3 questions for Auburn football ahead of SEC opener against Arkansas

After a rocky start to the season, Auburn goes into its Southeastern Conference opener 2-1, looking to score its first big win of the season.

Many before the season expected Auburn to walk into this game 3-0. One Week 2 loss to Cal later , the Tigers have a slightly different outlook and brand-new starting quarterback going into SEC play.

While Auburn scored comfortable wins before and after Week 2, this Saturday is a chance for the team's first Power 4 win of the year and a chance to start the gauntlet of conference play moving in the right direction.

Here are three questions around Auburn's matchup with Arkansas on Saturday:

How will Hank Brown fare against SEC competition? Brown replaced Payton Thorne as Auburn's starting quarterback after the Cal loss , making his first start against New Mexico last Saturday.

He impressed in his starting debut, throwing for 235 yards and four touchdowns, and most importantly, no turnovers. However, it did come against overmatched opposition.

New Mexico came into the game last in the FBS in total defense. While Arkansas' defense ranks in the middle of the pack in the SEC, it's an obvious improvement compared to what Brown faced a week ago.

Potentially getting starting wide receiver Cam Coleman and starting right tackle Izavion Miller back will help, but Auburn will need Brown to rise to the occasion if it wants to start conference play 1-0.

Can Auburn's defense hold up? Arkansas will undoubtedly be the biggest challenge Auburn's defense has faced so far this season.

The Razorbacks come into the game fifth in the FBS in total yards per game and gained over 600 yards in their lone Power 4 game this season. They're coming off an uninspiring performance against UAB, but Arkansas proved in the first two weeks what its offense can do.

The offense is balanced, ranking in the top 15 nationally in both rushing and passing offense. Auburn's defense ranks eighth in the SEC rush yards allowed, but gives up more passing yards per game than any team in the SEC.

For Auburn, the key will be slowing down Taylen Green, Arkansas' dual-threat quarterback. The Tigers' defense struggled to do that at times against New Mexico, but it can't afford to make many of those same mistakes against Arkansas.

Can Auburn remain balanced on offense? Auburn finished its Week 3 win over New Mexico with more rushing yards than passing yards, something it hadn't yet done this season.

That's surprising, given that Freeze said after the season opener that he'd like to see closer to a 60/40 split run to pass. Auburn is certainly equipped to run the ball, led by First Team All-SEC running back Jarquez Hunter.

Committing to the run and staying in the right down and distance to run the ball will be key against Arkansas, something Auburn was unable to do consistently enough against Cal.

Being balanced will also take pressure of Brown, who certainly won't mind having the extra help in his first SEC start. Auburn doesn't necessarily need to run for over 250 yards like it did against New Mexico, but it needs to put itself in a position to stay unpredictable.