Alabama Football: Winners and Losers from the Week 3 Game vs. Arkansas

Alabama took on a wounded Arkansas team still reeling from its upset loss to ULM and effectively took them behind the woodshed in a 52-0 victory.  

Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide put together a complete game and dominated the Razorbacks in every phase—a week after its own lackluster win over Western Kentucky.  

Several players emerged from the shadows to deliver a strong effort in the win, and there was very little that did not go in the Tide’s favor. 

Which players stood out, and who has work to do moving forward? 

Here are Alabama’s winners and losers from the Week 3 win over Arkansas.  

Winner: Amari Cooper

One of the jewels of Alabama’s top-rated 2012 recruiting class, Cooper finally joined freshmen running backs and classmates T.J. Yeldon and Kenyan Drake as the only pups to find the end zone this season. 

Cooper caught a short screen pass from quarterback A.J. McCarron and took it 20 yards to the house to stretch Alabama’s lead to 17-0 in the second quarter.  

The 6’1”, 190-pound freshman is a player to watch who could play a bigger role in the offense moving forward.

Loser: Kenny Bell

Entering the season, Alabama expected to see improvement from the receiver position despite breaking in a pair of new starters.  

Bell—a 6’1”, 175-pound junior—was expected to be one of the guys to step up and become a trusted target for McCarron.  

Through three games, Bell has only four receptions for 38 yards—including snaring only two balls for 12 yards against Arkansas—and he has failed to record a touchdown catch this season.

Clearly, Bell has fallen behind guys like Cooper, Kevin Norwood and Christion Jones in the receiver rotation.  

Winner: WR Unit

McCarron has spread the ball around to his receivers more so than last year, when he relied heavily on the running backs and tight ends.

Seven different receivers caught a pass against the Razorbacks, which indicates the level of depth they have at the position.  

Yeldon is the only non-receiver among the top 5 in receptions for the Tide this season.  

After only snaring seven scoring tosses as a unit last season, the receiver group has accounted for six of McCarron’s seven touchdown passes this year—a tremendous improvement three games into the 2012 season.    

Loser: TE Unit

By contrast, despite returning dependable fifth-year senior Michael Williams at tight end, the Tide’s tight end group has combined to record just four grabs for 38 yards and one touchdown in 2012.

Williams caught two passes for 20 yards against the Hogs, but none of his backups or anyone lining up at the H-back position were able to get on track in the blowout win.     

This may be a function of the increased productivity from the receivers, but its still a surprise to see the limited output at a position that Alabama has used effectively since Saban has been in charge.  

Winner: Secondary

Through three games, Alabama’s pass defense ranks second in the SEC and 10th nationally in pass defense, surrendering slightly less than 153 yards per game through the air. 

That is a remarkable stat when taking into account that Saban is breaking in three new starters in that unit.  

The defensive backfield’s performance against Arkansas was easily its best showing in the young season, with the Tide limiting quarterbacks Brandon Allen and Brandon Mitchell to go 11-of-25 for 79 yards and two interceptions.  

It appears that this unit could be downright scary by season’s end.  

Loser: Cody Mandell

In a game won by 52-0 margin, it is hard to find fault with any members of the Tide’s team, but you can bet a coach like Saban has a laundry list of issues that made him unhappy.  

My guess is that punter Cody Mandell—who averaged just 35 yards per punt on two attempts—will feel a little heat in practice this week.  

In fairness to Mandell, two punts is not much of a sample size.  

But with neither one hemming the Razorbacks inside its own 20-yard line, the junior punter must improve on that performance as the season moves forward.  

Winner: Doug Nussmeier

One week after the offense had trouble moving the ball and controlling the line of scrimmage consistently against a Sun Belt Conference opponent, the Tide’s offense looked machine-like in its SEC opener. 

Alabama ran for 225 yards and threw for 213 more—which had to please Saban and his desire to remain balanced on offense. 

The offense looks more explosive than last year’s group, and if they continue to improve and develop its young talent—the Tide’s attack could be one of the nation’s best units by season’s end.  

Loser: Florida Atlantic

I know the game between the Tide and the Owls has yet to be played, and FAU hung with No. 7 Georgia for a half before losing 56-20.  

But considering the lessons Alabama learned in its lethargic effort against WKU, and the fact that the defense has a realistic chance to record its third straight shutout, it may be an understatement in saying that Carl Pelini’s club is in for a long afternoon in Bryant-Denny Stadium this weekend.  

Good luck with that, Owls.  

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