Alabama football vs. Arkansas: Score prediction, scouting report
Alabama football aims to score a victory over Arkansas on Saturday as the Razorbacks travel to Tuscaloosa.
Nick Saban will coach against the Razorbacks' Sam Pittman, who has led Arkansas since the 2020 season. The closest the Razorbacks have come to beating the Crimson Tide over that span was in 2021 when Alabama beat Arkansas 42-35.
This season, the Razorbacks enter the game on a four-game losing streak, having dropped games to BYU, LSU, Texas A&M and Ole Miss. Arkansas' only two wins this season are against Western Carolina and Kent State. Meanwhile, Alabama rides a four-game winning streak, including victories over South Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Texas A&M.
No. 10 Alabama (5-1, 3-0 SEC) will face Arkansas (2-4, 0-3) on Saturday (11 a.m., ESPN) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Here's our scouting report of the Razorbacks, how they stack up with the Crimson Tide, and a score prediction for the game.
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Players to know
Offensively, KJ Jefferson is back at quarterback. Over his three appearances vs. the Crimson Tide, Jefferson has completed 36 of 60 passes (60%) for 499 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 71 yards on 36 carries. This season, Jefferson has tallied 1,300 passing yards for 12 touchdowns and six interceptions to go with a 67.1% completion percentage. Rocket Sanders is back at running back after missing three games early in the season. Over the three games since, he's rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns. He also has seven receptions for 58 yards. Andrew Armstrong is the top receiving option for Jefferson with 35 receptions for 437 yards and 4 touchdowns.
On defense, linebacker Jaheim Thomas is a name to watch. He's second in the SEC with 59 tackles. Said Saban: "This guy is a really good tackler, very productive, very instinctive, a good athlete, physical, tough guy. So he’s one of the better linebackers we’ve played against.” Thomas also has tallied three sacks and six tackles for loss. He's one of a handful of transfers the Arkansas defense has in the fold. A few others are defensive linemen Landon Jackson (LSU), John Morgan III (Pittsburgh), Keivie Rose (Louisiana Tech) and Trajan Jeffcoat (Missouri), cornerback McGlothern (LSU) and safety Alfahiym Walcott (Baylor), among others. McGlothern leads the defense with two interceptions. Jackson and Jeffcoat lead the Razorbacks with seven tackles for loss each.
History of Alabama football vs. Arkansas
The Crimson Tide has won 16 matchups in a row against the Razorbacks. Nick Saban has never lost to Arkansas while coaching Alabama, and he's 19-2 all-time against the Razorbacks. The Crimson Tide is 26-7 all-time in the series and has a strong 12-3 record at home vs. Arkansas.
How Alabama-Arkansas stack up on offense
3rd down conversion percentage:
Alabama: 44.3% (t-40th nationally)
Arkansas: 44% (42nd)
Passing offense:
Alabama: 216.3 yards per game (84th)
Arkansas: 221.3 yards per game (80th)
Red zone offense:
Alabama: 94.7% (12th)
Arkansas: 95.2% (t-10th)
Fewest sacks allowed:
Alabama: 4.33 per game (t-125th)
Arkansas: 3.83 per game (t-119th)
Scoring offense:
Alabama: 31.2 points per game (t-54th)
Arkansas: 31.3 points per game (t-52nd)
How Alabama-Arkansas stack up on defense
Third-down defense:
Alabama: 33.3% (t-27th)
Arkansas: 38% (61st)
Pass yards allowed:
Alabama: 193.3 yards per game (t-28th)
Arkansas: 214.7 yards per game (t-51st)
Red zone defense:
Alabama: 76.5% (t-39th)
Arkansas: 86.4% (t-91st)
Rushing defense:
Alabama: 105.2 yards per game (23rd)
Arkansas: 126 yards per game (t-46th)
Sacks:
Alabama: 3.67 per game (t-5th)
Arkansas: 2.67 per game (t-32nd)
Scoring defense:
Alabama: 15.17 points per game (14th)
Arkansas: 25.33 points per game (65th)
Score prediction
Alabama 34, Arkansas 17: Scoring against the Crimson Tide defense is no easy task, and that will especially prove true at home for the Razorbacks. Quarterback Jalen Milroe also continues to build on his strong outing vs. Texas A&M with another impressive showing vs. Arkansas.
What channel is Alabama vs. Arkansas on?
The game will be on ESPN and can be streamed on Fubo. (Click here for a free trial)
Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football vs. Arkansas score prediction and scouting report
