Auburn @ Arkansas preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 16, 2010 ) Arkansas 43, Auburn 65

THE STORY: Auburn went on the road and knocked off a ranked Southeastern Conference team last week in South Carolina. The No. 23 Tigers look to do it again at No. 12 Arkansas in a big SEC West showdown. Last week, the running of Michael Dyer and a resurgent defense led the Tigers to a 16-13 victory over South Carolina. Dyer tied a school record with 41 carries, rushing for 141 yards on a sprained ankle. The Razorbacks rallied from an 18-point halftime deficit to defeat future SEC member Texas A&M 42-38 behind quarterback Tyler Wilson’s record-setting performance. Wilson passed for a school-record 510 yards, the fifth-highest total ever by a SEC quarterback and tops in the nation this season. The Razorbacks desperately need a win; a loss to Auburn would put Arkansas two games behind the Tigers in the West. Auburn won a shootout last season at home 65-43. The Tigers lead the series 11-8-1.

TV: ESPN, ESPN3.com. LINE: Arkansas -10

ABOUT AUBURN (4-1, 2-0 SEC West): The Tigers have struggled on defense all season, but held SEC leading rusher Marcus Lattimore to 66 yards rushing and kept the game close until Dyer and the Auburn offense wore down the Gamecocks in the second half. Leading receiver Emory Blake injured his foot last week and is questionable. The Tigers will need an even bigger performance by their defense this week against the high-powered Arkansas offense: Auburn ranks last in the SEC and 106th in the nation in total defense, and was torched for 386 yards and four touchdowns by Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd earlier this season.

ABOUT ARKANSAS (4-1, 0-1): Wilson earned SEC co-offensive player of the week honors, but he wasn’t alone in putting up big numbers against Texas A&M. Jarius Wright caught 13 passes for 281 yards. Arkansas averages 351.8 passing yards per game (tops in the SEC and seventh in the nation), but the rushing game has struggled without Knile Davis, who was lost in the preseason with an ankle injury. Cornerback Darius Winston and defensive tackle Robert Thomas are questionable after suffering knee injuries last week.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Arkansas is 20-for-20 in the red zone this season, with 15 touchdowns.

2. Auburn punter Steven Clark won conference special teams player of the week after five punts pinned South Carolina inside its 12-yard line last week.

3. Auburn plays its second game of a brutal four-game stretch against ranked teams, with Florida and LSU waiting the next two weeks.

PREDICTION: Arkansas 42, Auburn 34 - In another shootout, Wilson finds enough holes in the Auburn secondary as the Razorbacks outlast the Tigers.