AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Ja’Quinden Jackson ran for two touchdowns, including the clincher with 3:38 left, and Arkansas capitalized on five Auburn turnovers to win the teams’ Southeastern Conference opener 24-14 on Saturday.
Taylen Green passed for 151 yards and a touchdown and ran for 80 yards for the Razorbacks (3-1), getting intercepted twice but also delivering a number of drive-saving runs and passes. Payton Thorne came off the bench for two second-half scoring passes to KeAndre Lambert-Smith for the Tigers (2-2).
Takeaways
Arkansas: It was a good way to start off SEC play for the Razorbacks and coach Sam Pittman, who went 1-7 in league games last season. TJ Metcalf had two interceptions and a touchdown-saving forced fumble for Arkansas.
Auburn: Hank Brown’s three first-half interceptions show the Tigers may have no good answer at quarterback. Thorne, benched after throwing four interceptions in a loss to California, started the second half and also was picked off once on a deflected pass. His 67-yarder to Lambert-Smith in the fourth quarter cut it to 17-14.
Key moment
Green converted a third-and-19 with a scramble and 58-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Sategna with 2:03 left in the third quarter. Sategna leapt over a defender to grab the ball and a 14-7 lead.
Key stat
The Razorbacks converted 9 of 19 third-down attempts and 2 of 4 fourth-down tries. Bobby Petrino’s offense came in leading the nation in third-down conversion rate.
Up 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
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
