MICHAEL WOODS Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Arkansas junior running back Michael Smith tries to shake Auburn defender Josh Bynes during the second quarter of the Hogs ’ 25-22 win Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala.

A week ago, the Arkansas Razorbacks appeared to be in one miserable predicament.

After three consecutive blowouts, the Hogs were 2-3 on the season and 0-2 in Southeastern Conference play. With a trip to No. 20 Auburn on the horizon and six games to follow, fans couldn't see a win in sight.

What a difference a week and a SEC road victory can make.

The Hogs 25-22 upset of Tommy Tuberville's staggering Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium was just the medicine Bobby Petrino's Razorbacks needed to stop their bleeding.

" We needed a win, " Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino said. " The good thing is that we've been showing progress. We're going to try to build on that and stay positive. I can't say enough about our players not getting down and still coming to practice and working hard. " The Razorbacks won the game despite themselves. The Hogs'three turnovers - two interceptions and a fumble on the secondhalf kickoff - and blown assignments set up all of Auburn's points. But unlike in previous games where mistakes ground the Hogs into the turf, the Razorbacks overcame such difficulties and found a way to win. " A lot of things happened in this game that could have made it turn the other way, " Petrino said. " We didn't play great special teams, but I think our offense did great. We moved the ball very well. We were able to run the ball and throw it.

" I'm very happy with the poise Casey Dick showed. Defensively, I thought we did a great job of controlling the line of scrimmage. We were able to stop their run and put pressure on their quarterback. It's a good win for us. "

While the Razorbacks showed some improvement during their three-game losing streak, the victory over Auburn verifies it.

" We needed a win, " Petrino said. " The good thing is that we've been showing progress. We're going to try to build on that and stay positive. I can't say enough about our players not getting down and still coming to practice and working hard. " They did a great job and it shows they have great character and that our leadership is really starting to come through. "

Somehow a 3-3 mark overall and 1-2 record in SEC play doesn't look quite as bad, considering in the latest Associated Press poll Texas is ranked No. 1, Alabama is No. 2 and Florida is No. 5. Most teams that played Arkansas' schedule would have a identical record.

Considering, the only ranked team left on Arkansas' schedule is No. 13 LSU, the rest of the season seems much more manageable than a week ago.

The Razorbacks travel to Kentucky on Saturday for a 6 p.m. contest against Rich Brooks'Wildcats, who opened the season 4-0, but have lost their last two games to Alabama, 17-14, and South Carolina, 24-17, the last two weeks to fall to 4-2 overall and 0-2 in SEC play.

The Razorbacks play host to Ole Miss (3-3, 1-2 ) on Oct. 24 and Tulsa (6-0 ) on Nov. 1 for homecoming.

The Hogs travel to South Carolina (5-2, 2-2 ) on Nov. 8 and have an open date on Nov. 15 before traveling to Mississippi State (2-4, 1-2 ) on Nov. 22 and closing out the regular season with LSU (4-1, 2-1 ) on Nov. 28 at Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium.

Arkansas quarterback Casey Dick said the victory came at the right time.

" I don't think I have ever been more happy of a group of guys in my life, " Dick said. " We have been through a lot in the last couple of games and it's easy to see how we have gotten a lot better.

" We've grown as a team. We came out and executed well. We knew if we could get the ball in the fourth quarter, in a close game we would have a chance. The bottom line, we just went out there and executed, had fun and stuck together. "

The hero of the game was tailback Michael Smith, who gained 176 yards on 35 carries and made 2 catches for 46 yards, said he's glade he played well but was even happier for the win.

" I'm just glad we came out and got the win, " Smith said. " To be honest with you, I didn't even know that I had that many carries, but I think my body knows it. It was a physical game and I took some big hits, but it wasn't that bad. "

Arkansas senior center Jonathan Luigs said it is too early to tell how the victory will affect the team, but that it has to be a positive.

" It's great to get a win, especially when you go on the road and you're playing a team like Auburn. They're a good team, " Luigs said. " We were able to come together [as a team ], especially the past two weeks. Emotionally, we went from feeling down to a big high after this game. We'll see how that high helps us. "