Bama Hammer takes a look at the Alabama vs. Arkansas game on what went wrong, what went right, and what it could mean for the Tide going forward.
It was a sluggish start for the Tide offense but Alabama improved their record to 5-1 (2-1 SEC) after the 27-14 win over Arkansas 2-4 (1-2 SEC).
One of the best numbers to come out of the weekend after the Arkansas game was the number nine. This was the Tide’s straight victory over the Razorbacks. That’s no small feat in itself against anyone in the SEC.
If you tuned into the first half only, you may be thinking how could they have turned it on that much to close out the game. The Tide defense was holding its own throughout the game. For the first half, Alabama only gave up 77 yards with 24 of those sledding on the ground. Even the Razorbacks lone score in the first half didn’t come on a long, sustained drive but came on a short field after a Jake Coker interception set the Hogs up 12 yards out from six points.
For the season, the Razorbacks are averaging just over 204 yards a game but Alabama kept them well under that quota with 44 total for the day. The run defense is there and does not appear to be going anywhere soon. They also kept Arkansas at 176 through the air. That’s also well below the 272 yards in average passing yards. Lineback Reggie Ragland was straight killing people on Saturday and had one of his best games yet. Ragland notched 8 total tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, one pass breakup, one forced fumble, and two quarterback hurries. Eddie Jackson picked up another interception to add to his total as well. As a whole, the defensive unit also recorded three sacks, four tackles for losses, one forced fumble, six pass breakups, and nine quarterback hurries.
The offense is the part that came out for the Tide in the first half, only scoring three points to go into the locker room trailing 7-3. Moving the ball in the first half wasn’t the Tide’s problems as they put up 204 yards of offense. Alabama left six points on the field with two missed field goals from Adam Griffith from 25 and 48 yards out.
Coker made some mistakes throughout the game with some overthrows and underthrows plus two interceptions. If we give him marks for being negative, we have to say what he did positive as well. As the game went on, he did settle down and even connected on a deep ball to freshman wide receiver Calvin Ridley for an 81-yard touchdown. This is just a newsflash: Ridley is going to be great. He is getting there now and quick rising pace. You can tell the game is starting to slow down a bit for him and he is getting used to playing at the next level.
All in all, Alabama finished the game with 396 total yards with 134 rushing. Tide running back Derrick Henry just missed the 100-yard mark with 95 for the day. With the Tide’s next opponent in the Texas A&M Aggies, Alabama will face a team that struggles to stop the run. That plays into Alabama’s strength. However, on the other hand the Aggies have a potent passing attack and if you had to pick weakness on the defensive side of the ball, most would pick the secondary even though that unit isn’t doing too shabby. Home field could be the difference as the Tide will travel to Collge Station to take on the Aggies and Kyle Field. Plus I am sure that there is a whipping from last year that is on all of their minds.
Is it Saturday yet?