College Football
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Auburn 56, Arkansas 3
When: 6:00 PM ET, Saturday, October 22, 2016
Where: Jordan Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama
Temperature: 67°
Head Official: Ken Williamson
Attendance: 87451

AUBURN, Ala. -- Last year, it took four overtimes to determine a winner between Auburn and Arkansas. This year, it took basically a half.

Behind a powerful rushing attack, big plays and a stifling defense, No. 21 Auburn raced out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back en route to a 56-3 victory over No. 17 Arkansas. It was the largest margin of victory against a ranked opponent in Tigers' history.

The Tigers (5-2, 3-1 SEC) rolled up an SEC-record 543 yards on the ground and 632 yards of total offense. Auburn's defense, which recorded four sacks, limited the Razorbacks (5-3, 1-3) to 25 yards on the ground, and held running back Rawleigh Williams III, who entered the game as the SEC's leading rusher, to 22 yards on 13 carries.

Running back Kamryn Pettway rushed for 192 yards and two touchdowns while running back/wide receiver Stanton Truitt scored three TDs.

"That was one of the more impressive wins since I've been here," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "Our defense, once again, played outstanding. To hold that team to 25 rushing is outstanding."

Auburn raced out to a 21-0 lead after one quarter and entered halftime with a 28-3 advantage.

When play resumed in the third quarter, the narrative remained the same. Quarterback Sean White capped a 15-play, 86-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run to give the Tigers a 35-3 lead with 6:06 remaining in the third quarter.

Running back Kamryn Pettway added a 23-yard scoring run later in the period to help the Tigers up their lead to 42-3. Wide receiver/running back Stanton Truitt's third score of the game, a 31-yard run, put Auburn up 49-3 early in the fourth quarter. Running back Kam Martin capped the Tigers scoring by rushing for a 51-yard score with 4:27 left. It was the first touchdown of Martin's career.

"Give a lot of credit to Auburn," Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said. "They came ready to play. The bye week comes at a very critical time. Tomorrow will be a long day. It won't be a lot of fun."

White completed 6 of 11 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. He also added a career-high 61 yards and a score on the ground. Truitt rushed for 78 yards and his only reception was a 45-yard TD.

Arkansas wide receiver Keon Hatcher led the Razorbacks with seven passes for 81 yards. Five of his seven grabs resulted in a first down.

The Tigers opened with a bang when true freshman wide receiver Eli Stove took a handoff on a jet sweep and raced 78 yards for a touchdown on Auburn's first offensive possession. It was the first score of Stove's career and made it 7-0.

After the Tigers' defense forced its second punt in as many possessions, Auburn marched 91 yards in 10 plays and took a 14-0 lead after Pettway bulldozed over defenders en route to a 9-yard touchdown run. The scoring drive was sparked by a 41-yard run by White.

"Any time you've got Pettway running downhill, it opens White up," Malzahn said. "And he's pretty fast too."

Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen fumbled on the ensuing possession, which led to a 20-yard scoring run by Truitt.

Truitt tacked on his second score of the half when he hauled in a 45-yard pass from White with 1:28 left until halftime. That capped a dominating first half on both sides of the ball for the Tigers.

The Razorbacks received a scare during the second quarter when Allen, who was sacked three times and under constant duress in the first half, went down with an apparent knee injury. But he returned on Arkansas' next possession and led the Razorbacks on a six-play, 39-yard drive that resulted in a field goal as time expired in the half.

"I made sure he was cleared," Bielema said. "He is a tremendous competitor and it is going to take a lot to try to hold him out."

Allen finished the night by completing 17 of 30 passes for 187 yards. He was pulled in the fourth quarter when the outcome was determined.

"We pulled Allen at the end because it (knee) started to swell up," Bielema said.

Defensively, Auburn had 11 tackles for loss by 10 different players. Tiger defensive end Jeff Holland picked up his first sack of the season, and safety Rudy Ford finished with five tackles, giving him 258 for his career. Cornerback Javaris Davis tallied his second interception.

Auburn improved to 6-0 under Malzahn in regular season games following a week off. Over the last three games, Auburn outscored its opponents in the first quarter 49-0.

"When you beat a top 20 team that beat Ole Miss last week, we'll take it," Malzahn said. "We played great in all three phases. But we have to keep getting better."

NOTES: The F-16 pregame flyover was conducted by the Alabama Air National Guard's 187th Fighter Wing from Montgomery, Ala., "Home of the 100th Fighter Squadron's Alabama Red Tails and Tuskegee Airmen." ... Kam Pettway got the start at running back for Auburn. ... Tigers RB Kerryon Johnson did not play. ... Auburn's freshmen and sophomore skill players had combined for 2,537 yards of the Tigers' 2,875 yards of total offense through the team's first six games. ... Arkansas RB Rawleigh Williams III, Florida State RB Dalvin Cook and Louisville QB Lamar Jackson were the only three players among the power five conferences with 750-plus yards and at least five rushing TDs this season entering the game.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Arkansas   Auburn
Rawleigh Williams III Player Kamryn Pettway
13 Attempts 27
22 Yards 192
1.7 Avg Yards 7.1
0 Touchdowns 2
0 Long 0
Receiving
Arkansas   Auburn
Keon Hatcher Player Stanton Truitt
7 Receptions 1
81 Yards 45
11.6 Avg Yards 45.0
0 Touchdowns 1
0 Long 0
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Arkansas 215 25 190 0 1 0 0.0 0
Auburn 632 543 89 8 0 1 4.0 0