ARKANSAS 27 NO. 2 AUBURN 10
Razorbacks pull stunner on Tigers
Sunday, October 08, 2006
John Zenor
ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUBURN, Ala. ? Arkansas made the first major upset of the college football season look easy.
With a swarming defense and unstoppable tailbacks, the Razorbacks knocked off No. 2 Auburn in a stunningly onesided 27-10 Southeastern Conference victory yesterday that will rearrange the top of the rankings.
Arkansas (4-1, 3-0) entered as 15-point underdogs and left with the lead in the SEC West .
"We want people to respect us," said tailback Darren McFadden, who ran for 145 yards and a 63-yard touchdown against a defense that hadn?t allowed a TD on the ground all season.
"We came out here with the mentality that we were going to earn that respect."
Auburn (5-1, 3-1) becomes the first top-10 team to lose to an unranked opponent this season, a huge blow to its national title hopes. The Tigers leave with questions about a defense abused for 279 rushing yards and an offense that totaled 213 yards.
"They beat us to the punch on both sides of the ball," Tigers coach Tommy Tuberville said. "We?ve got to find ways to get it done, especially at home. We?re disappointed, but this is not over."
McFadden carried 28 times and Felix Jones gained 104 yards on 13 carries, pounding out yards inside and occasionally busting outside for big gains.
Arkansas hadn?t beaten a team ranked so high since a 42-11 win in over No. 1 Texas in 1981.
It was ugly enough for Tuberville to offer this assessment: "We?re not that bad a football team."
But is Arkansas, a team that lost its opener at home 50-14 to Southern California, that good?
Jones? 1-yard touchdown run gave Arkansas a 24-10 lead late in the third quarter that was too much for a sputtering Auburn offense to overcome.
The Tigers already had survived two SEC scares, salvaging wins over South Carolina and No. 9 LSU on late defensive stops. The Razorbacks made the big plays this time.
"I thought we could compete for four quarters," Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. "To say we were going to be up 10-0, I don?t know about that. To say we were going to win by 17 points ? no way."
But the Razorbacks sacked Brandon Cox five times, including once by Jamaal Anderson and Keith Jackson on fourth-and-9 from the Arkansas 39 on the final play of the third quarter.
On their next possession, the Tigers went three-and-out for the third time in the game. They weren?t able to muster any more threats.
With much of the conference?s focus being on Auburn and LSU, the Razorbacks had been overlooked. They lingered on the field or a few minutes celebrating with fans ? and Nutt climbed into some hedges and directed the band.
"We were just trying to come out and earn some respect and show the world we?re not a pushover," said receiver Marcus Monk, who caught a 50-yard touchdown pass. Auburn had won 20 of its last 21 games against SEC opponents and was chasing its second undefeated season in three years.
