Previewing Alabama Football regular-season games: Arkansas

This is the third post in a series on Alabama Football regular-season opponents. The first one previewed the three biggest underdogs to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. Working back from the late November schedule, Auburn was previewed in the second post.

Next up is another SEC West foe, the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Razorbacks were 3-7 in 2020 under then first-year Head Coach, Sam Pittman. The Hogs were not as bad as the record appears. Arkansas lost to Auburn by two points, by three points to LSU and two points to Missouri. Alabama Football cruised to a 52-3 win to close out the Arkansas season. The Crimson Tide has a 14-game winning streak against the Razorbacks and is 24-7 all-time, going back to 1962.

A quick summary is Arkansas should be better in 2021, but their final record may not show much improvement. In returning experience, Sam Pittman’s team has an advantage. The Razorbacks have 19 players with game-starting experience.

Super Senior linebacker Grant Morgan and senior, Bumper Pool will lead the defense. Another Super Senior, Hayden Henry gives the Hogs a strong linebacker group. Morgan, a former walk-on, was a 2020 All-American. Alabama football fans will not like it, but when the Tide takes on the Hogs, the best wide receiver on the field could be Treylon Burks. An argument can be made the junior will be the nation’s best in 2021. Talking about Burks, Matt Stinchcomb recently said,

"He’s always open. If he’s covered he’s open. (Burks) can catch it short and take it the distance. He’s a guy that can get behind defenses. Imagine how physically imposing he is to a defensive back!"

Who can Pittman count on to get Burks the ball? K.J. Jefferson has spent two seasons in Fayetteville as a backup. Having to fill in for an injured Feleipe Franks last season, Jefferson played well against Missouri. Jefferson is a true dual-threat QB, who needs to improve on his accuracy. In eight college games, Jefferson has completed just 47.2 percent of his passes. Jefferson will have to improve while not playing behind one of the SEC’s best offensive lines.

Position Groups – Alabama Football vs Arkansas – Nov. 20

• Quarterback – Bryce Young is less proven than K.J. Jefferson but – Advantage Alabama
• Running Back – The Tide is SO deep with so much talent  – Advantage Alabama
• Wide Receivers – Even with the Hogs having Burks – Advantage Alabama
• Offensive Line –  Decided advantage Alabama
• Defensive Line – Huge advantage  Alabama
• Linebacker – Decided advantage Alabama
• Secondary – Advantage Alabama
• Special Teams – Huge advantage Alabama

How will the Razorbacks do overall? Three wins, six losses and three maybes is a quick guess.