Arkansas vs. Alabama: 5 Things We Learned About Razorbacks in Defeat

The No. 14 Arkansas Razorbacks had a unique opportunity to take down the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide.

A tougher road test, you won't find. The Tide have only lost one game at home since the start of the 2008 season (Auburn 2010). What's more, the Tide have been firmly in the discussion for a BCS Title berth and have looked every bit the part.

It didn't turn out too well for the Razorbacks. In fact, it didn't turn out well at all.

The Razorbacks were beaten by the Tide 38-14 in Tuscaloosa. They could only hang with Bama for a quarter before the flood gates opened and Arkansas was buried beneath a—well—Tide.

What can we learn from this lopsided outcome? Where does Arkansas go from here?

The Run Defense Can Be Beaten, Badly

Alabama's offensive line is about as good as they come, and Trent Richardson is arguably one of the best running backs in the nation.

Still, the Razorbacks allowed Richardson to rumble for 126 yards on 17 carries, averaging 7.4 yards per carry along the way.

Eddie Lacy also averaged 4.7 yards per carry and picked up a touchdown against this Arkansas defense.

While this may have been the toughest run game the Razorbacks will face all year, it's not the only strong one on the schedule.

Up next is Texas A&M. They'll attempt to showcase Cyrus Gray, who is averaging 4.66 yards per carry. In November, they'll have to try and stop South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore, who has largely carried the Gamecock offense with his 6.14 yard-per-carry average.

Ending the season will be a showdown with LSU and their running duo of Spencer Ware and Michael Ford.

Arkansas came into this week with the fifth-best run defense in the SEC. That status was challenged heftily today and will be challenged again in the future. They'll need to tighten their belts against the ground game or will be vulnerable to the kinds of run games that can set the tempo of the entire contest.

The Offensive Line Couldn't Make Lanes

Ronnie Wingo Jr. came into the week as the 10th best running back in the SEC in terms of yards per game, with 75. He didn't get anywhere near that total today.

Wingo hauled the ball 11 times and grabbed just 35 yards (3.2 per carry). Tyler Wilson picked up three yards on a single carry, but everyone else went backwards, leaving the Razorbacks with just 17 yards rushing as a team on the day.

Of course, at some point, the run failed to even be a part of the equation. As the Crimson Tide opened up the score, Arkansas was forced to pretty much abandon any hope of utilizing the run as a meaningful method of keeping the offense alive. They had to pass. They had to try and make big plays quickly.

That doesn't entirely minimize the fact that, had the Razorback run game been more effective, they could have controlled the clock, controlled the score, and kept things from getting so far out of hand. Had the ground game been more effective, the Razorbacks could have kept the Tide on their toes with a balanced attack.

It failed miserably and Arkansas turned to a one-sided offense—something that is deadly when playing against such a tough defense.

Tyler Wilson Deserves More Respect

His name isn't thrown around in Heisman circles. It probably shouldn't be, especially when you've got guys like Andrew Luck and Kellen Moore putting up the kinds of numbers they're averaging every week.

Still, Wilson was averaging 274 yards per game coming into this contest and wasn't exactly thwarted by the Tide defense.

On 35 attempts, Wilson completed 22 passes (62.9 percent) for 209 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.

His first touchdown came in the first quarter and tied the game at seven apiece. The other one didn't come until midway through the fourth quarter, when the game was well out of reach.

He couldn't come up with scores to keep the game close. Still, he wasn't making poor decisions, he was putting the passes where his receivers could get them, and he was chewing up yards against a very tough defense.

The Razorback offense wasn't balanced enough to really open things up for Wilson, but all things considered, he performed very well.

He deserves a little more love than he's gotten to this point.

The Razorbacks Can Play Clean Football

I'm not talking about playing dirty here, though that applies as well. I'm talking about not making stupid mistakes and creating stupid penalties.

The Razorbacks committed just three penalties for a grand total of 17 yards. That's a big distinction, really.

It's a marked improvement, actually.

Coming into this game, the Razorbacks had committed 19 penalties for 148 yards. They'd averaged 6.3 per game for over 49 yards per contest.

Looking at penalties isn't really the sexiest stat to compare. However, they can end up being a really big deal, especially in tight contests. A poorly timed hold can negate a big offensive play. A stupid personal foul or pass interference can tack on huge yards and keep opponents' drives alive.

They can turn fourth down situations into first down opportunities. They can transform third-and-long scenarios into third-and-short. They can slow down an offense or wear down a defense.

The Razorbacks played clean, smart football and made Alabama beat them straight up.

Unfortunately, the Tide was all too willing to oblige.

The Razorbacks Have to Bounce Back Quickly

There's no shame in losing to Alabama on the road. Even losing big to Alabama (on the road) isn't a season-ending kind of deal.

However, Arkansas will take a hit in the polls this week. Big losses, regardless of who they come to, don't get rewarded by the pollsters. They just don't.

There will be some questions following this big loss. Were the Razorbacks even remotely deserving of their Top 15 ranking? Are they deserving of even a Top 25 ranking? Can they win big games on the road? Can they win big games at all?

There will be questions about the run game. There will be questions about the pass game's ability to finish off drives. There will be questions about play calling, the strength of the offensive line, the strength of the defensive line and everything in between.

That's natural for big losses. However, Arkansas doesn't have a lot of time to figure those things out.

Next week, they return home to take on No. 8 Texas A&M. Auburn the week after that won't be a cakewalk. Even Vanderbilt in late October could be interesting.

Early November sees No. 12 South Carolina coming to town and the season ends on the road against No. 2 LSU.

It's a tough schedule and the Razorbacks don't get a lot of time to answer the questions that will pop up in light of this loss. They need to rebound quickly and silence whatever critics may arise this week.