No. 11 Alabama holds off Arkansas comeback, wins 24-21 to stay perfect in SEC (2024)

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama had taken over the game, reeling off 24 consecutive points and seemingly poised for an easy win.

Nothing’s coming quite so easily for this team.

Jalen Milroe passed for two touchdowns and rushed for a third, and No. 11 Alabama survived a second-half Arkansas rally in a 24-21 victory over the Razorbacks on Saturday.

The Crimson Tide (6-1, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) blew most of an 18-point third-quarter lead before summoning a big final drive to keep KJ Jefferson and the Razorbacks offense off the field at the end, The celebration for a close win over a three-touchdown underdog seemed muted.

“We should be dominating games rather than just winning games, and there’s a difference,” Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker said.

The Tide remained the only SEC West team without a league loss, but they’re not coming in dominant fashion. Alabama had to recover a late onside kick to hold on for a 26-20 win over Texas A&M a week ago. This time the offense recovered from three straight three-and-out possessions to milk the final 5:19 off the clock.

“We had the resilience to take the clock at the end of the game and not give them the ball back,” Tide coach Nick Saban said after picking up his 200th career win. “Hopefully we can learn how to beat the other team, not just win the game but beat the other team.”

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The Razorbacks (2-5, 0-4) dropped their fifth straight game but not before putting a scare into the Tide.

Milroe completed 10 of 21 passes for 238 yards, including a 79-yard touchdown to Kobe Prentice, but was sacked five times. He was on a 1-of-9 stretch in the second half before the final drive, when he also scrambled for a third-down conversion.

Jefferson, meanwhile, stepped up his play after halftime. He completed 14 of 24 passes for 150 yards overall and two second-half touchdowns.

“We knew it would be a tough task for us,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. “But we wanted to be in it in the fourth quarter with an opportunity to win it, and that’s what we were.”

Alabama pushed it to 24-6 with a field goal midway through the third quarter. Roydell Williams ripped off runs of 16, 19 and 35 yards on consecutive carries to start the drive before it stalled.

“We thought that was gonna be the first points of many in the second half,” Booker said.

Added Milroe: “I think we just got complacent.”

Jefferson then muscled Arkansas right back into the game.

On consecutive drives, Jefferson had scrambles of 22 and 23 yards before capping them with touchdown passes: 5 yards to Isaiah Sategna and 14 yards to Rashod Dubinion.

A two-point conversion cut it to 24-21 with 10:59 left. The 247-pound Jefferson also busted out of the grasp of Terrion Arnold to turn what seemed a sure sack into a 25-yard pass on that drive.

“That was one of the most impressive plays I’ve ever seen a player make,” Saban said, comparing it to a cow flicking off a gnat.

Arkansas pushed it near midfield with a chance to at least tie but Alabama ended the threat with a third-down sack by Dallas Turner and Justin Eboigbe.

Alabama didn’t give the Razorbacks a second chance, ending with two kneel-downs.

Cam Little kicked field goals of 55 and 49 yards to stake Arkansas to a a 6-0 first-quarter lead.

It only lasted until Milroe’s deep ball to a wide-open Prentice on third-and-long late in the opening quarter, It was his only completion of the quarter.

THE TAKEAWAY

Arkansas: The Razorbacks lost for the 17th straight time to Alabama. Ultimately it was another in a line of close losses for this team. Tailback Raheim Sanders (knee) didn’t play. Landon Jackson had 11 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks.

Alabama: Pass protection continues to be a major liability. Milroe has been sacked at least four times in five consecutive games, tying the longest streak for an FBS quarterback in the past 20 seasons, according to ESPN.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Like the it wasn’t likely a performance that boosts the Tide’s stock much. This time it could easily go down.

SCORING RECORD

Alabama kicker Will Reichard became the SEC’s all-time leading scorer with his extra point in the first quarter, moving ahead of the record held by former Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson (480).

UP NEXT

Arkansas hosts Mississippi State.

Alabama hosts No. 19 Tennessee.

___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

No. 11 Alabama holds off Arkansas comeback, wins 24-21 to stay perfect in SEC (2024)

FAQs

How many points is Alabama favored over Arkansas? ›

The Crimson Tide are 14.5-point favorites in the latest Arkansas vs. Alabama odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 174.

What is the Arkansas all time record against the SEC teams? ›

Arkansas' all-time record against every SEC team
OPPONENTRECORDWIN %
Georgia4-10.286
Tennessee5-13.278
Florida1-9.100
TOTAL167-184-8.465
10 more rows

Has Arkansas ever beaten Nick Saban? ›

Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas lost its last 19 games against Nick Saban – including all 17 while he was at Alabama. The Razorbacks faced the Crimson Tide eight times when they ranked No. 1 in the nation.

Has Alabama ever lost 3 games in a row? ›

Alabama hasn't lost three games in a row since the very beginning of the Nick Saban dynasty. The Crimson Tide went 0-4 in Nov. 2007, losing games to No. 3 LSU, Mississippi State, UL Monroe, and No.

Has Arkansas ever beat Alabama in football? ›

The Razorbacks are 8-25 all-time against the Crimson Tide, picking up four of those eight wins on the road in Tuscaloosa (1993, 1995, 1997, 2003). 3.

Who is favorite to win Alabama or Georgia? ›

Georgia vs. Alabama odds, picks

Georgia is a narrow 2.5 point favorite against Alabama, according to the lines at FanDuel Sportsbook, which set the total at 49.5 points for the game. FanDuel lists the moneyline odds for Georgia at -125 and for Alabama at +104 to win outright.

Is Texas favored over Alabama? ›

Alabama vs. Texas spread: Alabama -7. Alabama vs. Texas over/under: 53.5 points.

Who is Arkansas biggest rival in football? ›

The Arkansas–Ole Miss football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Arkansas Razorbacks football team of the University of Arkansas and the Ole Miss Rebels football team of the University of Mississippi. The teams first met in 1908, and have played each other every year since 1981.

Has Arkansas ever been undefeated? ›

The Hogs' victory coupled with a loss by Alabama in the Orange Bowl established Arkansas as the only undefeated team in the nation. Both The Football Writers Association of America and the Helms Athletic Foundation voted Arkansas the 1964 national champion.

What is the longest rivalry in the SEC? ›

The first meeting between Auburn and Georgia dates back to 1892. That is when the founders of both the football programs, Charles Herty (Georgia) and George Petrie (Auburn) decided to initiate the contest between the two schools. Auburn won the debut game of the series with a 10-0 whitewash of the Bulldogs.

What year did the Arkansas Razorbacks beat Alabama? ›

Arkansas 24-23 Alabama (Sep 23, 2006) Final Score - ESPN.

Did Arkansas beat Alabama in 1998? ›

No. 22 Alabama was in town for the ESPN2 broadcast at Razorback Stadium between a pair of 2-0 teams. The Crimson Tide left smarting with a 42-6 loss inflicted by a University of Arkansas, Fayetteville team that would go on to win its first eight games in Nutt's first season.

Who did Arkansas lose to in 1998? ›

Tennessee

What year did Arkansas win the Cotton Bowl? ›

Arkansas Bowl History (16-24-3)
BowlDateResult
1965 Cotton BowlJan. 1, 1965W, 10-7
1966 Cotton BowlJan. 1, 1966L, 7-14
1969 Sugar BowlJan. 1, 1969W, 16-2
1970 Sugar BowlJan. 1, 1970L, 22-27
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