I'm over Ole' Miss, ready to move on...
Arkansas is coming off a bye and will have been preparing to host Bama for two weeks. Surely, they're licking their chops after watching us fall to Ole Miss, hoping to see a hung-over Crimson Tide limp into their home turf. But unfortunately, the Razorbacks' don't match up well with us, as their strength is our strength, and they simply don't have the tools to capitalize on our "weakness".
The Razorbacks' rushing attack ranks 11th in the country against FBS competition (ypg). But Alabama's defense is 3rd nationally at stopping the run. Meanwhile, Alabama's 23rd ranked pass defense shouldn't be challenged by an Arkansas passing game that ranks among the worst in major college football (111th).
When Bama has the ball, we should be able to run early and often, ranking 19th nationally on the ground against Arkansas' 69th ranked run defense. The mismatch through the air is even more striking, with Bama's 18th ranked passing offense able to throw at will against Arkansas' 100th ranked pass defense.
What will happen: The Razorbacks will be fired up early and may hang with the Tide for a quarter. But by the middle of the 2nd quarter, the mismatches will be too much for Arkansas' spirit to overcome. The Razorbacks have a big OL, but as a one-dimensional offense, they won't have much success when Bama puts 8 in the box to take away the ground game. With Arkansas forced to put the ball in the air, look for our DBs to redeem themselves with a pick or two. Bama may be somewhat slow to get in their groove offensively with key injuries suffered at Ole' Miss, but look for a double digit lead by halftime (24-10) with our 2s and 3s making an appearance in the 4th. Trash-time scores late in the game will stretch the final score to:
41-17
Arkansas is coming off a bye and will have been preparing to host Bama for two weeks. Surely, they're licking their chops after watching us fall to Ole Miss, hoping to see a hung-over Crimson Tide limp into their home turf. But unfortunately, the Razorbacks' don't match up well with us, as their strength is our strength, and they simply don't have the tools to capitalize on our "weakness".
The Razorbacks' rushing attack ranks 11th in the country against FBS competition (ypg). But Alabama's defense is 3rd nationally at stopping the run. Meanwhile, Alabama's 23rd ranked pass defense shouldn't be challenged by an Arkansas passing game that ranks among the worst in major college football (111th).
When Bama has the ball, we should be able to run early and often, ranking 19th nationally on the ground against Arkansas' 69th ranked run defense. The mismatch through the air is even more striking, with Bama's 18th ranked passing offense able to throw at will against Arkansas' 100th ranked pass defense.
What will happen: The Razorbacks will be fired up early and may hang with the Tide for a quarter. But by the middle of the 2nd quarter, the mismatches will be too much for Arkansas' spirit to overcome. The Razorbacks have a big OL, but as a one-dimensional offense, they won't have much success when Bama puts 8 in the box to take away the ground game. With Arkansas forced to put the ball in the air, look for our DBs to redeem themselves with a pick or two. Bama may be somewhat slow to get in their groove offensively with key injuries suffered at Ole' Miss, but look for a double digit lead by halftime (24-10) with our 2s and 3s making an appearance in the 4th. Trash-time scores late in the game will stretch the final score to:
41-17