When Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze was asked whether he talked to his team about the psychological effect last season’s win over Arkansas has on Saturday’s game, he was straightforward in his response.
“I hope I don’t. I haven’t brought that up,” Freeze said Wednesday during the SEC coaches teleconference.
Auburn traveled to Fayetteville for last season’s matchup, putting a 48-10 beating on the Razorbacks, the peak of Auburn’s three-game winning streak.
While that win was impressive at the time for Auburn, Freeze acknowledged that blowouts like that are rare in SEC play.
“Every game has a life of its own, and sometimes they snowball in rare instances in this league, and that was one of those, but that’s not a common thing,” Freeze said.
Arkansas was spiraling at that point in the season. The Razorbacks were coming off an overtime win against Florida but had lost their last six games prior.
This season, Auburn and Arkansas come into the game on similar footing, both 2-1 after suffering setbacks in Week 2 and each playing their first conference game.
“I think last year is last year,” Freeze said. “They have drastically improved their roster, and the tape speaks for itself.”
This time, Auburn will be the host, and while that often suggests an advantage, Freeze praised Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman’s ability to win on the road.
“I think he’s one of the best guys in the business, but, boy, his team’s play on the road extremely well,” Freeze said. “I think our kids know we’re in for an incredible challenge.”
Auburn and Arkansas will face off in Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday with kickoff scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m
