October 30, at Fayetteville, Ark. Auburn 31 Arkansas 21 COLD PORK On a frigid day in Fayetteville, the Tigers overcame the elements and carved up the Hogs

AUBURN'S TRIP TO ARKANsas on the last weekend in October
represented a scary confluence of circumstances for the Tigers. Not
only was it Homecoming in Fayetteville, but also the weather was
horrendously cold and snowy -- which did not bode well for the
warm-weather boys from Auburn. Before kickoff, everybody on the Tiger
squad had noticed the 10 degrees windchill factor as equipment
manager Frank Cox busied himself providing sideline heaters, hand-
held heaters, tights, thermal undershirts, gloves and pouches for
warming hands. Sure enough, on their initial possession the Tigers
drove to the Arkansas 23, where kicker Scott Etheridge -- who hails
from sunny California -- missed a 40-yard field goal attempt. He
blamed the weather: ''It was like kicking a brick into the wind,'' he
said later.
The first half generated little heat and ended in a 7-7 tie. In
the dressing room, an unhappy Terry Bowden pleaded with his charges,
''Somebody make a big play.'' As it happened, the guy who would make
that play was Brian Robinson, a sophomore safety from -- drum roll,
please -- balmy Fort Lauderdale.
And give an assist to secondary coach Jack Hines, who has a
master's degree in psychology. He put it to work by telling his
players how the Eskimos could work all day on the Alaska pipeline by
accepting the cold and ignoring it. ''So I told our guys,'' Hines
recalled later, ''to just expect it to be cold and go out there and
get the job done.'' Bingo. Three plays into the third quarter,
Robinson stepped past Hog tight end Kirk Botkin, who had slipped and
fallen, for a clean interception and an easy 35-yard run for a TD.
Besides the weather, the day's biggest surprise was the running of
Tiger fullback Reid McMilion, who had 91 yards on 12 carries. For
McMilion, whose body has a tendency to suffer in the heat, the chilly
day in Fayetteville proved an invigorating tonic.
Despite the conditions, White completed 15 passes -- seven of them
to wide receiver Frank Sanders. The harmony between the two players
represented just another miracle in a miracle-filled season. After
all, in 1992, it was Sanders who wondered out loud if it was time to
replace White as the quarterback. But White had shrugged it off,
saying, ''Frank is a talker. He's also our go-to guy.'' The duo's
performance this season has proved that White held no grudge. Against
Arkansas, one of Sanders's grabs went for 56 yards to set up Auburn's
first score.
Afterward, Sanders hurried to the bus, screaming, ''I hate this
weather.'' No matter. The results warmed up Tiger fans everywhere. --
D.L.