If you thought No. 16 Arkansas was going to give top-ranked Alabama a good battle in the SEC West, well, you were out of luck Saturday night. Alabama improved to 6-0 (3-0 SEC) with a 49-30 victory that never felt as the final score might even suggest. Arkansas (4-2) fell to 0-2 in SEC play on a night in which they turned the football over five times. Against Alabama, that is far too many turnovers to have, and Alabama showed why.
Alabama returned two Arkansas turnovers for a touchdown and converted another Razorback turnover into a touchdown. One of the highlights of the night for the Alabama defense was Minkah Fitzpatrick‘s 100-yard interception return for a score in the fourth quarter. The score was somewhat crucial too, as a touchdown for Arkansas could have cut Alabama’s lead to 11 points. Instead, Alabama padded its lead and took a 49-24 lead to essentially hold Arkansas at arm’s length the rest of the way.
Nick Saban will find plenty to be upset about despite his top-ranked team once again coming through with a double-digit victory, because that’s just what Saban does. Giving up 400 yards through the air surely will catch the ire of Saban. Austin Allen tossed three touchdowns and hit the 400-yard mark, but he did so while also having three passes picked off. Alabama did do a good job of taking away the run, which Arkansas loves to use to their advantage. The Razorbacks were held under 100 rushing yards for the first time since November 21, 2015 when Mississippi State held them to 73 rushing yards. Alabama was one of two teams in 2015 to hold Arkansas to fewer than 100 yards. The last time Arkansas had more than 100 rushing yards against Alabama was in 2013, with 165 yards in a 52-0 defeat at the hands of the Crimson Tide.
Alabama also had three turnovers of their own, which will not sit well with Saban. Quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 13 of his 17 pass attempts for 253 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, and Damien Harris led all players with 122 rushing yards. Hurts led the way with two touchdown runs. ArDarius Stewart was the leading receiver for Alabama with five receptions for 120 yards. Jared Cornelius of Arkansas topped that with five receptions for 146 yards. Neither scored a touchdown, however.
One other stat Saban will likely focus on is his defense’s lack of getting off the field. Arkansas converted half of their third down plays for a first down, and one of two fourth-down plays.
Next up for Alabama is another road game, this time against Tennessee. Expect Alabama to put a hurting on the Vols in the first half before Tennessee inexplicably battles back to make things interesting and perhaps dicey in the second half. If this season has taught us anything thus far, it is that Tennessee does not go away easily. Can they do the same against Alabama?
Arkansas hosts Ole Miss next week.