It was “heart break hotel” for the Hogs in Arlington last Saturday night. Arkansas took a 14-point lead in the first half to only see it evaporate in the middle of 23 unanswered points by Texas A&M. Mistakes, turnovers, and now a crucial missed field goal attempt have added to the list of issues for Arkansas dating back to their last home game against Missouri State. And with Alabama coming to town this weekend, the Hogs must play a clean game on Saturday to have a chance to win.
Here are some quick facts on Saturday’s game as provided by the University of Arkansas:
ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (4-0, 1-0 SEC)
AP/Coaches Poll: 2/2
Head Coach: Nick Saban (Kent State, ‘73)
Career Record: 273-67-1 (27th season)
Record at Alabama: 182-25 (16th season)
• For the second time this season, a top-25 showdown comes to Fayetteville. No. 20 Arkansas hosts SEC West leader No. 2 Alabama at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, inside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on CBS.
• The Razorbacks are looking to snap a 14-game losingstreak against the Crimson Tide. Arkansas’ last win over Alabama came in 2006, when the Hogs pulled out a 24-23 double-overtime victory in Fayetteville.
• Following last weekend’s loss to Texas A&M, Arkansas stands at 3-1 overall with a 1-1 mark in SEC play. With a win on Saturday, the Razorbacks would improve to 2-1 in league action for the first time since the 2011 campaign.
• QB KJ Jefferson continues to wreak havoc on opposing defenses through the air and on the round. Jefferson has completed 67-of-97 passes (69.1%) for 941 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception while rushing for 274 yards and four scores through four games. Jefferson, who has rushed for a touchdown in five straight games dating back to last season, is one of only three FBS quarterbacks to throw for 900+ yards and run for 200+ yards on the year.
• RB Raheim ‘Rocket’ Sanders is the Razorbacks’ leading ball carrier through four games, totalling 508 yards on 83 carries (6.1 avg) with three scores on the ground. He leads the SEC in both rushing yards (508), rushing yards per game (127.0) and all-purpose yards (625) this season.
Sanders, who has also caught eight passes for 117 yards and a touchdown, is the only FBS player with 500+ rushing yards and 100+ receiving yards for the season.
• WR Jadon Haselwood leads Arkansas’ receiving corps through four games this season with a team-high 18 catches for 214 yards (11.9) and a pair of touchdowns. A transfer from Oklahoma, Haselwood has caught three or more passes in each of his first four games as a Razorback and has tallied at least one reception in 16 consecutive games dating back to the start of the 2021 season.
• LB Drew Sanders has turned heads with his play on the defensive side of the ball this season. A transfer from Alabama, Sanders has racked up 31 total tackles (16 solo) with a team-leading 6.5 tackles for loss and a team-high 5.5 sacks through four games. Sanders, who is tied for the
national lead in sacks and ranks third in the SEC in tackles for loss, has tallied at least half a sack in all four games.
LB Drew Sanders is tied for the national lead in sacks (5.5) this season. Sanders has tallied at least half a sack in all four games, including multiple sacks in two of those four contests.
RB Raheim Sanders leads the SEC and ranks fourth nationally in rushing yards (508) this season. He is one of only four FBS ball carriers to eclipse the 500-yard mark on the ground this year. Arkansas leads the country in sacks with 20, four more than the next closest team (Middle Tennessee). Eight different Razorback defenders have recorded at least one sack this season. Arkansas has picked off 28 passes since the start of the 2020 season, tied for second most among SEC teams in that span. Alabama and Kentucky have also recorded 28 interceptions since 2020.
Saturday’s game at Donald W. Reynolds Razorbacks Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m. The game will be nationally televised by CBS.
RNN Sports will be on the sidelines Saturday to bring you all of the action in photos and in our game recap on Sunday!
Note to Our Readers: Portions of this story were sourced directly from the University of Arkansas Office of Communications, Kyle Parkinson, Associate AD / Communications.
