AUBURN, Ala. — Arkansas lost to Auburn 26-23, and this one’s going to sting Razorbacks fans for a while. Maybe longer than that.
Alex McPherson’s 43-yard field goal with 33 seconds left won it for the Tigers on Saturday afternoon at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn outscored the Hogs 17-10 in the fourth quarter.
Neither team played a clean game. There were stretches when you wondered if anybody was going to win it.
By the fourth quarter, the Arkansas defense looked worn down and Auburn was moving the ball with very little trouble.
The Tigers’ offense kept getting better as the game went on. The Razorbacks kept looking worse.
Now the Hogs are 3-6, and they’ll have to win their last three games to get to a bowl.
Brown takes over in second half
Auburn quarterback Bryam Brown took over after halftime, and Arkansas never got a handle on him.
He ran 10 times for 123 yards. He also went 23 of 34 through the air with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
“He’s one of the most experienced in the SEC and he played like it today,” Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield said.
The Razorbacks led for most of the day, but Auburn didn’t panic. When both defenses started giving up big chunks of yardage in the fourth quarter, Auburn’s offense made more plays.
Arkansas didn’t help itself.
Negative plays and penalties showed up again, like they have all season. And late, after some big runs got them close, the Hogs couldn’t punch it in.
Gilbert handles most of early scoring
Max Gilbert got Arkansas on the board with a 38-yard field goal late in the first quarter. That drive went 12 plays and took more than six minutes off the clock.
The next one was a lot quicker. Braylen Russell capped a four-play, 66-yard drive with a 2-yard run early in the second quarter.
Arkansas led 10-0, and Auburn still hadn’t scored.
The Tigers finally got points right before the half when McPherson made a 33-yarder with three seconds left. It was 10-3 Razorbacks at the break.
Brown hit Chas Nimrod for a 15-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter. McPherson missed the extra point, so the Hogs hung on to a 10-9 lead.
Gilbert pushed it to 13-9 with a 37-yard field goal late in the quarter.
Auburn finishes it in the fourth quarter
Auburn took its first lead with 12:50 to play when Brown ran it in from the 5. That capped a 75-yard drive.
Gilbert tied it at 16 with a 46-yarder, his third field goal of the game.
Arkansas had one touchdown to that point. Gilbert was doing most of the scoring.
Brown found Keshaun Singleton for a 28-yard touchdown with 3:56 left to put the Tigers up 23-16.
KJ Jackson brought the Razorbacks right back. He took them 75 yards in five plays and hit Antonio Jordan for a 23-yard score with 1:54 left. Gilbert’s kick tied it at 23.
That still left Auburn plenty of time.
The Tigers went 50 yards in 10 plays and ran the clock down to 33 seconds. McPherson came on and made the 43-yarder to win it.
What’s next for the Hogs
Arkansas hosts South Carolina next Saturday at Razorback Stadium. The Razorbacks then go on the road to Texas before closing the regular season at home against LSU.
The Hogs need all three to get to six wins. That’s a tall order.
