AUBURN, Ala. — A rare special teams occurrence for the University of Arkansas wound up looming large on Saturday as the Razorbacks snapped a six-game losing streak to Auburn with a 41-27 thumping.
With Auburn generating momentum late in the first half to pull within 17-13 and driving into field goal range to open the second half, the Razorbacks’ special teams turned in a game-changing play.
Defensive linemen Isaiah Nichols and Landon Jackson both got a hand on Anders Carlson’s 52-yard field goal try at the end of a 40-yard drive to stunt the Tigers’ energy and propel Arkansas to a 14-0 third quarter.
“It was a long field goal,” Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman said. “He had to drive it. But that was a big, big play. We went down and scored. Big, big part of the game.”
Instead of Auburn pulling within 17-16 and kicking off, the Razorbacks took over at their 36 with 8:37 left in the third quarter and drove for KJ Jefferson’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Jadon Haselwood to begin creating separation at 24-13.
The Razorbacks blocked their first field goal in more than four years, since a 55-20 win over Eastern Illinois in the 2018 season opener, the first game of the ill-fated Chad Morris era.
Linebacker Bumper Pool, now a fifth-year senior, was credited with the block against Eastern Illinois’ Nick Bruno but replays showed defensive lineman McTelvin Agim actually got his hand on that kick.
“They came off hard,” Pool said of the Razorbacks’ field goal block unit. “I was looking, and I couldn’t see the kicker at all. So I mean, if one didn’t block it, the other one’s going to get it.”
Johnson injured
Arkansas junior running back Dominique Johnson, who missed the first three games recovering from a knee injury he suffered in the Outback Bowl against Penn State last season, is hurt again.
Razorbacks Coach Sam Pittman said Johnson didn’t make the trip to Auburn after the team learned Thursday he is injured.
Pittman said he will provide more details about Johnson’s injury on Monday when he holds his weekly news conference.
Johnson, who rushed 97 times for 575 yards and 7 touchdowns last season, has 8 carries for 43 yards this season.
100 times 9
Raheim Sanders extended Arkansas’ program-record streak of having at least one player rush for 100 or more yards to nine games when he had 16 carries for 171 yards on Saturday.
The streak started the Razorbacks’ 24-10 victory over Penn State in the Outback Bowl last season when quarterback KJ Jefferson 20 carries for 110 yards.
Landers in rhythm
Arkansas senior Matt Landers, a transfer from Toledo, has 12 receptions for 214 yards in the last 2 games.
Landers, who was targeted by quarterback KJ Jefferson 5 times on Saturday and had 4 receptions for 115 yards, including a season-long 56-yarder. He gained 44 yards after the catch.
“Matt’s extremely hard on himself,” Jefferson said. “So being able to get him into rhythm early, let him get a feel for the game, and then I know I can go to Matt in tough situations.”
Landers had 8 catches for 99 yards and 3 touchdowns — which tied an Arkansas record — in the Razorbacks’ 52-35 victory at BYU two weeks ago.
Saturday was Landers’ second game this season with more than 100 yards. He had 7 catches for 123 yards when the Razorbacks beat Missouri State 38-27.
For starters
Arkansas senior nickel back Myles Slusher, who had missed the last two games because of a calf injury, was back in the starting lineup on Saturday.
Junior Hudson Clark — who has played at cornerback and safety — started at cornerback with Malik Chavis not making the trip because he was in the concussion protocol.
Arkansas went with four defensive linemen to start the game: Ends Landon Jackson and Eric Gregory, and tackles Isaiah Nichols and Terry Hampton.
Long and short
Arkansas senior Reid Bauer had a career-long punt of 78 yards in the second quarter.
The Razorbacks had fourth down at their 15 when Bauer blasted the ball to the Auburn 30 — a 55-yard kick — where Tigers return man Keionte Scott failed to field it.
The ball then bounced 23 yards and was downed at the Auburn 7 by Bryce Stephens.
Bauer’s 78-yard punt tied for the 10th-longest ever by a Razorback.
Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, they couldn’t take advantage of flipping the field as Auburn drove 93 yards for a touchdown to pull within 14-10.
Bauer’s first punt of the game went just 27 yards to the Auburn 49, but Anders Carlson missed a 47-yard field goal to end the possession.
After the 78-yarder, Bauer had a 24-yard punt that gave the Tigers the ball at their 41 with 50 seconds left in the second quarter.
Auburn then got a 24-yard field goal from Carlson with six seconds left before halftime to cut the Razorbacks’ lead to 17-13.
Wild West
Auburn became the fifth SEC West team Arkansas has beaten in Coach Sam Pittman’s three seasons.
The only West team the Razorbacks have yet to beat under Pittman is Alabama, which won 49-26 at Arkansas earlier this season to extend the Crimson Tide’s streak in the series to 16 consecutive victories.
Curles on the crew
Long-time SEC official Marc Curles, best known to Arkansas fans for blowing some calls in No. 1 Florida’s 23-20 victory over the Razorbacks in 2009, apparently has been demoted.
Curles, normally the referee, was the center judge for the Arkansas-Auburn game.
Open-date loss
Bryan Harsin-coached teams dropped to 10-2 after in-season open dates at Arkansas State University, Boise State and Auburn.
Harsin’s teams had won six consecutive games after an open date — including Boise State’s 17-9 victory over Wyoming in 2020 when the Broncos had three weeks between games during a season affected by cancellations because of covid-19 — before losing to the Razorbacks.
The only game a Harsin-coached team previously had lost after an open date was New Mexico’s 31-24 victory over Boise State in 2015.
In Harsin’s only season at ASU in 2013, the Red Wolves beat Idaho 48-24 after an open date.
Auburn beat No. 10 Ole Miss 31-21 coming off an open date last season.
Dooley honored
Before Vince Dooley became Georgia’s coach, he was a player and assistant at Auburn.
Dooley, who died Friday at age 90, was remembered before Saturday’s game with a moment of silence.
Dooley played quarterback for the Tigers from 1951-53 and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Auburn.
After serving in the United States Marine Corps, Dooley was an Auburn assistant from 1956-63, then became Georgia’s coach from 1964-88 and had a 201-77-10 record highlighted by the 1980 national championship.
Dooley was Georgia’s athletic director from 1979-2004.
Joe and Sir Charles
Former Razorback basketball player Joe Kleine attended the game with Charles Barkley, the Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer who starred at Auburn.
Kleine and Barkley were NBA teammates with the Phoenix Suns and remain close friends.
Somehow Kleine got Barkley to wear a Razorbacks cap in a photo posted on Twitter.
“Turning him towards the light!” Kleine tweeted.
Auburn series
Arkansas improved to 12-19-2 against Auburn in beating the Tigers for the first time since 2015, when the Razorbacks won 54-46 in four overtimes in Fayetteville.
Arkansas is 6-9 at Auburn, where the Razorbacks last had won 24-7 in 2012 when John L. Smith was their interim coach.
Liberty in the house
Harold Graether, associate executive of the Liberty Bowl, attended Saturday’s game.
The Liberty Bowl will be played Dec. 28 in Memphis and matches teams from the SEC and Big 12.