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Auburn runs for 543 yards in 56-3 rout of Arkansas

There is no need to worry about Auburn’s offense.

The No. 21 Tigers ran for 543 yards in a 56-3 win over No. 17 Arkansas on Saturday. It’s the most rushing yards ever in an SEC game for the Tigers and the second-straight week a team from Alabama has run for over 400 on a conference opponent. Rival Alabama ran for 418 yards in a Week 7 demolition of Tennessee.

Auburn hit that rushing total on 57 carries; an average of 9.5 yards a carry. And while running back Kamryn Pettway was the star with 27 carries for 192 yards and two touchdowns, this was a well-balanced effort. Wide receiverEli Stove started the game with a 78-yard touchdown run and freshman RB Kam Martin added a 51-yard touchdown when the game was well out of reach.

Auburn’s resurgence has coincided with, or perhaps been because of the transition of offensive play-calling duties from coach Gus Malzahn to offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. The transition happened after Auburn dropped to 1-2 after losses to Clemson and Texas A&M.

Since then, Auburn has gone 4-0 and run for 1,335 in those four wins. The Tigers had 41 carries for 87 yards in the Week 1 loss to Clemson.

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And did we mention Auburn got all those rushing yards without its leading rusher? RB Kerryon Johnson, who had 538 yards in the first six games, didn’t play Saturday.

While Auburn’s rushing attack has excelled, continuity at quarterback has been huge. The team rotated quarterbacks seemingly at random vs. Clemson, but Sean White has since established himself as the starter. Though White didn’t have to do too much vs. the Hogs. He was 6-11 passing for 77 yards and a score and ran four times for 61 yards and a touchdown.

There may be no reason to worry about the Tigers’ rushing attack, but Arkansas needs to figure out how to stop the run. Auburn’s rushing performance was the fifth-straight time an Arkansas opponent had run for 150 yards or more. Texas A&M ran for 366 yards vs. the Razorbacks in Week 4 while Alabama racked up 264 yards last week.

And the rushing defense may not be the only big concern either. QB Austin Allen left the game in the second half with what appeared to be a knee injury. Allen finished 17-30 passing for 187 yards and an interception.

The third conference loss for the Razorbacks takes them out of contention for the SEC West. But given Auburn’s current form and 3-1 record in the conference (with games already played vs. A&M and LSU), the Tigers are still in it. If Auburn’s offensive excellence continues, it’s no stretch to think the Iron Bowl vs. Alabama at the end of November could be for the SEC West title.

Auburn WR Eli Stove scored the Tigers' first TD of the night on a 78-yard run. (AP)
Auburn WR Eli Stove scored the Tigers’ first TD of the night on a 78-yard run. (AP)

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!