Alabama running back Jase McClellan (2) runs the ball against Arkansas at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL on Saturday, Oct 14, 2023.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 11 Alabama survived a homecoming scare against the Arkansas Razorbacks, winning 24-21 on Saturday.
It was an ugly start to the game for Alabama, with Arkansas taking an early 6-0 lead in the first quarter after pair of field goals. A Jalen Milroe 79 yard touchdown pass to Kobe Prentice opened the scoring for the Crimson Tide, followed by a a Jalen Milroe sneak on the next possession to open up a 14-6 lead.
At halftime it was 21-6, after Amari Niblack found a pocket of space and caught Milroe’s second touchdown of the game from 29 yards out. Milroe finished the half 7/10 with over 200 yards and two touchdowns through the air. After halftime, Alabama opened with a field goal to push their lead to 24-6, but it was all Arkansas after that.
The Razorbacks moved down the field on offense, and the Arkansas defense was able to stop the Alabama offense for most of the second half. A 24-6 lead became a 24-13 lead heading into the fourth, and Arkansas was able to find the endzone once again, and got the two-point try to make it a 24-21 lead.
“We played pretty well in the game, up until it was 24-6.” said Head Coach Nick Saban.
Arkansas was able to get back into the game due to some costly penalties, which is the last thing Crimson Tide fans want to hear. After Alabama stopped Arkansas on a third down in the third quarter, a facemask penalty continued the drive. A pass interference call in the endzone gave Arkansas another shot, and they capitalized on it to give the Razorbacks their first touchdown.
“The whole momentum of the game was on a third down stop, we get the facemask, which is bad” said Saban, “When a guy does that, he’s putting himself ahead of what’s best for the team” he continued.
With Alabama needing to kill some clock, a three and out gave Arkansas a chance with under ten minutes left in the game, but the defense came up with a huge stop to force a punt with 4:40 left. The Crimson Tide were able to kill the remaining time and got out of the game by icing the game.
“We have to learn how to play the full 60 minutes, not just the first 30”, said Quarterback Jalen Milroe, “We got complacent…its all about the finish” Milroe added.
Milroe was just three-of-eleven in the second half, and a lot of that had to do with the lack of time he was given in the pocket. Arkansas brought the pressure in the second half. The Alabama offense line could not protect Milroe a lot, giving him little time to find a receiver. Milroe also had some bad decision making in the second half, and his awareness inside the pocket was lacking at times. He finished the day just 10 for 21, with 238 yards and two touchdowns.
Alabama did have a big game on the ground from Jase McClellan, who ran for 83 yards on 16 carries. Roydell Williams, Jam Miller, and Justice Haynes also ran the ball well, as the Crimson Tide ran for 177 yards on the day. Milroe also ran one in, as a Philadelphia Eagles-esque “Brotherly Shove” got him in from the one yard line.
Four different Alabama running backs got a carry in this one, and that was emphasized by Coach Nick Saban:
“We got four running backs we think that can play…I’m glad to see that they all got a chance to play, and I think they all had good moments.” he said.
The Crimson Tide will need to finish drives better, as there were a few times that the offense stalled near midfield and were forced to punt. A 24-6 lead could have easily been a 38-6 win if drives were completed. Arkansas would not have been able to get back into it, but Alabama let them back.
With the win, Alabama improves to 6-1 on the year, and remain a perfect 4-0 in SEC play. Tennessee will come into town next week in a big clash, especially after last years thriller in Knoxville. The Crimson Tide control their own destiny in the SEC West, but with tough divisional battles like LSU and a road game against Auburn coming up, Alabama will need to clean some things up if they want to get to Atlanta.
