Alabama wraps up perfect regular season with 52-3 victory over Arkansas
An individual mark was reached while No. 1 Alabama’s undefeated record on the season remained unaltered Saturday as the Crimson Tide cruised to a 52-3 victory over Arkansas.
Najee Harris ran in a pair of scores, tying Derrick Henry and Mark Ingram’s school record of 42 career rushing touchdowns. The senior running back now has a nation’s best 22 touchdowns through 10 games, six away from Henry’s single-season school record set in 2015.
Alabama (10-0) recorded double-digit wins for the 13th consecutive season. This is the Tide’s fifth undefeated regular season under Nick Saban. Arkansas moved to 3-7 on the year. Alabama will now travel to Atlanta next week to take on No. 6 Florida in the SEC Championship Game.
After the Tide sputtered on its first two possessions, DeVonta Smith found the end zone on special teams, returning a punt 84 yards for a touchdown. That seemed to spur Alabama’s offense into shape as it scored touchdowns on its next five possessions.
On the other side of the ball, the Tide’s defense snuffed out any chance of an upset. Alabama recorded a season-high eight sacks on the afternoon. The performance came after the Tide registered five sacks during a 55-17 victory over LSU last week. Saturday marked the sixth straight game Alabama has held its opponent to 17 or fewer points.
It wasn’t all positive news for Alabama’s defense as starting linebacker Christian Harris left the game after injuring his shoulder on the game’s first play from scrimmage. The sophomore was replaced by junior Jaylen Moody and did not return. Moody finished with a team-high seven tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Arkansas’ defense prioritized eliminating big plays often leaving the check-down route open for Alabama quarterback Mac Jones. The Heisman front-runner failed to fill up the stat sheet at his usual level, completing 24 of 29 passes for 208 yards.
Alabama’s other Heisman contenders also didn’t record their typical eye-popping stats as Smith finished with three catches for 22 yards while Harris 46 yards and two scores on 14 carries.
Offensive MVP — Brian Robinson Jr.
On a day where Arkansas worked to limit Alabama’s typical offensive stars, the Hogs had little answer for backup running back Brian Robinson Jr. The senior recorded 54 yards and a career-high three touchdowns on 13 carries while also hauling in four receptions for 22 yards.
Robinson, a Tuscaloosa, Ala. native, had yet to record a multi-touchdown game for the Tide heading into the game. His first score came on a 1-yard run, while his next two touchdowns came from 4 yards out.
Speaking of unusual stars, redshirt senior Miller Forristall finished with a career-high six receptions for 52 yards.
Freshman running back Jase McClellan also earns a mention, adding a late 80-yard touchdown run to finish with 95 yards on six carries.
Defensive MVP — Alabama's pass rush
It’s simply too hard to narrow this down to one player. Alabama’s rejuvenated pass rush made a home in Arkansas’ backfield, making for a long day for Hogs quarterbacks Feleipe Franks and K.J. Jefferson.
Will Anderson Jr. recorded a pair of sacks to register his second straight multi-sack game. The true freshman outside linebacker has now gotten to the quarterback five times in the past three games.
Christian Barmore also had two sacks, while Christopher Allen also added one as well. For a second straight game, Allen forced a fumble as his strip Saturday was recovered by D.J. Dale.
