Arkansas (3-3) at BYU (4-2), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Line: Arkansas by 1 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: First meeting.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
The Cougars fell out of the AP Top 25 after a 28-20 loss to Notre Dame in Las Vegas. They will try to get back on track in their first-ever meeting on the football field with Arkansas. The Razorbacks started 3-0 but have dropped three straight. BYU has a 4-6 record against teams from the Southeastern Conference. The Razorbacks are 7-0 in nonconference games under Sam Pittman.
KEY MATCHUP
A BYU defense led by LB Max Tooley will try to slow down Arkansas’ rushing attack. TB Raheim ‘Rocket’ Sanders has an SEC-leading 695 yards and five touchdowns. He also has 14 catches for 185 yards and a score. Tooley had a career-best 13 tackles against Notre Dame.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Arkansas: LB Drew Sanders, who’s second in the nation with 6 1/2 sacks. He also has four games with 10 or more tackles, including a career-high 16 at Mississippi State.
BYU: RB Chris Brooks. The transfer from California is averaging 6.1 yards per carry and has five touchdowns. He had 1,734 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns in three-plus seasons with Cal.
FACTS & FIGURES
Arkansas leads the SEC with 21 sacks, which is three more than Alabama. … The Razorbacks have had a 100-yard rusher in a program-best seven straight games. Sanders has four of the seven. … Arkansas is scoring 29.5 points per game and allowing 32.2. … Arkansas OL Brady Latham has made 29 straight starts. … BYU QB Jaren Hall has a 7-3 mark as a starter against Power Five teams and is 13-5 overall. … Cougars DB Micah Harper on his team’s attitude after a 4-2 start: “Our team is very disappointed at the moment, because we expect to go undefeated and nothing less. There’s still a lot of season left and a win against Arkansas this week would change the momentum of our season.”
