FAYETTEVILLE -- Transfer linebacker Stephen Dix is rapidly moving up the ladder for the University of Arkansas defense.
The senior from Orlando, Fla., led the Razorbacks with 10 tackles in last Saturday's 37-27 win over Alabama-Birmingham and his role appears to be expanding for defensive coordinator Travis Williams heading into their SEC opener Saturday at Auburn (2-1). Dix joins sophomore Brad Spence and fellow transfers Xavian Sorey and Anthony Switzer at the top of the linebacker rotation.
Coach Sam Pittman named Dix on Wednesday as one of four captains for the the Razorbacks (2-1), who will be aiming for their third SEC-opening win in four seasons. Additionally, Dix appeared with transfer offensive lineman Keyshawn Blackstock on Pittman's radio show Wednesday night.
When asked Monday whether Dix was deserving of more playing time, Pittman responded, "Absolutely. Going into the game on Saturday morning, we had talked about playing him more. Sometimes that works out, sometimes it doesn't.
"He played a lot of ball before he got here. He has a knack of finding the football. Sometimes we lose sight of where the football is with all the dressing going in. He doesn't seem to be one of those guys. He's very physical and is a guy that will continue to get more and more reps. He's played well for us."
Week to week
Just as Auburn can't be fully judged by its 21-14 home loss to Cal two weeks ago, Arkansas can turn the narrative on last week's lackluster showing against UAB, Pittman said on his radio show Wednesday.
"A couple of years ago I believe Rice was ahead of us in the fourth quarter and the next week we beat Texas by 25 [actually 19]," Pittman told host Chuck Barrett. "You can't have a game that can control what's going to happen in the next game. We have to learn from it and get better from it and that's what I believe we've done."
Rush stats
Arkansas has rushed for 200-plus yards in three consecutive games for the first time since doing it against Mississippi State, BYU and Auburn in order during the 2022 season.
The Razorbacks have also posted multiple rushing touchdowns in the first three games for the first time since the first three games of 2021 against Rice, Texas and Georgia Southern.
'Or' what?
Auburn's defensive depth chart shows 25 spots listed with an "or" designation for 12 positions, thus more than two "ors" per position. All but one spot, the strong-side linebacker, lists at least three players. The Tigers list their starters in bold print and all 37 players on the defensive depth chart are printed in bold.
Conversely, the Tigers' offensive depth chart is more defined, as only three positions list "or" players. They are one wide receiver spot with 5-star freshman Cam Coleman and junior Camden Brown as co-starters and both tackle spots, with Percy Lewis and Tyler Johnson competing on the left side, and Izavion Miller and Dillon Wade competing on the right.
Fumble deficits
Neither Arkansas nor Auburn has forced or recovered a fumble on defense through a quarter of the regular season. The Razorbacks and Tigers are among the 35 FBS teams that have yet recovered an opponent fumble. Kentucky, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt of the SEC join them in that category.
On the flip side, Auburn is one of three FBS teams to lose five fumbles, joining Cincinnati and San Jose State in that statistic, where only Temple has more with six lost fumbles.
Arkansas has lost two fumbles -- a dropped pitch by Ja'Quinden Jackson and a muffed punt by Isaiah Sategna, both at Oklahoma State -- to be one of 25 FBS teams with that number.
Arkansas is tied for 99th with a minus-0.67 turnover margin and Auburn is 132nd at minus-2.33.
Remember me?
KeAndre Lambert-Smith, a senior transfer from Penn State who is leading Auburn with 7 receptions for 182 yards and 3 touchdowns, has faced the Razorbacks before.
In Arkansas' 24-10 win over Penn State to cap the 2021 season, Lambert-Smith had 3 receptions for 74 yards and scored the Nittany Lions' only touchdown on a 42-yard catch from Sean Clifford.
Lambert-Smith's career totals are 133 receptions for 1,903 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Tigers D
Auburn Coach Hugh Freeze wants more effective defense heading into SEC play. Against nonconference teams Alabama A&M, Cal and New Mexico, the Tigers are allowing 340 yards per game to rank 71st in the FBS, 32 spots behind Arkansas (289.7).
While Freeze praised the unit for notching two takeaways last week, he said Monday the Tigers "seemed chaotic and unsure" overall after pulling away from a 17-13 halftime lead to down the Lobos 45-19.
New Mexico gained 448 total yards on 70 plays, an average of 6.4 yards per play.
The Lobos had an open date heading into the game.
"They threw the kitchen sink at us," Freeze said. "Every formation, every motion, every unbalanced, and a quarterback [Devon Dampier] that can run around and make plays.
"But we didn't tackle well. I didn't think our effort was great. Hopefully that's a good learning lesson for us."
At .500
Freeze has a 111-55 record in 14 seasons as a college head coach, but he's 8-8 in his second season at Auburn.
Freeze replaced Bryan Harsin, who was 9-12 with the Tigers. He was fired late in the 2022 season after Auburn's 41-27 home loss to Arkansas dropped its record to 3-5.
"Oh, there's no doubt in my mind he'll do a great job there," Pittman said when asked about Freeze's .500 record through 16 games. "I mean, they play hard. They look the part.
"I think they're going to have a really good team, throughout the entire season. I think they'll be a hard out for whoever plays them. I have high respect for Coach Freeze. He does a wonderful job."
Freeze is 4-3 as a head coach against Arkansas: 2-3 at Ole Miss, 1-0 at Liberty and 1-0 at Auburn.
In the Hunt
Senior tailback Jarquez Hunter has played his entire career at Auburn. He has rushed for 2,445 yards and 19 touchdowns and has 428 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns in 40 games.
Hunter rushed 16 times for 109 yards and had 2 catches for 14 yards in the Tigers' 48-10 win at Arkansas last season.
"Well, he's certainly had success, and he must like it there," Pittman said. "He plays like he loves it there."
Hunter, a 5-10, 209-pounder, has rushed 36 times for 273 yards and 2 touchdowns this season.
"I mean, he gets his shoulders turned, and he's a tank," Pittman said. "He's a hard guy. He's just what you want. He runs extremely hard.
"It's hard to keep any player for four years, so he must have a love and a loyalty for the university and his coaches there. It wouldn't have hurt me if he would have transferred, but he didn't, so we've got to have a good plan for him. I respect him as a player."
Full circle
Auburn redshirt freshman Hank Brown, who took over the starting quarterback role last week, was a state championship quarterback at a private school in Nashville, Tenn., just two seasons ago.
Brown led the Lipscomb Academy Mustangs to a 13-0 record and the Tennessee D2-AA state title in 2022 for Coach Trent Dilfer, who took the head coaching job at Alabama-Birmingham after the season.
Dilfer's Blazers lost 37-27 at Arkansas last week.