 130 yards in the first half and built a 17-6 lead, but the Tigers drove 75 yards for a touchdown on their first possession of the third quarter, including 56 rushing yards.

"Coming out of halftime we got punched in the mouth and we didn't respond," Eugene said. "It's tough, but we've just got to keep getting better."

Richardson said defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads prepared the players well in practice this week.

"We knew coming into the game what they were going to do," Richardson said. "We prepared for it well all week. We've just to come out and translate that to Saturday.

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"If it comes down to us having to tackle better, we're going to work on tackling. If it comes down to fitting holes better, we'll work on that."

Sports on 10/22/2017