Arkansas 24-14 Auburn (September 21, 2024) Match Report

AUBURN, Alabama — Ja'Quinden Jackson ran for two touchdowns, including the decisive one with 3:38 left, and Arkansas took advantage of five Auburn turnovers to win the teams' Southeastern Conference opener 24-14 on Saturday.

Taylen Green threw for 151 yards and a touchdown and ran for 80 yards for the Razorbacks (3-1). He was intercepted twice but also provided a series of drive-saving runs and passes. Payton Thorne came off the bench and threw two touchdown passes to KeAndre Lambert-Smith in the second half for the Tigers (2-2).

Findings

Arkansas: It's been a good start to the SEC season for the Razorbacks and coach Sam Pittman, who went 1-7 in league play last season. TJ Metcalf had two interceptions and a touchdown-saving forced fumble for Arkansas.

Auburn: Hank Brown's three interceptions in the first half show the Tigers may not have a good answer at quarterback. Thorne, who was benched after four interceptions in a loss to California, started in the second half and was also caught once on a deflected pass. His 67-yard pass to Lambert-Smith in the fourth quarter cut the score to 17-14.

Key moment

Green converted a third-and-19 pass with a scramble and a 58-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Sategna with 2:03 left in the third quarter. Sategna leapt over a defender, snatched the ball and secured a 14-7 lead.

Important statistics

The Razorbacks converted 9 of 19 third-down attempts and 2 of 4 fourth-down attempts. Bobby Petrino's offense led the nation in third-down conversion rate.

Next

Auburn hosts No. 15 Oklahoma and Arkansas plays No. 25 Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas.

——

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football