Arkansas defensive back Jayden Johnson ejected for targeting against Auburn

Arkansas defensive back Jayden Johnson has been ejected for targeting in the second quarter of Saturday’s matchup against Auburn. Johnson landed a hard hit on Tigers receiver Jay Fair after he had already stepped out of bounds.

Johnson appeared to make contact to Fair’s helmet, knocking him on his back as he slid toward the Auburn sidelines. After a review, officials determined that the hit fit the criteria for targeting and announced that Johnson is out for the game. You can view the tackle below.

Jayden Johnson flagged for a late hit and targeting here. Ruling of targeting confirmed and Johnson is ejected. pic.twitter.com/PFVqnv44uq

— Mason Choate (@ChoateMason) November 11, 2023

The loss is a big one for Arkansas, as Johnson is the Razorbacks’ third-leading tackler so far this season with 45 total tackles. He also has one interception, one forced fumble and three passes defended.

Arkansas was already struggling prior to the Johnson’s ejection as it trailed 21-3. The Tigers have gone on to kick another field goal since then to increase the advantage to 24-3 with less than a minute remaining in the first half. The Razorbacks haven’t been able to get much going so far with just 112 yards of offense and four first downs.

To make matters worse, Jayden Johnson was having a solid game prior to his exit and led Arkansas in tackles with six. The Razorbacks entered halftime trailing 27-3 and face a long way back if they hope to come back in the second.

If things hold and Arkansas loses this game, it would drop to 1-6 in the SEC. That would ensure that the Razorbacks can not win more than two conference games this season, which would be the lowest total since Sam Pittman took over as coach in 2020.

Sam Pittman comments on rough first quarter for Arkansas

If Arkansas gained any momentum following the win against Florida, it’s already gone. In the blink of an eye on Saturday, Auburn was up 21-0 in Fayetteville and was rolling. Sam Pittman was unsurprisingly not too happy with his team heading into the second quarter.

Auburn really excelled on the offensive end but Pittman highlighted how poor his offense performed in the first quarter. Arkansas punted on all three days, spanning over just nine drives. Pittman wants to block better up front and then when in space, his players need to make a couple of more plays.

“We’re not breaking any tackles,” Pittman said during a mid-game interview with SEC Network. “We’re not blocking them particularly well. We got to figure out our empty protection because we’re not blocking that well. For whatever reason, we’re not tackling, we’re not blocking.”

On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report.