AP photo by April L. Brown Auburn linebacker Craig Stevens (46) hauls down Arkansas running back and Heisman Trophy candidate DarrenMcFadden during the second quarter of Auburn’s 9-7 victory in Fayetteville, Ark., on Saturday.

Auburn puts squeeze on running duo

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — We just waited for it to happen — for Arkansas’ speedy running backs Darren McFadden or Felix Jones to break a long run.

The first quarter passed, and McFadden has six carries for 17 yards, a 2.83-yard average. Jones had one carry for 5 yards.

The second quarter passed and McFadden had added just 14 yards to his total, Jones just 5.

And the longest run? A 9-yard dash by McFadden.

Was this happening?

Auburn’s defense was stopping, arguably, two of the best backs in the nation, and without a doubt the best tailback combo anywhere. Some NFL teams don’t have a better duo than McFadden and Jones.

The two have both run for 100 yards in every game except one before facing Auburn. A Heisman Trophy candidate, McFadden entered the game ranked third in the nation, averaging 155 rushing yards a game. Jones was the eighth-leading rusher in the country.

So, when were these two great backs going to break a long run?

Well, finally McFadden hit the sideline for a 13-yard gain midway through the third quarter. The run made him the school’s all-time leading rusher.

But many didn’t think it would take him three and a half quarters to gain 32 yards for that record.

Arkansas tried to get McFadden and Jones the ball in a variety of different ways, throwing to them and putting McFadden at quarterback. But nothing seemed to work against Auburn coordinator Will Muschamp’s defense. And it didn’t help that McFadden and Jones each dropped a pass.

The fourth quarter arrived, and still no success for the duo. Entering the final 15 minutes the two had a combined 65 yards rushing — a stunning fact.

Was Auburn’s defense this good? Was this the same defense that allowed Mississippi State to run for 172 yards as the team slid to a 1-2 start?

Maybe, instead of talking about how the offense has made huge strides, we should be gloating about a defense that has also improved.

With three minutes to play, who wasn’t stunned as Jones and McFadden were held in check? But then it came.

Jones took a handoff and hit the right sideline for the biggest gain of the night: 18 yards.

Still, the duo finished with fewer than 100 yards rushing, when they came in averaging more than 330 yards on the ground. It added up to a 9-7 victory for Auburn.

Early in the week, Auburn true freshman linebacker Bo Harris had the nerve to say that the Tigers’ defense was going to put an end to the Razorbacks’ running game.

Maybe, he knew something we didn’t.