Tide Roasts Razorbacks 49-26 with Milroe at Helm
The Crimson Tide rolled into Fayetteville for a contest with the Arkansas Razorbacks needing to prove that they could dominate a competent team on the road and did just that. The final score of 49-26 does not reflect how close the game got at a point, but the Tide managed to stop the bleeding and pile on 21 points in the fourth quarter to earn a convincing SEC win.
Reigning Heisman trophy winner Bryce Young exited the game early after tossing one touchdown and rushing for another. He landed awkwardly on his outstretched throwing arm while being pursued by former teammate Drew Sanders and exited the field with his right arm hanging freely after his next throw.
After the game, head coach Nick Saban said Young was dealing with an AC sprain in his shoulder. These have been a problem for the star quarterback in the past, and he usually starts to respond well to treatment after a few days.
Backup quarterback Jalen Milroe played well in his place. He and the offense put up two quick touchdowns after Young's exit to make the game 28-0 before Sam Pittman's team started to roar to life.
Arkansas scored a touchdown on a pass from KJ Jefferson to Ketron Jackson, Jr. to give the Razorbacks their first points of the day just before the end of the first half.
When the teams came back out for the third quarter, the game changed drastically. Alabama struggled to move the ball mightily and Pete Golding's defense didn't look like they could stop a nose bleed. Couple that with a successful onside kick recovery for the Razorbacks and a bad snap on a punt for the Crimson Tide that set Arkansas up in the red zone, and the game looked like it was going to get away from Saban's team.
The tide turned again at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Up by just five points and facing a 3rd and 15 from their own 20-yard line, Milroe and the offense finally got going again. Milroe pulled the ball down a ran right up the middle with no one open down field and wasn't stopped until the Arkansas 3-yard line. Bruiser Jase McClellan took care of business from there.
Transfer running back Jahmyr Gibbs came to life after that and rattled off two massive touchdown runs to put the game away for the Tide. The first went for 72 yards, the second for 76.
After the game, Saban expressed that while he was pleased with the late effort to put the game away, he was disappointed his team didn't seem to compete for a full 60 minutes.
"I thought one of the messages we tried to give the team was you have to maintain your intensity in a game for 60 minutes in a game regardless of what the score is and regardless of what happens in the game," Saban said. "I don't think we did that."
When asked about his starting quarterback, Saban said he would be "day to day."
"We didn't think he could go back in the game today because I didn't think he had much steam on throwing the ball," Saban said. "There are things that Jalen does well. We practice some of those things, and if he has to play we'll practice them more."
The Tide's next contest will be held in Bryant-Denny Stadium as they welcome the perpetrators of last year's heartbreaking regular season loss, the Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies and Tide will face off at 7 p.m. central on Oct. 8.