Alabama vs. Arkansas: Score and Twitter Reaction
A blocked extra point proved to be the difference in No. 7-ranked Alabama's 14-13 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday.
The Crimson Tide were hardly convincing in this contest. The team committed a host of mental mistakes, including two lost fumbles and several late penalties, and looked lost for long stretches on offense against its unranked foe. Head coach Nick Saban will have plenty of work to do in order to restore this team to the dominant form it displayed at the beginning of the season.
Of course, if he figures out how to prevent the mental mistakes, he may just move on from college football. He said, via Andrew Gribble of AL.com:
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
"If I knew why guys jumped offsides, if I knew why 12 guys went in the game out of the timeout, if I knew on third-and-1 why the guard jumped when we had the chance to run the clock out, when I know why we do all those things, I will quit doing this. That means I'm smarter than everybody and I can do something else. So I don't know. I don't know why.
"
Here is the quarter-by-quarter look at the score:
| Alabama | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Arkansas | 0 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
The game got off to a decidedly slow start. Alabama quarterback Blake Sims struggled to get the offense rolling throughout the evening. After showing an increased ability to make big throws and look downfield against Florida, Sims was back to completing short, safe passes that did little to deter the Arkansas defense from sending players full speed into the box.
Kurt Voigt of The Associated Press noted that Arkansas did well to corral Sims on third down at least once with its aggressive play calls:
Arkansas didn't have much luck on the offensive end, either. Quarterback Brandon Allen completed just 21 of 40 passes and missed a smattering of open targets in the contest. The team was also without star running back Alex Collins for the first quarter. Head coach Brent Bielema, per Thomas Murphy of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, noted he was penalized for missing a workout earlier in the week:
Running back Jonathan Williams put in a workmanlike performance as the lead back, racking up 80 yards on 23 carries, but it wasn't enough to open up the contest for his team.
Tight end O.J. Howard, whom Sims has struggled to connect with all season long, popped up for a huge 47-yard reception on a great play-action call from offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin in the second quarter.
ESPN's Edward Aschoff noted his strength and athleticism on the play:
Much to the consternation of 'Bama fans, it would be his only contribution in the game.
Alabama did manage to strike first on a 22-yard touchdown reception from running back T.J. Yeldon midway through the second quarter.
Arkansas was undeterred and came right back with a 10-play drive capped off by a three-yard touchdown run from Williams.
It didn't seem like it would be so crucial at the time, but Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen had the play of the day. His mammoth paw blocked kicker John Henson's extra point following the long touchdown run, giving Alabama a sorely needed boost and creating a slight difference in scoring that would affect the play-calling and pace of the game as it reached its climax.
The Crimson Tide's backfield struggled against the Razorbacks defense in perhaps the most shocking development of the day. Yes, running back Kenyan Drake missed the contest after suffering a gruesome leg injury against Ole Miss, but Yeldon has been one of the nation's best backs over the past couple of years, and Derrick Henry is a freakish combination of size and speed. And yet, the normally dynamic duo combined for just 70 yards on 23 carries.
Arkansas took a shocking 13-7 lead in the third quarter when Allen found wide receiver A.J. Derby open for a 54-yard catch-and-run score. College GameDay provides a look at the play:
D.C. Reeves of the Tuscaloosa News noted earlier in the game that Sims hadn't been playing well since halftime of the Ole Miss game:
However, he came through when his team needed him, tossing a six-yard touchdown pass to DeAndrew White to give the Crimson Tide a 14-13 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Arkansas got a huge stop on 4th-and-1 with just less than 10 minutes remaining. With a one-point lead in hand, the defense dug deep and stood up Sims at the line of scrimmage, creating a much-needed turnover on downs. CBS Sports' Eye on College Football noted the strange nature of the play:
It was a fantastic play, but the one-point differential still loomed large and forced the Razorbacks to play aggressively on offense.
This 'Bama fan noted just how crucial that blocked extra point turned out to be and thanked Allen for it:
The Crimson Tide players weren't finished making notable mistakes. Desperately trying to hold onto the ball and run down the clock, they lost crucial yardage on a third down with just over three minutes remaining for having too many men on the field. Sims couldn't scramble his way to the first down on the next play, which forced Alabama to punt—after a false-start penalty—and gave the Razorbacks a final shot at making a comeback.
Saban looked positively apoplectic on the sideline. It's rare that a team under his tutelage has had so many critical mistakes in big moments.
The Razorbacks managed to get one first down, but Allen killed the drive with a dangerous cross-field throw on the run that floated into the hands of safety Landon Collins. NFL.com's Chase Goodbread wasn't convinced that the Alabama offensive line could handle the relatively simple task of running out the clock:
Despite another false-start penalty, Alabama killed the clock and escaped with a one-point win that was likely more frustrating than it was gratifying for fans of the team.
The win keeps Alabama's strong record intact (5-1), but it appears Saban's squad is splitting at the seams. The defense held up its end of the bargain this week, but Sims has regressed—although he is still moving quite well and was a threat on bootleg plays—and the offensive line doesn't appear to be in sync.
It's probably too soon for Saban to call on backup quarterback Jacob Coker, as Sims hasn't made too many high-profile errors, but something will have to be done to correct the team's downward-trending play. Of course, the Tide can remedy all of these struggles with a win over Kenny Hill and Texas A&M next week, but it's tough to guarantee a win as they head into the teeth of Southeastern Conference play.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
