Arkansas Razorbacks Football: Five most important games for Hogs in 2015

Apr 18, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn looks on during the spring game at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports

3. Arkansas vs Auburn – Oct. 24

Auburn enters the 2015 season as another one of the teams to beat in the SEC and was picked to win the conference by media members at SEC Media Days in Hoover. If that’s the case, then this game could turn into a huge opportunity for the Razorbacks to jump into the national spotlight on a grand scale, especially if the Razorbacks pull off the win the week before the bye against Alabama in T-town.

Related: Auburn Preview and Prediction

In fact, I would go so far as to say that if Arkansas were to beat Alabama the week before, that this game would most certainly be the game of the week and ESPN would have no choice to swarm the town of Fayetteville with T.V. trucks.

Taking a look at the game, Arkansas will undoubtedly have a bit of an edge playing at home but the Auburn Tigers will be led by potential Heisman hopeful Jeremy Johnson.

Some media outlets and personalities have mentioned that Johnson could be in the Heisman conversation late in the season and the Razorback fans should remember that he lit up the defense in the first-half last season to the tune of 243 yards while completing 75% of his throws.

Arkansas went into the half tied with Auburn 21-21 yet they were outgained 311-267 total yards offense then managed to give up 24 unanswered points to Auburn in the second-half.

That said, Arkansas will look to use their advantage of playing at home in front of what should be a keyed up fan base to help push them over the hump to get a win over the Tigers. The key for doing so will be the matchup for both teams in the trenches as both teams will look to use their physical running styles to set the tone and pace of the game.

The Arkansas defensive front will have to come with its “A” game versus the downhill speedy attack of Auburn’s offense that managed to put up 233 yards on the ground the last time they came to Fayetteville and finished second in the SEC in 2014 in yards per game with 255.

If Arkansas can find a way to neutralize the offensive threats of Auburn on the outside while controlling the offensive tempo of the run game then the Razorbacks could find themselves in a position to win the game.

Next: LSU