Auburn Comes Unraveled Against Arkansas

Auburn coach Gene Chizik (now 10-20 as a head coach) took his headset off with a few minutes left in the wake of an embarrassing 44-23 loss to Arkansas. It was a sign that even he knew his team was exposed as a fraud in almost every way by a Razorback squad that had seemingly struggled in it's four opening games.

Auburn's offense managed 378 yards against what was considered the worst defense in the SEC and most of that came late in the second half when the game was clearly in hand. The Arkansas defense pressured Auburn QB Chris Todd and disrupted what had been a smooth running offense, reducing it to a sputter reminiscent of the Tigers' 2008 offensive struggles.

Auburn showed signs of some life late in the third quarter, but continually made critical mistakes (turnovers, penalties) that prematurely ended drives.

Moreover, Auburn's defense was pushed around all day as the Razorbacks racked up 274 yards passing and 221 yards rushing moving the ball with ease. Arkansas really only stopped itself during the day as Auburn's inability to tackle in the open field gave up yards in chunks.

The fact of the matter is Auburn isn't this bad, but they weren't the #17 team in the nation either - not even close. This team lacks serious depth on defense - the Tigers dressed 26 players on that side of the ball today - and lacks overall team depth needed to shore up major issues on special teams coverage units. Auburn took advantage of the first five games where they had clear advantages over the opponents. However, the rest of the schedule is going to be a major test.

ESPN ran several pieces through the week and even on Saturday's Gameday show retelling the story and controversy of the Chizik hiring. Today, the critics looked right for the first time this year. The real judgment will come in the aftermath of this loss and in what adjustments and changes Chizik and his staff make. If this was a college class, Auburn passed the quizzes and then flunked the midterm. The semester isn't lost, but working around the deficiencies will take a monumental effort.

Article Author: J. Newcastle

J. Newcastle writes for BC Sports. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/j_newcastle

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