Alabama Crimson Tide visit Arkansas Razorbacks Saturday, Oct 11th
by Ian Palmer
The Alabama Crimson Tide are aiming to rebound from their first loss of the NCAA football season this Saturday, October 11 when they meet up with the Arkansas Razorbacks at the W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, in Fayetteville. The Crimson Tide were upset 23-17 by the Ole Miss Rebels last week and will be looking to take their frustration out on the Razorbacks here in week six.
College Football Betting Line from Bovada:
Point Spread: Alabama is laying 9 points on the road. Alabama (-9.0) -110, Arkansas (+9.0) -110
Over/Under: 56 points -110
Money Line (to Win): Alabama -350, Arkansas +275
Alabama had a 10-game winning streak against Ole Miss Rebels before meeting them last week and the Rebels went into the game ranked number 11 in the nation with the Crimson Tide ranked at three. However, they lost both the game and the ranking with their defeat as they fell to number seven. They go in into this weekend’s game with a seven game winning streak against the Razorbacks and are aiming to make sure they’re not upset for the second week in a row.
Quarterback Blake Sims gained 228 passing yards last weekend, but didn’t have much luck hitting the end zone. He wasn’t able to pass for a touchdown against Ole Miss, but had eight in the three previous games. He was up against a good pass defense though since the Rebels allow an average of just 152.4 yards against them in the air per game. By comparison, the Razorbacks allow 263.8 yards per outing. Alabama’s field-goal kicking also suffered last week by going one for three. In addition to poor passing and kicking performances, the Crimson Tide also had to deal with fumbles which allowed Ole Miss to get themselves back in the contest and eventually win it
Arkansas also suffered a loss in week five as they were beaten in overtime 35-28 by the high-scoring Texas A &M Aggies, who were ranked sixth in the country last week. They were 7.5-point underdogs and are 4-0 ATS so far this campaign. The Razorbacks offense is addicted to smash mouth rushing and will play their favorite style against Alabama. The backfield pair of Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins will force things and should be challenging the Crimson Tide’s rushing defense.
Arkansas also heads into the game as the SEC’s best rushing squad at an average of 316.6 yards on the ground per encounter. Williams and Collins are responsible for most of the damage they inflict on their opponents as Williams averages 97.2 yards per game and Collins averages 124.2 yards. They’ve also combined for 14 of Arkansas’s 20 rushing touchdowns so far this year. The Razorbacks passing game isn’t as prevalent, but it shouldn’t be underestimated either, especially against an unsteady secondary such as Alabama’s. Ole Miss Quarterback Bo Wallace exposed them last week by passing for three touchdowns and a total of 251 yards and Razorbacks quarterback Brandon Allen will be attempting to do the same thing.
