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FAYETTEVILLE -- The depth on Arkansas' defensive line took another turn this week, as stalwart Cam Ball was listed as out for Saturday's game against Auburn on the initial SEC availability report Wednesday night, while Danny Saili was listed as probable. Interim Coach Bobby Petrino addressed Saili's status during Wednesday's SEC coaches webinar, but he did not discuss the injury for Ball, a defensive captain. Ball's injury was not disclosed on either the webinar or during Petrino's appearance on the "Razorback Football Live" radio show Wednesday night. Ball, the team's lone fifth-year senior, played nearly 60 snaps in last week's 45-42 loss against No. 4 Texas A&M, with he and Ian Geffrard taking the bulk of the reps in the absence of Saili and David Oke. Petrino said Oke has not yet been cleared. Saili was listed as probable along with tight end Jaden Platt on the availability report. Receiver Zach Taylor was listed as questionable, while Ball and Oke were among the nine players listed as out. "I feel like Danny's going to be good to go," Petrino said on the SEC webinar. "Knock on wood, he should be in a situation where he can come out and play and help us. We're looking for that. Oke will not be available." Saili, a 6-3, 319-pound second-year transfer from BYU, was not available due to an undisclosed injury last week, stressing the depth on the defensive interior. For Auburn, starting center Conner Lew, whose torn knee ligament was disclosed by Coach Hugh Freeze on Monday, joined receiver Horatio Fields and running back Durell Robinson as out, while cornerback Donovan Starr and tight end Brandon Frazier were listed as probable. Marquee match Arkansas interim Coach and offensive play-caller Bobby Petrino pitted against the Auburn defense and coordinator D.J. Durkin is the marquee matchup for Saturday's 11:45 a.m. game at Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The Razorbacks are fourth in the FBS in total offense with 513.7 yards per game and their 141 plays of 10-plus yards leads the country. The Auburn defense is coordinated by Durkin, who held the same role at Texas A&M (2022-23) during Petrino's lone season there in 2023. The Tigers have allowed 610 rushing yards, their fewest in the first seven games of a season since 1994. Their average of 87.1 rushing yards allowed ranks fourth in the SEC and 10th in the country. Arkansas has 1,577 rushing yards, an average of 225.3 per game that ranks 14th in the FBS. "Yeah, they're a really good defensive team," Petrino said. "They've got good outside edge rushers, they're firm inside, the linebackers play fast, their secondary's not afraid to play man coverage." Petrino went head to head in practice against Durkin every day two years ago in College Station, Texas. "Very familiar with their defense," Petrino said. "They're very, very well-coached. ... They do a great job in their schemes and what they do. It's going to be a great challenge for our offense. "We've got to be able to run the football and be patient, stay away from third-and-long, third-and-extra long, where they can tee off their pass rushers. So I think we have to be efficient. We have to really be efficient on first down." Auburn has held their opponents under 100 rushing yards in five of seven games this season, including three of four league games, and in 11 of 19 games under Durkin. "Their front seven is really good," Arkansas offensive tackle E'Marion Harris said. "They have some returning starters from last year. Their defensive line is solid up front, so I feel like it's going to be a good match on Saturday." Auburn is one of six FBS teams, including Oklahoma from the SEC, that has not allowed more than 24 points in any game, and its 17.9 defensive scoring average is 24th in the FBS. Arkansas has scored 24-plus points in all but one game and its 37.1 points per game is 17th in the FBS. Wooden's work Arkansas safety Caleb Wooden had a big play in the Auburn-Arkansas game two seasons ago, but it was for the Tigers during their 48-10 rout at Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Midway through the third quarter, Wooden recovered a Raheim Sanders fumble that was forced by Zion Puckett at the Auburn 15 and returned it 74 yards. The Tigers scored on Peyton Thorne's 11-yard touchdown pass to Rivaldo Fairweather on the next snap. Chuck Barrett, the host of "Razorback Football Live," brought up the play to the crowd at the Catfish Hole Restaurant as Wooden and quarterback Taylen Green appeared on the show Wednesday night. The crowd responded "Noooo" when Barrett brought it up. Then the host said he'd like to see it done again for the Razorbacks on Saturday. "You're on the good side now," Green said. Said Wooden later in the show, "I treat this game like I treated Alabama A&M, Arkansas State, so and so forth. Nothing different in my preparation. But you and I know that it's different this week. It's not personal." QB prep Arkansas will have to be ready for not only Auburn starting quarterback Jackson Arnold and backup Ashton Daniels, but a third option in Deuce Knight. The 6-4, 217-pound freshman was the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class, per ESPN. Coach Hugh Freeze said Arnold and Daniels would share snaps in practice, with the latter being a spark plug option after redshirt plans went awry amid an 0-4 SEC start. "Obviously, we went back and looked at who's sharing reps with him," Arkansas interim Coach Bobby Petrino said. "And we have to have an idea of his ability, what his strengths are, what his inexperience is and and have a plan for both." Freeze added Knight to the mix during Wednesday's SEC coaches webinar. Arnold has started all seven games with 195 passing attempts to Knight's 2-for-5 log in a collegiate debut Sept 6 against Ball State. He hasn't seen the field since. Daniels hasn't recorded a stat after 602 pass attempts with 21 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in three seasons at Stanford. "Deuce ... man, he's handled everything extremely well to be so talented and young," Freeze said. "And I think he knows his time is coming. It's just a matter of when, but we will have all three ready to play." Young kicker Just more than halfway through his freshman season, Arkansas freshman Scott Starzyk is 7 for 9 on field goals -- with a long of 53 -- and is 33 for 33 on extra points. The No. 1 kicker in the 2025 class missed field goals of 51 and 49 yards at Ole Miss in his first SEC road environment. "He didn't miss the kicks by much at all," punter Devin Bale said. "Just something a little technical that he had to fix and he knows he can do it." Starzyk drilled a 46-yarder at Memphis in his next opportunity and a 49-yarder the following week at home against Notre Dame. The Texas native is on a streak of six made field goals in a row. "He's got a crazy leg," Bale said. "We have all the confidence in the world in him. I told him since Day 1, 'If you make every kick, I wouldn't be surprised, but if you miss one, it's how you handle adversity.'" Kennedy honors Former Arkansas safety Kenoy Kennedy was named to the 2025 SEC Football Legends class, which will be honored at events surrounding the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta in December. Kennedy racked up 287 tackles during his Razorback career (1996-99), leading the team with 95 stops in 1995 and 98 in 1999, when he had a team-high 10 pass breakups. The Dallas native earned third-team All-America and All-SEC honors in 1999 and second-team All-SEC recognition in 1998. Kennedy was chosen for the Razorbacks' All-Decade team of the 1990s and was inducted in the UA Sports Hall of Honor in 2014. The 45th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos, Kennedy played eight NFL seasons with the Broncos and Detroit Lions and compiled 536 tackles and 10 interceptions.
