Game Day Keys: Arkansas introduces its new gun in enemy territory

On the days most pivotal players.

? QB TYLER WILSON, Arkansas. Wilson has three starts under his belt now ?�easy Razorback wins over Missouri State, New Mexico State and Troy ? but where a living, breathing SEC defense is concerned, there's still only one entry: A 332-yard, four-touchdown, two-interception revival of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" last year at Auburn. As good as Wilson looked for most of that game in relief of starter Ryan Mallett, he ultimately wilted in the fourth quarter in the only hostile road environment he's faced ?�until today, when the combination of Alabama's defense and 100,000 Rammer-Jammering Crimson Tide fans present him with the most hostile road environment he'll ever face.

Forget the big numbers: If Wilson delivers a handful of big plays that keep the Razorbacks close without a repeat of last year's turnover festival on the Plains, he's going to be a force to be reckoned with for the rest of the SEC.

? LB VONTAZE BURFICT, Arizona State. Matt Barkley has barely been touched in USC's first three games, with predictable results: He has nine touchdown passes to just one interception in three Trojan wins, all but one of the scores going to a first or second-year receiver just beginning to find his place in the offense. On the other side, since spring practice, the Arizona State defense has lost its best cornerback, a starting linebacker, a starting defensive end and, as of this week, the conference's reigning Defensive Freshman of the Year, defensive tackle Junior Onyeali.

But the Devils still have their head-hunting middle linebacker, who is well-acquainted with Barkley since their high school days ?�Barkley minced no words about his old rival in the L.A. Times: "He's a dirty player. His switch is always on. And it's not a good switch." ? and ranks among the national leaders with four sacks in ASU's first three games. So far, Barkley's arm is accounting for a little over 70 percent of USC's total offense, but that number tonight is in direct proportion to just how reacquainted he gets with Mr. Burfict.

? DE Tony Jerod-Eddie, Texas A&M. The Aggies don't have much better hope of containing Oklahoma State star Justin Blackmon than they did last year, when Blackmon and quarterback Brandon Weeden hooked up ten times for 127 yards and a touchdown in a 38-35 Cowboy win in Stillwater ? at least, not without ignoring Weeden's other targets. But they do have an opportunity to disrupt Weeden with the nation's most sack-happy defense to date, led by Jerod-Eddie, who had three QB takedowns and two hurries in A&M's opening-day win over SMU alone. If Weeden has time, the Aggie secondary is toast.

? WR/KR Tavon Austin, West Virginia. LSU's defense has been the stuff of nightmares against very capable spread offenses from Oregon and Mississippi State ? the Tigers have only allowed three plays of 20 yards or longer, and none longer than 30 yards ?�and West Virginia is probably going to feel like it's banging its head against a brick wall most of the night, too. If the Mountaineers have any chance, they'll have to get a quick strike or two out of their most dynamic player, and the way the Tiger D is playing, it may have to come in the return game.

? DEs Quinton Coples and Donte Paige-Moss, North Carolina. No defense has ever shut down Paul Johnson's triple-option attack more effectively than Iowa in the 2009 Orange Bowl, largely due to the presence of a first-rate, havoc-wreaking defensive end, Adrian Clayborn, who snuffed out everything run in his direction. Today, Georgia Tech runs into two first-rate athletes ? Coples and Paige-Moss are both projected as high first-round draft picks ?�who will have to prove equally disruptive to prevent the Tar Heels from becoming the latest defense to leave Atlanta with tread marks down its back.

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Matt Hinton is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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