TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama looks to continue its good stretch when they take on the Arkansas Razorbacks for homecoming week this Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.

Alabama is coming into this game on a really high note, having defeated Texas A&M in a tough road game last week, 26-20. Jalen Milroe had his best game as a quarterback to date, throwing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns, torching the A&M secondary.

Jermaine Burton also had a big game, as he caught nine passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns. It was also his best game since transferring from Georgia two years ago, and while it has taken him some time to settle into the Crimson Tide’s offense, he looks to deliver in a big way going forward. Isaiah Bond also had a really good game, going under-the-radar but still having over ninety yards receiving, along with one touchdown.

Alabama’s defense will look to continue their stretch of dominance, as they have not let up more than 20 points since the week two loss against current No. 9 Texas. A lot of the success for the defense has to do with their half-time adjustments. Since that Texas game, the defense has allowed no more than seven points in a second half. New defensive coordinator Kevin Steele seems to have found the formula for that side of the ball, and they will have to contain the dual-threat ability of Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson.

The Razorbacks come into this game ice cold, with a 2-4 record and on a four-game losing streak. While Alabama will be the clear favorites, Arkansas is no push-over, and they have some veteran guys like Jefferson that would want nothing more than to beat Alabama in their final year. In their four game losing streak, the Arkansas defense has really let them down, giving up more than 30 points in three of the four games, and the only game they did not was a 27-20 loss to Ole Miss.

While Alabama has a firm grasp on the SEC West division, they will have to be careful not to let their guard down against a team that gave them some trouble in the previous meeting, especially once Bryce Young got hurt. This is a look at Jalen Milroe against the first team he really played against, and he will look to have a huge impact in this matchup as well.

The game will kickoff on ESPN in the dreaded 11 am time slot, and Alabama will look to get the game out of the way with a string of really tough games coming up in the future.

 

Joe Schatz is a senior writer for WVUA-FM. You can follow him on X @JoeSchatz15.