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Hogs dissect gashed run defense

Auburn running back Kamryn Pettway (36) scores a touchdown as he beats Arkansas linebacker Brooks Ellis (51) and defensive back Santos Ramirez (9) to the end zone during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Auburn running back Kamryn Pettway (36) scores a touchdown as he beats Arkansas linebacker Brooks Ellis (51) and defensive back Santos Ramirez (9) to the end zone during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Perhaps the most troubling aspect of Arkansas' 56-3 loss to Auburn was the Razorbacks' porous run defense.

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Arkansas gave up 543 rushing yards to the Tigers, an all-time high for an Arkansas opponent, after holding Ole Miss to 150.

The run-stopping woes are disturbing for Arkansas, which has been gashed on the ground during its losses to SEC West opponents Alabama, Texas A&M and Auburn.

"After a performance like that, you have to evaluate everything from A to Z, and we have got to find ways to get guys in better spots," defensive coordinator Robb Smith said.

Bielema said everything on defense is under the microscope, from schemes to game planning to personnel. Although Bielema did not want to identify the personnel changes because "they're not set in stone," he said they were moderate, like moving a defensive tackle to end or moving a weakside linebacker to the strong side.

"In particular in our three losses, the teams have been able to run the football," Bielema said. "One thing that I asked Robb and the defensive staff is, 'What are we going to do when they're running the football? What do we say?'

"If we believe the No. 1 thing we're going to do is stop the run, I want to know how are we going to do that. No more of this, this and this. I want to know what are we going to do to stop the run? I ask that every game, but that's the driving point this week. If teams are going to run the football, what's your answer?"

Smith said the defense is undergoing a thorough examination of personnel and schemes during the bye week, particularly in the front seven.

"It certainly isn't the way that we had expected things to go," Smith said. "But we are where we are. We've got to work on everything one step at a time. We're starting this week by addressing some personnel, and we'll see if we can put guys in better positions to help us solidify our run defense."

Auburn's 543 rushing yards was the worst performance in a series of subpar outings by Arkansas' run defense, which projected to be a strength in 2016 after the Razorbacks finished second in the SEC in that department in Smith's first two years as coordinator.

"I told our players before the year started there wasn't going to be one touchdown or one tackle from last year that carried into this year," Bielema said. "Just because you've played good football in the past doesn't guarantee it for the future."

Texas A&M, Alabama and Auburn combined to run for 1,173 yards on Arkansas, an average of 391 yards per game. They scored 14 rushing touchdowns on the Razorbacks and averaged 9.16 yards per carry.

"It's just guys aren't fitting the way they're supposed to and not doing their job, so it's just a lot of things not going the right way," senior linebacker Brooks Ellis said. "We'll get it back on track."

Ellis and other players indicated that the Auburn game being the Razorbacks' eighth in a row without a bye week had an effect.

"It's been eight long weeks, so we're ready to get this bye week and get rested, get our legs back under us," Ellis said. "That's not the way we wanted it to happen, but it's here and we're going to make the most of it."

Injuries have played a part. The Razorbacks have missed versatile defensive back Kevin Richardson, who suffered a pectoral muscle injury in the season opener. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw has been out since the Alabama game with a broken bone in his foot. Defensive end Deatrich Wise has a hand injury that has limited his ability to strike opposing linemen. Wise also landed on his shoulder late in the Auburn game and is being held out this week to recover.

Arkansas ranks 111th in the FBS and 13th in the SEC by allowing 221.8 rushing yards per game. No one in the SEC has given up more than Arkansas' 6.38 yards per carry, nor its 24 rushing touchdowns.

Auburn averaged 9.5 yards per carry, starting with its 78-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep by freshman receiver Eli Stove on its first offensive play.

Smith said the defense didn't adjust to a motion properly on that play, on which Stove ran untouched behind a couple of blocks on the perimeter.

"We got overleveraged, and we weren't able to get the ball carrier on the ground," Smith said. "That's not a great way to start a football game, but we've got to be able to overcome things like that."

Cornerback Jared Collins agreed.

"It happened really fast," Collins said. "They sent the motion across fast, and he got the ball and they had blockers for me and the safety, so there really was no one out there to stop the play.

"We just have to learn from that and learn how to fit that so it won't happen again."

Sports on 10/27/2016

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