Alabama Football: Winners and Losers from Crimson Tide's Victory

A lot of fans believed the Arkansas vs. Alabama game would be one of the best of the year. Those people were a little disappointed on Saturday.

The Crimson Tide routed the Razorbacks 38-14. After going up 10-7 in the second quarter, Alabama never looked back.

With 397 yards of offense and a defense that held strong, the No. 3 team in the nation looks poised for another potential shot at a championship.

Aside from 'Bama winning the game, there were several winners and losers Saturday.

Winner: AJ McCarron

Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron had his best game of the year so far against Arkansas.

He threw for a career high two touchdowns—of course that's not much, but it's his first year starting—and completed 75 percent of his passes.

McCarron delivered a solid performance in his first SEC start, which is promising for the Tide. They will need him to continue his success this weekend against the No. 3 Florida Gators. 

We'll see how he holds up in "The Swamp". Some believe McCarron will be the downfall of the Alabama this year, but we'll have to wait and see how he performs in tougher atmospheres.

Winner: Alabama's Defense

Nick Saban knows how to put together a tough defense. Alabama allowed just 14 points and 226 yards to the Razorbacks Saturday.

They run defense was outstanding, and the secondary forced two interceptions in the blowout. The Crimson Tide defense is now second in the nation in points allowed, giving up just eight points per game.

Winner: Trent Richardson

There appeared to be no way to slow down Trent Richardson this past weekend. The junior running back ran for 126 on 17 touches, averaging 7.4 yards per carry.

Richardson also caught three passes for 85 yards. Most of that came on a swing pass from McCarron that Richardson took 61 yards for a touchdown.

He now has 441 yards on the season with eight touchdowns. He is a vital part of this offense and continues to impress each week.

Loser: Tyler Wilson

I felt bad for Tyler Wilson on Saturday. The redshirt junior quarterback for the Razorbacks had a rough time in Tuscaloosa.

Wilson completed 22 of 35 passes for just 185 yards and also threw a pick.

That wasn't the worst part for him, though.

The Tide hammered Wilson on several occasions in their relentless attack. With no run game Wilson didn't have much support, and Alabama brought the pressure. There was also one roughing the quarterback penalty—I think the picture accurately depicts that play.

Loser: Arkansas Run Game

Arkansas managed a mere 17 yards on 19 carries against 'Bama. Needless to say it was a terrible day for their run game.

Ronnie Wingo Jr. managed 35 yards on 11 carries, but the rest of the Razorbacks couldn't get anywhere on the ground. 

Tyler Wilson got off to a good start, but the lack of balance in the offensive scheme led to a tough time in the passing game. They will have to improve things drastically if they want to avoid losses like this.