TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The attention following No. 2 Alabama’s 42-35 victory over No. 21 Arkansas centered around the play of Bryce Young — rightfully so after the starting quarterback set a school single-game record with 559 yards through the air.

The Crimson Tide leaned on its offense Saturday as it piled up 671 yards and 29 first downs against the Razorbacks. Alabama’s defense didn’t fare as well, committing several breakdowns while allowing Arkansas to go a combined 10 of 19 on third- and fourth-down attempts.

Those flaws weren’t due to the faults of the Tide’s most celebrated defender.

Will Anderson Jr. put in another dominant display Saturday, recording 11 tackles, including a team-high 3.5 stops for a loss with a sack and two quarterback hurries. The edge rusher forced two of Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson’s eight incompletions on the day, while his lone sack brought about a punt in the third quarter.

“Will played a lot of plays tonight. He played hard, made a lot of good plays,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “I can’t say enough about the way that guy competes and the way he plays in games, and even though people are trying to do something to block him, he still seems to be able to put pressure on the quarterback and play the run well.”

Through 11 games, Anderson leads Alabama with 13.5 sacks and 26.5 tackles for a loss. His 13.5 sacks are the most since Derrick Thomas recorded a school-record 27 in 1988. Meanwhile, his 26.5 tackles for a loss are the most since Wallace Gillberry had 27 during Saban’s first season with the team in 2007.

Alabama wasn’t exactly duped, but it still ended up falling victim to another trick play on special teams.

After a false start gave Arkansas a fourth-and-9 from the Alabama 32-yard line, the Razorbacks trotted out for what appeared to be a 49-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter. However, after taking the snap, holder Reid Bauer popped up, running to the line of scrimmage before delivering a jump pass to tight end Blake Kern for a 32-yard touchdown.

The play was reminiscent of a fake punt LSU ran on Alabama two weeks ago. The Razorbacks also faked a field goal for a big gain during last week’s win over LSU, a play the Tide had prepared for in practice. It just couldn’t stop it Saturday night.

To be fair, Arkansas benefited from a bit of a pick from the official, who got in the way of Alabama defensive back DeMarcco Hellams in the middle of the field.

“We knew it was coming,” linebacker Henry To’o To’o said. “Everybody has a man and DeMarcco just kind of ran into the ref. We all have a man and we were prepared for it.”

Kern broke inside on the route and had leverage on Hellams before the safety collided with the official. However, the throw was behind the tight end, and it could be argued that, without being impeded, Hellams might have been able to cause an incompletion.

The fake ultimately allowed Arkansas to trim Alabama’s lead to 34-28 with 11:24 to play. Fortunately for the Tide, that’s as close as the Razorbacks would get to pulling the upset.

Jameson Williams and John Metchie III combined for 18 catches, 363 yards and four touchdowns against Arkansas, but they weren’t the only Alabama receivers to provide highlights on the night.

Freshman Christian Leary, who recently converted to running back to help with the Tide’s depth in the backfield, recorded his first career touchdown, reeling in an 11-yard score from Young in the third quarter. The play saw Leary line up on the left side before going into motion behind Young. After scanning the field, the quarterback eventually dumped the ball off to the wide-open receiver in the flats, allowing him to scoot into the end zone untouched.

“It was great to see, and he’s definitely coming along really well,” Metchie said. “He makes the offense a lot more dynamic, having a player like that coming out of the backfield.”

Fellow freshman receiver Ja’Corey Brooks recorded a reception for 12 yards but was better remembered for a nice block in the first quarter which helped spring Metchie for a 25-yard gain.

“He’s stepping up,” Metchie said. “He’s doing everything he’s supposed to. He’s practicing really well. He goes out there in practice, and he’s really learning everything. … He’s always well prepared.”

Added Williams: “He’s very passionate. He goes out and he does the right thing in practice, and you see it translate over to the game. He’s starting to get more playing time, and things are going really well for C7 right now. He’s on the right track.”

Alabama was without a starting defensive tackle Saturday as D.J. Dale tweaked his knee during pregame warmups. Following the win, Saban provided an update on the junior defensive lineman.

“He did something to his knee,” Saban said. “The MRI is fine. He’s had two surgeries on his patella tendons, and I think he was scared more than anything that something happened. It’s probably too early to tell, but hopefully, he’ll be OK.”

Dale started Alabama’s previous 10 games this season, recording 11 tackles, including 2.5 stops for a loss and a sack. He was replaced by sophomore Tim Smith, who recorded one stop in his first career start for the Tide.

Josh Jobe’s last game inside Bryant-Denny Stadium was one to forget. The senior cornerback was beaten multiple times for big gains and was ultimately replaced by freshman Kool-Aid McKinstry after allowing a 66-yard touchdown pass from Jefferson to Treylon Burks in the third quarter. McKinstry, a former five-star recruit, finished the game with a pair of tackles.

“I think that Kool-Aid did OK,” Saban said. “A lot of times, when they’re on the other side, it’s hard for me to see exactly how they’re doing. But I thought he did a pretty good job. He’s gotten better all season. He’s more confident. He knows what to do. He’s a bright guy. He prepares well. And we have a lot of confidence in him playing, and I thought he did a pretty good job.”