BASKETBALL
SEC Media Days is today for Men's Basketball (Women's is Thursday). Hopefully, I'll be able to have some form of recap for you at some point. The glories of tethering wifi on the road and maybe I'll actually turn over driving to my wife for part of the trip home from San Antonio (not that she's a bad driver; I just like driving).
FOOTBALL
Undercover Barner tackles the bye week from the couch. Literally. See Peggy talk about the bye week, relaxing, the Hawg Hex, and more.
What did Gus have to say in his weekly appearance before the press? Not a whole lot. He really just floated some more questions, to be honest. Primarily, we won't know the status of Kerryon Johnson or the offensive line until Saturday night.
One of Arkansas' best defenses against the Auburn offense is the time-of-possession stat. The Hawgs take up time with their offense, and that time keeps the Tigers' offense off the field. This is where Auburn's nasty defense can really get things going for Auburn. Hold the Hawgs early and allow the offense some possessions, and it could really swing the momentum.
Do the drops in last year's Arkansas game still weigh on the minds of Auburn's receivers? You bet they do. That game is a big part of the resurgence of the wide receivers this season, who are actually doing quite well in the catch/drop ratio department.
One big problem the Arkansas defense has had this season is giving up big plays. Look for that to be something Auburn tries to take advantage of early, be it through deep passes by Sean White or some for of sweeps or runs.
The leadership of this team is "on a mission" according to Gus Malzahn. They're playing like it, too, with the team really stepping up over the last few games.
Justin Ferguson's Film Room compiles all the numbers of formations, stats, etc at the half way point. I've actually been keeping up with the wide receiver stats, myself, so this helps make sure I'm accurate on that.