Oct 22, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers running back Stanton Truitt (10) gets past Arkansas Razorback defenders and scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Tigers beat the Razorbacks 56-3. Photo Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
AUBURN, Ala. — Last year, it took four overtimes to determine a winner between Auburn and Arkansas. This year, it took basically a half.
Behind a powerful rushing attack, big plays and a stifling defense, No. 21 Auburn jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back en route to a 56-3 victory over No. 17 Arkansas. It was the largest margin of victory against a ranked opponent in Tigers’ history.
The Tigers (5-2, 3-1 SEC) rolled up a regular-season SEC-record 543 yards on the ground and 632 yards of total offense. Auburn’s defense, which recorded four sacks, limited the Razorbacks (5-3, 1-3) to 25 yards rushing, and held running back Rawleigh Williams III, who entered the game as the SEC’s leading rusher, to 22 yards on 13 carries.
“That was one of the more impressive wins since I’ve been here,” Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said. “Our defense, once again, played outstanding. To hold that team to 25 yards rushing is really unbelievable.”
Auburn raced out to a 21-0 lead after one quarter and entered halftime with a 28-3 advantage.
When play resumed in the third quarter, the narrative remained the same. Auburn quarterback Sean White capped a 15-play, 86-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run to give the Tigers a 35-3 lead with 6:06 remaining in the third quarter.
Auburn running back Kamryn Pettway added a 23-yard scoring run later in the period to help the Tigers up their lead to 42-3. Running back/receiver Stanton Truitt’s third score of the night, a 31-yard run, put Auburn up 49-3 early in the fourth quarter. Running back Kam Martin capped the Tigers scoring by rushing for a 51-yard score with 4:27 left in the game. It was the first touchdown of Martin’s career.
“Give a lot of credit to Auburn,” Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema said. “They came ready to play. The bye week comes at a very critical time. Tomorrow will be a long day. It won’t be a lot of fun.”
Pettway finished with 192 yards rushing and two scores. White completed 6 of 11 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. He also added a career-high 61 yards and a score on the ground.
Truitt added 78 yards rushing and two touchdowns and one reception for 45 yards and a score.
Arkansas wide receiver Keon Hatcher led the Razorbacks in receptions. He caught seven passes for 81 yards. Five of his seven grabs resulted in a first down. Drew Morgan added four catches for 42 yards.
The Tigers opened the game with a bang when true freshman wide receiver Eli Stove took a handoff on a jet sweep and raced 78 yards for a touchdown on Auburn’s first offensive possession. It was the first score of Stove’s career and made it 7-0.
After the Tigers’ defense forced its second punt in as many possessions, Auburn marched 91 yards in 10 plays and took a 14-0 lead after Pettway bulldozed over defenders en route to a 9-yard touchdown run. The scoring drive was sparked by a 41-yard run by White.
“Any time you’ve got Pettway running downhill, it opens White up,” Malzahn said. “And he’s pretty fast too.”
Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen fumbled on the ensuing possession, which led to a 20-yard scoring run by Truitt.
Truitt tacked on his second score of the half when he hauled in a 45-yard pass from White with 1:28 left until halftime. That capped a dominating first half on both sides of the ball for the Tigers.
The Razorbacks received a scare during the second quarter when Allen, who was sacked three times and under constant duress in the first half, went down with an apparent knee injury. But he returned on Arkansas’ next possession and led the Razorbacks on a six-play, 39-yard drive that resulted in a field goal as time expired in the half.
“I made sure he was cleared,” Bielema said. “He is a tremendous competitor and it is going to take a lot to try to hold him out.”
Allen finished the night by completing 17 of 30 passes for 187 yards. He was pulled in the fourth quarter when the outcome was determined.
“We pulled Allen at the end because it (knee) started to swell up,” Bielema said.
Defensively, Auburn had 11 tackles for loss compiled by 10 different players. Defensive end Jeff Holland picked up his first sack of the season, and safety Rudy Ford finished with five tackles, giving him 258 for his career. Cornerback Javaris Davis tallied his second interception.
Auburn improved to 6-0 under Malzahn in regular season games following a bye week. Over the last three games, Auburn has outscored its opponents in the first quarter 49-0.
“When you beat a Top 20 team that beat Ole Miss last week, we’ll take it,” Malzahn said. “We played great in all three phases. But we have to keep getting better.”
NOTES: The F-16 pregame flyover was conducted by the Alabama Air National Guard’s 187th Fighter Wing from Montgomery, Ala., “Home of the 100th Fighter Squadron’s Alabama Red Tails and Tuskegee Airmen.” … Kam Pettway got the start at running back for Auburn. … Tigers’ RB Kerryon Johnson did not play. … Auburn’s freshmen and sophomore skill players had combined for 2,537 yards of the Tigers’ 2,875 yards of total offense through the team’s first six games. … Arkansas RB Rawleigh Williams III, Florida State RB Dalvin Cook and Louisville QB Lamar Jackson were the only three players among the power five conferences with 750-plus yards and at least five rushing TDs this season entering the game. … Over the 12 games dating back to last season prior to Saturday, Arkansas senior DE Deatrich Wise Jr. recorded 47 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.
