Razorbacks report
Facing Alex
Auburn has allowed a 100-yard rusher in four of its six games this season, and Arkansas tailback Alex Collins has rushed for at least 127 yards in four of six games.
The Tigers understand that limiting Collins, the SEC’s No. 4 rusher with an average of 113.7 yards per game, will play a big role in whether they can knock off Arkansas.
“He’ll definitely be a focal point,” Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn said on his weekly radio show. “He is a very good one. He’s very explosive, he’s fast, he can hit the hole, he can make things bounce. He can hit anywhere on the field, and that’s really something special that a running back has. I think his speed to get to the perimeter is really something too.”
Auburn linebacker Tre Williams said he is eager to face the Razorbacks.
“As a linebacker, you have to enjoy contact,” Williams said. “With Arkansas, you’re going to come out of this game pretty sore. You have to get your mind right from Day 1.”
Eyes right
Arkansas defensive personnel said Wednesday that Auburn’s motions, movements and changing formations can be confusing without proper eye discipline.
“That’s one of our main keys this week,” linebacker Brooks Ellis said. “They’ve got guys flying everywhere across the formation and stuff, and if you don’t have your eyes in the right place you’re going to get messed up and you’re going to go where you’re not supposed to be.”
Defensive line coach Rory Segrest said defensive players have to be sharp against the up-tempo Tigers.
“You have to make sure you’re identifying who’s where,” Segrest said. “Not just the formation, but identifying who’s where to be able to get adjusted and aligned to those things.”
Rain game?
Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said Wednesday the Razorbacks aren’t worried about whether it rains Saturday against Auburn.
The weather forecast calls for a 60 percent chance for rain for the 11 a.m. kickoff.
“One of the things we try to tell our kids is to control the controllables,” Bielema said on the SEC coaches teleconference. “You embrace whatever the situation is. We have played well on rainy days.”
Bielema notched his first SEC victory last year against LSU on a wet-weather day and the Razorbacks downed Tennessee 24-20 three weeks ago on a slick grass field.
“It’s not something our kids are afraid of,” Bielema said.
Watts power
Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Armon Watts made one of the best plays of his young career at Alabama, getting pressure on quarterback Jake Coker that led to Josh Liddell’s interception in the second quarter.
“I’ve been talking to Coach [Rory] Segrest a lot and he just wants me to take advantage of every rep I get and contribute to the team any way I can,” Watts said. “That’s really what I’m taking into consideration every day.”
Watts said his performance in Arkansas’ 24-20 victory at Tennessee led to an uptick in his playing time on the Hogs’ deep front.
“I made a tackle and I pursued the ball better than I usually did, and I guess coach had an eye on that,” he said. “He thought I could make a play, so I took advantage of it.”
Tiger dings
Auburn’s injury list isn’t as substantial as the Razorbacks’ long one, but the Tigers have had numerous players hurt, including defensive end Carl Lawson (hip), cornerback Josh Holsey (knee) and center Xavier Dampeer (undisclosed), who are all out for Saturday.
Defensive tackle Montravius Adams and running back Roc Thomas (leg) are probable, and fivestar running back signee Jovon Robinson (ankle) is questionable.
Robinson has four carries for 20 yards.
“He’s starting to get healthy,” Coach Gus Malzahn said. “You could see him more and more. … You could see him Saturday or you could see him before the season’s out.”
Auburn cornerbacks Tim Irvin (foot) and T.J. Davis (knee) are ailing, as is defensive lineman Jaunta’ vius Johnson (knee).
Big half
Auburn scored 23 points last Thursday in the first half of its 30-27 victory at Kentucky. The Tigers had been shut out in the first halves of their previous SEC games — a 45-21 loss at LSU on Sept. 19 and a 17-9 home loss to Mississippi State on Sept. 26.