Marlon Davidson did his best imitation of a wrecking ball, again.
The senior defensive lineman led a dominating Auburn defense to a 51-10 win at Arkansas as the 11th-ranked Tigers improved to 6-1 heading into next Saturday’s showdown at LSU.
“Marlon is a guy that can affect the game himself from a d-line position. He did that today. He’s done it before,” Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele told the Auburn Network. “That’s just the kind of player he is. We’re fortunate we’ve got a group in that room if it’s not one of them, it will be the other one.”
Davidson finished the game tying for the team lead with five tackles including four solos, three tackles-for-loss and two sacks. He also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble as the two-time SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week made the case for a third honor this season.
On the third play of the game, Davidson slipped past Arkansas left tackle Colton Jackson, stripped quarterback Ben Hicks of the ball and recovered the fumble on the UA 22-yard line. It took just three plays for Auburn to score a touchdown and the rout was on.
“It was just an effort play,” Davidson told the Auburn Network. “I deked the guy late and the quarterback stepped up and I just dialed down and hit the ball and I landed on it. It was just a freak play. I was just out there having fun, playing for my brothers.”
Auburn held the Razorbacks to 234 total yards and forced three turnovers. The Tigers held Arkansas to just 52 rushing yards and limited Rakeem Boyd, the SEC’s second-leading rusher, to 39 yards on 13 carries.
“It’s just a priority to stop the run,” Davidson said. “He’s a great football player, him and (Devwah Whaley), they’re a pretty good duo. Just coming out there and playing Auburn football. We’re the best defensive line in the country and I stand 10 toes behind it. We’re going to be in people’s faces all the time. I feel like they’re a good group but we just handled our business.”
Kickoff at LSU is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.