For the 2017 University of Alabama football season, TideSports intern Terrin Waack is providing select stellar stats, obscure facts and notable quotes from the most recent game to show how the Crimson Tide uses “The Process” against its opponents.
No. 1 Alabama defeated Arkansas, 41-9, at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday in front of 101,821 people for the Crimson Tide’s homecoming game.
Stellar stats
• True freshman wide receiver Henry Ruggs III has caught four passes in his young career. Each one has been a touchdown.
• One hundred SEC wins? Check. With this victory, Nick Saban has hit the centennial mark. The stretch of games includes his time at Alabama and LSU.
• Thanks to linebacker Mack Wilson’s interception in the fourth quarter, the Crimson Tide has forced at least one turnover in 34 straight games. The last time UA failed to produce a turnover was against Ole Miss in 2015.
• Senior JK Scott is officially Alabama’s new career punting yardage leader. He has punted for 9,616 yards.
• Alabama held Arkansas to 27 yards on the ground. The Razorbacks were averaging 185.4 rushing yards per game entering this matchup. The Crimson Tide now has the No. 1 rushing defense in the nation.
Obscure facts
• Jalen Hurts was picked off. The Alabama quarterback threw 206 passes without one being intercepted, ending as the second-longest streak in UA history. AJ McCarron, who was at Saturday’s game, holds the longest at 291 passes.
• Arkansas quarterback Cole Kelley is 6-foot-7 and 268 pounds. Hurts, in comparison, is 6-2 and 218 pounds – five inches shorter and 50 pounds lighter. Somehow Kelley was sacked five times.
• Oops, Damien Harris did it again. The Alabama running back tied his career-long touchdown run with a 75-yard score in the first quarter.
• Oh, and that Harris touchdown was the very first play of the game. The Crimson Tide has done that three times under Saban. Mark Ingram did it in 2010 with a 48-yard run. Terry Grant ran 47 yards in 2007 to do it, too.
• Arkansas has never defeated Alabama with Saban as head coach.
Wait, what?
• No. 2 Clemson lost to unranked Syracuse, 27-24. To make it even weirder, it was a Friday game and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday to be honored as part of the Crimson Tide’s 1992 national championship squad.
• Another upset: Arizona State defeated No. 5 Washington, 13-7.
• Someone please explain this: Down by a point at the start of the second half, Miami attempted an onside kick. Georgia Tech returned it for a touchdown. Ultimately, the Hurricanes won, 25-24, thanks to a last-second field goal.
Quoting Nick Saban
On what went wrong during punt return…
“Does anybody not know what went wrong? The guy missed the ball. He missed the ball. He missed the ball.”
Quoting the Crimson Tide
Quarterback Jalen Hurts: “Hey, Damien. I got a question for you.”
Running back Damien Harris: “Yes, sir.”
Hurts: “Can you describe the first play of the game, how you made that spectacular run?”
Harris: “I actually already answered that question. Would you like me to answer it again?”
Hurts: “Yes, I’m asking you.”
Quoting the opponent
Arkansas quarterback Cole Kelley on playing the No. 1 team for his first start…
“On offense, we have 11 people and it’s 11 versus 11. I can only do my job. I can’t be Superman.”
Name of the game
AR: Randy Ramsey
The junior is a linebacker for the Razorbacks.
GAME LEADERS
Top 3 rushers
1. UA: Damien Harris, nine carries for 125 yards and two touchdowns
2. UA: Bo Scarbrough, seven carries for 65 yards
3. UA: Jalen Hurts, 10 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown
Top 3 receivers
1. AR: Jordan Jones, four receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown
2. AR: Deon Stewart, six receptions for 65 yards
3. UA: Calvin Ridley, four receptions for 51 yards
Top 3 passers
1. AR: Cole Kelley, 23-42-1 for 200 yards and a touchdown (sacked five times)
2. UA: Jalen Hurts, 12-19-1 for 155 yards and a touchdown (sacked twice)
3. UA: Tua Tagovailoa, 1-2-0 for 33 yards
Top 3 defenders
1. AR: De’Jon Harris, 12 total tackles (a sack)
2. UA: Ronnie Harrison, 10 total tackles (a pass breakup)
3. AR: Dwayne Eugene, seven total tackles (half a sack)
NEXT UP
Alabama (7-0) hosts Tennessee (3-3) on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. and air on CBS.
