Arkansas Football Upsets Auburn in SEC Opener: TJ Metcalf Leads Razorback Defense to Victory

The Arkansas football team picked up an early-season road victory Saturday at Auburn.

The Razorbacks defeated the Tigers 24-14 in front of an announced sellout attendance of 88,043 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Arkansas (3-1, 1-0 SEC) won its conference opener for the third time since 2021.

The road team won in the series for the fourth consecutive season. Auburn won 48-10 in Fayetteville last November.

“It’s hard to win anywhere on the road,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said on the Razorback Sports Network postgame show. “This team beat us 48-10 last year. To come into their house, after what they did in ours, and win is very satisfying to say the least.”

Running back Ja’Quinden Jackson ran for two touchdowns, including a 1-yard score with 3:38 remaining that essentially clinched the victory for the Razorbacks. Jackson scored on a third-and-goal play that was upheld after a review.

Jackson’s second touchdown capped a 12-play, 75-yard drive that took 6 minutes, 12 seconds off the clock and answered an Auburn score early in the fourth quarter. All of the Razorbacks’ yards on the possession were gained on rushing plays by Jackson, quarterback Taylen Green and running back Braylen Russell.

Green threw incompletions on first and second down, but the drive was extended when Auburn (2-2, 0-1) committed pass interference on third down. The next 10 snaps were running plays.

Arkansas led 7-0 after both teams played a sloppy first half. The only score before halftime was Jackson's 1-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter to cap a 15-play, 81-yard drive.

Auburn out-gained Arkansas 173-164 in the first half, but the Tigers committed 4 turnovers before halftime, including 3 in the final 1:52.

Damari Alston looked like he might run for a touchdown on the first play following the 2-minute timeout, but he was stripped by defensive back TJ Metcalf at the Arkansas 5 after a 36-yard gain. Linebacker Stephen Dix recovered the fumble in the end zone for a touchback.

“All week [coaches have] been getting on us about our angles to the ball,” Metcalf said. “I just kept my inside and punched the ball out when I needed to. Stephen Dix recovered it, so that was amazing.”

The Razorbacks went three-and-out on the next possession, then the teams traded interceptions. Hank Brown was intercepted twice and Green was intercepted once in the final minute.

Auburn replaced Brown with Payton Thorne at quarterback in the second half. Thorne, who began the season as the starter, was benched after he threw 4 interceptions in a 21-14 home loss to California on Sept. 7.

“It’s just sickening that we can’t take care of the football on offense,” said second-year Auburn coach Hugh Freeze, whose record with the Tigers dropped to 8-9. “I’ve got to get that fixed.”

Thorne threw a pair of touchdowns to KeAndre Lambert-Smith in the second half. Lambert-Smith tied the game 7-7 with a 10-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter that was set up by his 54-yard catch to the 10.

The Penn State transfer also had a 67-yard touchdown reception on fourth-and-3 with 9:55 to play to cut the Razorbacks’ lead to 17-14.

Arkansas took the lead for good, 14-7, when Green found Isaiah Sategna for a 58-yard touchdown on third-and-19 late in the third quarter. Green rolled away from pressure to his left, then heaved the ball around 50 yards in the air. Sategna made a contested catch around the 5-yard line.

Kyle Ramsey added a 43-yard field goal with 12:04 to play to give the Razorbacks a 17-7 lead. Ramsey missed a 41-yard field goal on Arkansas’ opening possession in the first half.

Metcalf intercepted both Auburn quarterbacks and played a role in four of the Tigers’ turnovers. He tipped a pass that resulted in Brown’s first interception, caught by Doneiko Slaughter to end Auburn’s first drive that reached the Arkansas 29.

Brown completed 7 of 13 passes for 72 yards and was intercepted 3 times. Thorne completed 13 of 22 for 213 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

“The illusion that we were going to bring more [pass rushers] I think bothered them tonight,” Pittman said.

Green completed 12 of 27 for 151 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interactions. Green officially rushed for 80 yards, but when adjusted for sacks he ran 15 times for 107 yards.

“It’s not just the 80 yards, it’s when he ran it for the 80 yards,” Pittman said. “There were so many third downs and so many big plays that he ran and got outside of them to make a first down.

“He didn’t play his best game. We’re waiting on it and he’s going to play that. But I’ll tell you what he does: he’s a winner. When the times get tough…he’s going to make a play and that’s what he did. He made several of them today.”

Jackson, the SEC's leading rusher coming into the week, ran 22 times for 75 yards. The Utah transfer scored his seventh and eighth touchdowns of the season.

Auburn had a 431-334 edge in total offense. The Razorbacks were better on the ground, rushing for 183 yards that allowed them to own time of possession. Arkansas held the ball for 36:36 of game time.

“I think this is going to give us a ton of confidence as the year goes on,” Pittman said.

Why Arkansas Won

The Razorbacks won the turnover battle 5-2 and dominated time of possession with a run game that seemed to get stronger later in the game.

Player of the Game: Arkansas S TJ Metcalf

The Pinson, Ala., native showed out in his home state, recording 4 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 pass breakups and 1 forced fumble.

“I’m feeling amazing right now,” Metcalf said afterward.

Metcalf estimated he had 10-15 friends and family members at the game.

Weird Series

The road team has won four in a row in this series, and without a controversial call would have six consecutive wins in the series.

Auburn won 30-28 at home in 2020 when SEC officials incorrectly ruled a backward pass by quarterback Bo Nix was a legal spike. That allowed the Tigers to kick a game-winning field goal in the closing seconds.

Motivated by the 2020 snub, Arkansas won 41-27 at Auburn in 2022, resulting in the firing of head coach Bryan Harsin the next day.

The Tigers have won four in a row in Fayetteville dating to 2017.

What a Difference a Year Makes

Saturday's game was the 13th in which the Razorbacks played a team they had lost to by 38 or more points the year before.

They are 1-12 in those games following the win over the Tigers.

Prior to Saturday, the closest Arkansas had come to winning such a game was a 14-13 home loss to Alabama in 2014, which followed back-to-back 52-0 losses to the Crimson Tide.

Here is a look at how Arkansas fared the year after losing to an SEC opponent by 38 or more.

Loss Margin: Opponent, Season, Next Year’s Result

53: Auburn, 2016, L 52-20

52: Alabama, 2012, L 52-0

52: Alabama, 2013, L 14-13

49: Alabama, 2020, L 42-35

49: Florida, 1997, DNP

48: Texas A&M, 2012, L 45-33

46: Mississippi State, 2018, L 54-24

45: South Carolina, 2013, DNP

43: Tennessee, 2000, L 13-3

41: Tennessee, 1996, L 30-22

41: Auburn, 2019, L 30-28

41: Alabama, 2019, L 52-3

40: Alabama, 1993, L 13-6

38: Missouri, 2018, L 24-14

38: Auburn, 2023, W 24-14

Up Next

The Razorbacks are scheduled to play a neutral-site game against No. 25 Texas A&M next Saturday afternoon at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

A kickoff time has not been announced, but it will either be at 2:30 p.m. or 3:15 p.m. An official announcement is expected by Sunday morning.

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