AUBURN, Ala. -- Outrageous, that's what it seemed when the betting lines opened last week and Auburn was a nine-point favorite over Arkansas.
That seemed like the biggest home-field advantage ever.
Then the line started going even higher and was 10½ at kickoff as groups were dropping serious money on the Tigers, and as it turned out, they would be called winners before the night was over because the line was way, way too low.
Auburn put on an offensive show, body-slammed the Hogs offense, and won 56-3.
Saturday was just a bad day to be an old Southwest Conference team playing in the SEC West against teams from the state of Alabama.
Texas A&M took a 14-13 lead over Alabama early in the second half and all that did was make the No. 1 team in the country mad. The Crimson Tide won 33-14.
Arkansas was never that close.
The Razorbacks won the toss, took the ball, picked up one first down, punted and 11 seconds later the Tigers were leading 7-0 and would never look back.
On Auburn's first offensive play, true freshman Eli Stove, who had touched the ball five times this season, went 78 yards untouched and the rout was on.
And the way Gus Malzahn went about it was pretty much unexpected.
It is like Malzahn, who has built his reputation on hurry-up-and-heave-it football, took Bret Bielema's book on offense and did some speed-reading.
The Tigers hurried to the line of scrimmage, then sped down the field running the ball.
By the time it finally ended, Auburn ran for 543 yards and seven touchdowns while holding the ground-and-pound Hogs to 25 rushing yards.
The Tigers had four players with more yards individually than the Hogs totaled on the ground, led by Kamryn Pettway's 192 yards on 27 carries.
Stanton Truitt, who has moved from receiver to running back, had a 20-yard touchdown run and caught the Tigers' only touchdown pass, a 45-yard play, that made it 28-0 at the half.
At that point Auburn was more dominating than Alabama was in its victory over the Hogs two weeks earlier. The Crimson Tide beat the Hogs 49-30 after leading 35-17 at the half.
Austin Allen tried to keep the Razorbacks in the game using his arm, with the Razorbacks thrown out of their power game. Allen passed for 187 yards, but spent most of the night being backed, racked or sacked by the Tigers.
Auburn was in Allen's face so much most of the Tigers defenders could have told you the brand of toothpaste he uses.
He got hit so many times he was limping when he finally left, had his right foot put in a walking boot to stabilize his knee and watched Ty Storey get some serious SEC road experience.
The Hogs simply couldn't handle the Tigers up front on either side of the ball in a game that physically favored the home team.
There was an obvious difference in the speed of the teams.
Arkansas has some speed, Auburn has it 2-deep.
The last time Arkansas was so thoroughly dominated it was by another team wearing orange. That team was quarterbacked by a guy named Peyton Manning.
By the time this game mercifully ended, 3 hours, 15 minutes after it started, Auburn had outgained Arkansas 632-215. The Tigers had five players that made a longer play than anyone on the Arkansas team.
There was no doubt almost from the start which was the better team. When you have guys scoring touchdowns that aren't on your 2-deep you are really deep.
Auburn won playing Arkansas' type of game, but the only argument settled Saturday night was how Auburn was much better than Arkansas.
Better than any point spread that anyone in Las Vegas would dare to make.
Sports on 10/23/2016