For the 2018 University of Alabama football season, TideSports’ Terrin Waack will provide 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 65-31 at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium last Saturday in front of 64,974 people.
Stellar stats
• Alabama has scored on its first offensive drive in every game this season. This time, a 76-yard touchdown pass to tight end Irv Smith Jr. kept the streak alive.
• Arkansas’ three turnovers turned into 21 Alabama points. Opponents this season have turned the ball over 13 times. The Crimson Tide has turned 12 of those into scoring drives of its own, notching 80 points off the giveaways between the offense and defense. The only turnover Alabama didn’t cash in on was an interception to end the first half against Louisville.
• For the sixth game in a row, the Crimson Tide totaled more than 500 yards of total offense and scored more than 45 points. Both set UA records. Alabama had 639 offensive yards and 65 points against Arkansas.
• In conference play alone, which is just three games, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has thrown for 912 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. He has completed 43 of his 58 passes, which is 74.1 percent. He still has yet to take a pass in the fourth quarter, too.
Obscure facts
• Damien Harris became just the second Alabama player to accomplish 100 rushing yards in a game this season. He had 111 yards. Fellow running back Najee Harris had 135 against Arkansas State.
• At one point in the first quarter, both quarterback Jalen Hurts and Tagovailoa were on the field at the same time. Hurts took a handoff from Tagovailoa and ran for 5 yards. Tagovailoa then lined up at wide receiver, as Hurts kept it to run for 27 yards. Those were the only two plays, but UA coach Nick Saban said there was more Alabama wanted to try.
• The last time a team posted more than 30 points against Alabama was the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship game, where Clemson scored 35 to defeat Alabama.
• Alabama’s first touchdown against Arkansas was on its first offensive snap. The Crimson Tide scored on its first play last year against the Razorbacks, too.
The spread
OddSharks.com had Alabama as a 35-point favorite. For the third game in a row, the Crimson Tide did not cover the spread. It won by 34 points.
Quoting Nick Saban
On if the defense’s mistakes were all mental…
“What we’d like for them to do is play the next play. Don’t let that affect them as they move forward so they can do the things we have practiced, and we do know what we’re doing. A mature competitor has the ability to do that.”
Quoting the Crimson Tide
Defensive lineman Quinnen Williams on if the defense should be cleaner at this point in the season…
“Everybody makes mistakes. We could be in the national championship and make mistakes. It’s just minimizing the mistakes. … It’s not really thing you can stop. It’s just a thing you can cut down.”
Quoting the opponent
Arkansas linebacker Dre Greenlaw on Alabama’s offensive abilities…
“I think they’ve got a complete football team this year, and they know it.”
GAME LEADERS
Top 3 rushers
1. Ala: Damien Harris, 15 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns
2. Ark: Rakeem Boyd, 15 carries for 106 yards
3. Ala: Najee Harris, seven carries for 63 yards
Top 3 receivers
1. Ala: Jerry Jeudy, four receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns
2. Ala: Irv Smith Jr., four receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown
3. Ark: Deon Stewart, two receptions for 53 yards
Top 3 passers
1. Ala: Tua Tagovailoa, 10-13-0 for 334 yards and four touchdowns
2. Ark: Ty Storey, 25-39-1 for 230 yards and two touchdowns (sacked twice)
3. Ala: Jalen Hurts, 4-5-0 for 59 yards
Top 3 defenders
1. Ark: Dre Greenlaw, 13 total tackles
2. Ark: Santos Ramirez, 12 total tackles
3. Ark: De’Jon Harris, 11 total tackles
NEXT UP
Alabama (6-0) returns home to play Missouri (3-2) at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. The game will kickoff at 6 p.m. and air on ESPN. Happy homecoming weekend, UA.
