Crimson Tide Rolls Razorbacks 49-30
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| Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports |
And the Crimson Tide keeps right on Rolling!
The No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (6-3 overall, 3-0 SEC) has now extended it's nation's-best winning streak to 18 games by defeating the 16th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks (4-2, 0-2) by a score of 49-30 last night in front of a packed crowd of 75,459 screaming fans at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is Bama's tenth consecutive win over Arky.
This game had a little bit of everything in it, and a whole lot of other things. In the "whole lot of others" category, the Crimson Tide racked up 517 total yards of offense on just 51 plays. It was "hurry up offense" at its best, something that just a couple of season's ago no one thought Alabama head football coach Nick Saban would ever be doing.
Saban said, "It works well for us, it's wen we play the best. Our quarterback is well-suited for it, and I think we've done a good job as a staff developing the system where it's maybe a little more efficient than when we started doing it a couple years ago."
Crimson Tide starting quarterback Jalen Hurts accounted for four of Bama's touchdowns (two rushing and two passing) and 253 yards of passing. In fact, the Hurts-led offensive machine averages 10.1 yards per play.
Wide receiver ArDarius Stewart hauled in five passes for 120 yards, including one for 67 yards on the evening.
But that's not all in the "whole lot of others" category! Alabama also added two scores to the non-offensive touchdowns column with linebacker Tim Williams and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick doing the honors. That now makes nine non-offensive touchdowns scored by the Tide this season, the nation's most. Fitzpatrick electrified the crowd with a 100-yard interception return early in the fourth quarter. The sophomore had his best performance of the season, picking off three Austin Allen passes on the evening. The Williams interception for touchdown return went for 23 yards. Bama now has 55 non-offensive touchdowns in the Nick Saban era.
Fitzpatrick said, "When we score a non-offensive touchdown, it kind of helps the offense and it helps boost the morale of the team. We get really excited and have fun out there."
Speaking of the Razorback quarterback, Allen completed 25-of-48 passes last night for 400 yards and three touchdowns. In all, Arkansas had 473 total yards of offense. gaining only 73 yards rushing on 36 carries.
After the game, Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema said, "I'm disappointed for the fans to not get them a win [yesterday]. I thought there was enough things out there the No. 1 team in the country, but we spotted them two to three touchdowns. It's just too much to give up to the No. 1 team in the country."
Alabama running back Damien Harris rolled for 122 yards on 13 carries for the Tide. Joshua Jacobs had 57 yards on the night on just three carries before having to leave the game due to an injury.
One of the things that was not typical Crimson Tide was in the turnovers department. Alabama handed the ball back to Arkansas early on three separate occasions. On the flip side, however, the Tide defense took the ball away from the Hogs five times last evening.
Saban commented, "We're certainly not where we want to be, not in all facets of the game. Sometimes we play great on offense, but we've got to be more consistent when we play really good teams."
Up next for Bama is another nationally-ranked team, as well as Southeastern Conference rival. In fact, it's a top 10 team that the Tide will visit. Alabama travels to Knoxville, Tennessee this next weekend to battle the Vols at Neyland Stadium in what is sure to be a hard-fought contest. The "magic" wore off this weekend for Tennessee, however, as the ninth-ranked Volunteers fell to the eighth-ranked Texas A&M Aggies in double overtime.
| Game Stats | UA | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 517 | 473 |
| Pass Yards | 253 | 400 |
| Rushing Yards | 264 | 73 |
| Penalty Yards | 7-86 | 6-60 |
| 1st Downs | 16 | 25 |
| 3rd Downs | 4-8 | 8-16 |
| 4th Downs | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| TOP | 22:53 | 37:07 |
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| Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
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| Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
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Injury Update Following Alabama's Win Over Arkansas
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| Joshua Jacobs Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
One could definitely say that last night's Alabama victory over Arkansas had its pluses and minuses. And according to University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban, there were a lot of minuses. One major plus is that it was a win. A significant win.
The number one ranked Tide defeated a nationally-ranked team to stay in the hunt for both a Southeastern Conference and National Championship for the 2016 season. Bama defeated the 16th-ranked Razorbacks 49-30 last night at Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The Crimson Tide now moves to 6-0 overall, 3-0 in SEC action while Arkansas falls to 4-2, 0-2.
One major minus on the night was the fact that Alabama sustained three injuries during the contest to some pretty important players. Those three are running back Joshua Jacobs, linebacker Reuben Foster and right guard Alphonse Taylor.
Saban said, "Josh Jacobs, like, had a nerve in his elbow. He'll be fine. He was actually cleared to play in the second half of the game, but we did not play him. Reuben got a little concussion, don't know how serious it is."
Jacobs had three carries on the night before leaving the game, rolling up 57 yards. Foster had two tackles in the contest, one for loss, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry.
Alphonse "Shank" Taylor did not take the field in the second half at his right guard position. Lester Cotton came out after halftime and settled into the position for the Crimson Tide for the remainder of the game.
"Shank sort of got a minor concussion, so we just held him out and played Lester when we were ahead in the game," commented Saban. "We didn't want to push him. Hopefully he'll be able to get better."
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| Reuben Foster Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
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| Alphonse Taylor Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
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Alabama Softball Captures Doubleheader
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| Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
Alabama softball head coach Patrick Murphy said, "I was really happy with how our defense played and how the pitchers attacked the zone. It was a great day for our freshmen to get to play their first game at Rhoads Stadium."
It was Sydney Littlejohn getting the start on the mound in game one for Bama, pitching 4.0 innings of ball before reliever Madi Moore came in to finish it up with 3.0 shutout innings herself. Alexis Osorio had the start in game two, with Moore coming up again on relief.
The Crimson Tide is back in action this afternoon at 1:30 p.m. CT hosting Spring Hill at Rhoads Stadium in another doubleheader.
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Alabama Rowing Team Sweeps Chattanooga Head Race
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| Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
Okay, so you don't carry a broom to a boat race. But still, the Alabama Crimson Tide rowing team swept the competition yesterday in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the Chattanooga head race, winning all five of its races and an overall eight top-three finishes in its opening race of the fall season.
Concerning the shortened course due to the strong winds yesterday, Alabama head coach Larry Davis said, "Our team adapted well and it is the first time we won all five races we entered. They had some good performances despite the weather conditions.
We're looking forward to polishing a few things and improving before we
go to the Head of the Charles."
Winners for the Tide included Abby Wohler, Maggie Gillespie, Jennifer Parker, Abbie Marks, Kylie Diffley and Dani Mazer.
The Crimson Tide will next head to Cambridge, Mass. on October 22-23 for the Head of the Charles before returning to Chattanooga for the Head of the Hooch on November 5-6.
