Harsin proud of execution on game-sealing drive

AUBURN | Holding an eight-point lead with 8:41 left in the fourth quarter on Saturday, Auburn had the opportunity to put away Arkansas by putting points on the board with a long, time-consuming drive. It was a chance to exert dominance along the offensive front and take all of the hope remaining from the Razorbacks. It is what coaches and players dream of doing at the end of close games.

"It's definitely the way that we'd like to finish the game," Bryan Harsin said. "You want to convert, you want to stay on the field, you want to be able to run it at the end of the game."

It wasn't all pretty and could have ended early as the Tigers faced a 3rd-and-10 from the Razorbacks' 25-yard line after a false start by Kilian Zierer. Bo Nix didn't blink, though, as he found Tyler Fromm for an 11-yard gain and fresh set of downs. Two plays later, Nix found Kobe Hudson to put the ball at midfield. A short Jarquez Hunter run and a 15-yard pass to Shedrick Jackson got the Tigers into field goal range, certainly close enough for Anders Carlson to seal the deal.

Auburn wasn't satisfied, though. On 3rd-and-3 with 3:05 left and Arkansas clinging to their last chance, Nix ran for a six-yard gain for the first down. Two plays later, the Auburn quarterback scampered 23 yards for the proverbial nail-in-the-coffin touchdown.

It was a drive that Auburn fans haven't seen in quite some time, a mix of power and finesse plays that kept the Razorbacks off balance. And, it was precisely a drive the Tigers had planned.

"We talked a little bit this week about making sure we have an identity in the running game, and I think there at the end, that's exactly what we showed," Nix said.

In all, the drive went 75 yards on 12 plays and took 6:11 off the clock. But, more importantly, it showed that the Tigers could slam the door shut when the opportunity presents itself.

"That was a drive that, you know, I was very proud of to see our guys go out there and execute," Harsin said.