Alabama Football: Studs and duds for Tide vs. Arkansas

Alabama football’s studs and duds vs. Arkansas

Stud: Devonta Smith

Smitty is one of the most versatile weapons in college football. Arkansas was determined to keep him from impacting the passing game. To their credit, they limited Smith for the whole game. However, he still found a way to disrupt this game on special teams.

We have debated the risk of letting stars return punts since before Jaylen Waddle went down with an injury. However, Smitty proved why the reward might be worth the risk. He consistently gave the Crimson Tide excellent field position, and he easily scored a touchdown on one punt return. However, he also almost got hurt due to a dirty tackle by the Razorbacks.

Stud: Jaylen Moody

Christian Harris went down with a shoulder injury on the first play from scrimmage. The Butkus contender is a major piece of the Alabama defense, so fans knew that he would be hard to replace. However, Jaylen Moody did a great job in his spot. He was flying to the football, and he was a solid tackler. He might be a step down from Harris, but the drop is not nearly as drastic as one would think.

We still don’t know the severity of Harris’s injury, but Moody will be ready to play in the SEC Championship if necessary. If he has another opportunity to play, he will make the most of his snaps. Fans should not be worried about Moody when he is in the game.