Ben Hicks vs. No. 11 Auburn
At/Behind LOS: 7/9, 30 yards
1-5 yard throws: 4/9, 35 yards
6-10 yard throws: 6/12, 85 yards, TD
11-15 yard throws: 1/3, 13 yards
16+ yard throws: 1/6, 19 yards, INT
Yards after catch: 119 (Cheyenne O’Grady 58, Rakeem Boyd 29, Devwah Whaley 17, Treylon Burks 10, Trey Knox 4, Tyson Morris 1)
Interceptable passes: 1 (incomplete to Morris 8 yards downfield on slant route)
Inaccurate passes: 9 (incomplete to Burks 15 yards downfield, Hicks was hit and Burks fell on his route; incomplete 17 yards downfield to Mike Woods, pass was late and into the Arkansas sideline; incomplete to Woods 1 yard downfield, led too much toward Auburn sideline; complete to Burks 12 yards downfield, pass was high and behind, but Burks made tremendous circus catch; incomplete to Knox 11 yards downfield near Arkansas 10, high; incomplete to Knox 10 yards downfield in end zone, pass again was high; interception targeting Burks 27 yards downfield, did not give Burks a chance to make a play; incomplete to Chase Harrell 2 yards downfield on 4th down; incomplete to Burks 22 yards downfield, pass well behind Burks)
Passes tipped at line: 2
Passes broken up: 3 (incomplete to Knox 16 yards downfield on RPO; incomplete to O’Grady 10 yards downfield; incomplete to Burks 6-plus yards downfield in fourth quarter)
Drops: 3 (Woods on 4-yard pass on second series; Knox on 21-yard pass down the seam; Harrell on 8-yard slant on Hicks’ final throw)
Throwaways: 2
Analysis: Making his first start since Week 2 at Ole Miss, Ben Hicks knew he had his work cut out for him facing Auburn's ultra-talented defensive line led by Marlon Davidson and Derrick Brown. Overall, Hicks completed 19 of 39 passes for 182 yards, one touchdown and the first interception of his season after 108 pass attempts. He was pressured and hit early and often, and in the third quarter he began favoring his left shoulder after taking a hit on the play in which he was intercepted. Hicks, understandably, was unsettled in the pocket for a majority of the game and that gave way to his most inaccurate outing of the year - nine inaccurate passes. Entering the Auburn game, he had thrown just 10 such passes in his first four outings. The Razorbacks' staff, it appeared, made a concerted effort to limit shots down the field and hone in on short and intermediate routes. Hicks was 2/9 with an interception on throws 11-plus yards downfield and attempted a season-high nine passes at or behind the line of scrimmage, utilizing Cheyenne O'Grady, Rakeem Boyd and Devwah Whaley in the screen game as best he could. Boyd and Whaley actually gained 43 yards after the catch on screen passes. Ideally, you would like to see Hicks be more efficient on balls 6-10 yards down the field, but Auburn's coverage was tight. Arkansas' one explosive play in the game - O'Grady's 45-yard touchdown in the third quarter - is a credit to Hicks, who Chad Morris said checked into a more advantageous call and worked his top target open in space against a linebacker. Morris also commended Hicks for getting the Razorbacks' offensive line into the right protections more often than not. The front five was not always effective, but Hicks was solid in his pre-snap reads and adjustments. Three drops also hurt his numbers. Mike Woods' drop would have kept Arkansas' second series alive on 3rd down, and Trey Knox would have pushed the Razorbacks into the red zone in the third quarter had he held on to a pass 21 yards downfield. Offensive coordinator Joe Craddock said Monday that Hicks played about as well as he could have "considering the circumstances," but Arkansas' search for consistency at the quarterback position continues heading into No. 1 Alabama.
Up-to-date season stats
Nick Starkel
At/Behind LOS: 20/28, 78 yards, INT
1-5 yard throws: 25/31, 176 yards, TD
6-10 yard throws: 21/35, 215 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
11-15 yard throws: 11/24, 228 yards, 2 TD, INT
16+ yard throws: 11/32, 363 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
Interceptable passes: 6
Inaccurate passes: 25
Ben Hicks
At/Behind LOS: 16/24, 57 yards
1-5 yard throws: 16/27, 134 yards
6-10 yard throws: 10/23, 149 yards, TD
11-15 yard throws: 8/16, 101 yards, TD
16+ yard throws: 10/25, 241 yards, INT
Interceptable passes: 9
Inaccurate passes: 19