No. 1-ranked Alabama will visit Arkansas on Saturday in a return to SEC play. Here are four key questions that will be answered:
1. Could this be a trap game?
Early kickoff. Long road trip. An opponent with only one victory in 2018. It could all add up to a look-ahead game for Alabama. Arkansas isn’t good, but has begun to show improvement as players adapt to first-year coach Chad Morris. This may not be an upset-alert game, but the Crimson Tide might be due for a letdown.
2. Will the kicking game improve?
Alabama missed two short field goals last week against Louisiana-Lafayette. The punting game was inconsistent the week before. While Jaylen Waddle and Josh Jacobs have proven to be explosive returners, there are areas that need to be addressed before Alabama gets in a game where one kick or punt could make a difference.
3. Will Tua Tagovailoa take a snap in the fourth quarter?
Alabama’s sophomore quarterback has been nothing short of sensational, but Alabama has been so dominant that he’s had precious little experience in the second half of games and hasn’t yet handed off or thrown a pass in the final period this season. UA needs to get him a full game of experience at some point.
4. Will Damien Harris get turned loose?
The idea going into the season was that Damien Harris, Josh Jacobs and Najee Harris would split carries with Brian Robinson getting some situational work. So far, no back is averaging 10 carries a game and none has run the ball more than 13 times. Damien Harris seems due for a bigger workload at some point. This could be the game where it happens.
