AUBURN, Ala.-The Auburn Tigers are rested from an open date while Arkansas has reached the midpoint of a grueling stretch against ranked teams.
A win in their matchup Saturday would elevate either team's mood and, perhaps, their season.
The 21st-ranked Tigers (4-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) hope to have a healthy Kerryon Johnson back running the ball with the extra week following a dominating win over Mississippi State. The 17th-ranked Razorbacks (5-2, 1-2) are fresh from their first league victory, 34-30 over No. 23 Mississippi.
They're also on Round 3 of a five-week stretch against ranked SEC teams.
"To play in the SEC West, it's just a way of life," Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said.
As close as they come historically, this rivalry had mostly produced fairly one-sided games in recent years before the Razorbacks' 54-46 win in four overtimes last season.
Auburn holds a 6-5-1 record in meetings at Jordan-Hare Stadium and has overall outscored Arkansas just 633-629 in 25 previous games.
The Tigers this season have had one of the SEC's better defenses while Arkansas managed to score 34 points on the Rebels and 30 in a loss to No. 1 Alabama two weeks ago.
"Our offense is really starting to hum the last couple of games," Bielema said.
Auburn's offense has been humming pretty well lately, too. Much of that on both counts has to do with the league's two most efficient passers, the Tigers' Sean White and the Razorbacks' Austin Allen.
A still-inexperienced White helped bring Auburn back on the road last season and further cemented the trust of his coaches and teammates.
"We were still learning about Sean at the time," Tigers coach Gus Malzahn said. "We learned a lot about him that day. We saw the way he handled pressure and getting hit. He showed a lot of toughness that game."