POSTGAME NOTES – 1/1 ALABAMA VS. ARKANSAS
SATURDAY, OCT. 14, 2017 • BRYANT-DENNY STADIUM • TUSCALOOSA, ALA.
NOTES
GAME CAPTAINS: Alabama’s captains for tonight’s game vs. Arkansas were offensive lineman Bradley Bozeman, defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick and linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton.
SABAN NOTCHES 100TH REGULAR SEASON SEC WIN: Alabama’s 41-9 win over Arkansas tonight was the 100th Southeastern Conference regular season win. Saban has a 100-24 (.806) on-the-field record at LSU and Alabama in conference regular-season games (total does not include SEC Championship Games). Saban joins Paul "Bear" Bryant, Steve Spurrier, Johnny Vaught and Vince Dooley as the only SEC coaches to win 100 league games.
SABAN TOPS IN SEC WINNING PERCENTAGE: With tonight’s win, Nick Saban’s career winning percentage in regular season Southeastern Conference games stands at .8065, which ranks No. 1 in SEC history among coaches with at least five seasons in the league.
UNRANKED, NO PROBLEM UNDER SABAN: Alabama has defeated 71 consecutive unranked teams under head coach Nick Saban. The last loss to an unranked team came against Auburn to close out the 2007 season. The current streak began with a win over Colorado on Dec. 30, 2007, in the Independence Bowl. Under Saban, Alabama holds a 75-3 (.962) (71-3, .959 after vacations) mark against unranked opponents, including a perfect mark in unranked matchups since 2008.
SABAN’S 57th GAME AS AP No. 1: The matchup against Arkansas tonight was Nick Saban’s 57th career game coaching Alabama as the Associated Press No. 1 team, the most games coached as No. 1 at one school. At 51-6 (.895), Saban has won more games coaching as the No. 1 team at one school than any other coach in college football history. Woody Hayes (Ohio State) and Bobby Bowden (Florida State) are tied for second with 40 wins apiece. Bowden was 40-5 at Florida State as No. 1 and Hayes went 40-6 with Ohio State.
ALABAMA AS THE NATION’S NO. 1: Alabama has played 81 games as the nation’s top-ranked team since the inception of the Associated Press Poll in 1936. In those games, the Crimson Tide boasts a 70-11 (.865) record. Those numbers are even more impressive when you look at the 11 seasons under the direction of head coach Nick Saban (2007-present). Since the ninth game of the 2008 season (123 games), Alabama has played 57 games while being ranked No. 1, posting a 51-6 (.895) record during that span.
ALABAMA HOMECOMING ALL-TIME: Alabama’s 41-9 victory over Arkansas tonight improved the Crimson Tide’s all-time record on Homecoming to 83-13-1 (.861). The victory over the Razorbacks extended Alabama’s winning streak in Homecoming Games to 15. Alabama is now 2-0 all-time against Arkansas on Homecoming.
113-7 UNDER SABAN WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF: Under head coach Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide is 113-7 (.942) when leading at the half. Alabama led Arkansas, 24-0, at the half tonight and has held the lead in 31 of its last 37 games dating back to the start of the 2015 season, including 13 of 15 games in 2016 and all seven games this season.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
10 POINTS OR LESS: Alabama’s 41-9 win over Arkansas on Oct. 14 marked the 76th time under head coach Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide has held opponents to 10 points or fewer, the fifth time in seven games this season and the 20th time in the last 36 games dating to the start of the 2015 season.
HOLDING OPPONENTS UNDER 300: The Crimson Tide’s defensive performance against Arkansas on Oct. 14 marked the 93rd time in 144 games (64.6 percent) under head coach Nick Saban that the Tide has held an opponent to less than 300 yards of total offense. The Tide has now held five of its first seven opponents this season - Florida State (250), Fresno State (274), Vanderbilt (78), Ole Miss (253) and Arkansas (227) to less than 300 yards of offense.
FORCING TURNOVERS: With sophomore Mack Wilson’s interception in the fourth quarter, Alabama has now forced a turnover in 34 consecutive games. The last time the Crimson Tide failed to force a turnover was on Sept. 19, 2015, against Ole Miss.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
FIRST PLAY SCORE: Alabama scored on its first play from scrimmage for the fifth time in the Nick Saban era this evening when Damien Harris found the end zone on a 75-yard touchdown run to open the game. Previous first-play scorers for the Tide under Saban were Amari Cooper on an 80-yard pass from Blake Sims on Oct. 25, 2014; Kenyan Drake on an 87-yard touchdown pass from Sims against Florida on Sept. 20, 2014; Mark Ingram on a 48-yard touchdown run at Duke on Sept. 18, 2010 and Terry Grant on a 47-yard run against Western Carolina in Saban’s first game at Alabama on Sept. 1, 2007. The touchdown runs by Harris, Ingram and Grant all occurred on the first play of the game. Cooper and Drake’s scores were on the first play of Alabama’s first possession in each game.
SCORING STREAK CONTINUES: Alabama’s school record consecutive games scoring streak was extended to 220 games against Arkansas tonight with Damien Harris’ 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game. Alabama was last held off the scoreboard in a 9-0 loss to Auburn on Nov. 18, 2000.
FAST STARTERS: Alabama has now outscored its opponents 100-9 in the first quarter and 169-26 in the first half this season.
HARRIS OVER 100 YARDS FOR THIRD TIME IN LAST FOUR GAMES: With 125 yards rushing on nine attemptstonight, junior Damien Harris has surpassed the 100-yard mark for the third time this season and the sixth time in his career. The Madison, Ky., native have a career-high 151 yards on 12 carries against Vanderbilt on Sept. 23 and finished with 124 yards on 14 attempts at Texas A&M on Oct. 7.
HARRIS EQUALS WEEK-OLD CAREER-LONG TOUCHDOWN RUN: Junior Damien Harris’ 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage tonight equals his previous career-long run set in last week’s 27-19 win at Texas A&M. His previous career-long prior to his scamper against the Aggies was 61 yards at Vanderbilt on Sept. 23 this season.
RIDLEY EXTENDS CAREER GAMES WITH A RECEPTION STREAK: Junior Calvin Ridley extended his consecutive games with a reception streak to 37 games tonight with his second quarter 27-yard catch from sophomore Jalen Hurts. The streak ranks No. 3 among active players in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Ridley has caught a pass in every game of his Alabama career.
HURTS NOW SECOND ON ALABAMA QUARTERBACK CAREER RUSHING LIST: Jalen Hurts’ 41 rushing yards against Arkansas tonight moves him into second place on the Alabama quarterback career rushing list with 1,512 yards. The sophomore is now averaging of 68.7 yards per game and 5.6 yards per carry in 22 career games. Harry Gilmer (1944-47) tops the chart with 2,025 yards. Hurts’ total also ranks No. 32 on Alabama’s all-time career rushing list.
HURTS NOW TIED FOR FOURTH ON UA CAREER TOUCHDOWN RESPONSIBILITY LIST: Jalen Hurts’ two touchdowns (one rushing, one passing) against Arkansas tonight moves him into a tie for fourth place with Shaun Alexander (1996-99) on the Alabama career touchdown responsibility list with 50. Hurts was tied with Mark Ingram (2008-10) entering the A&M game. Harry Gilmer (1944-47) is third with 52. Hurts has thrown 31 career touchdown passes and rushed for 19 career scores.
HURTS’ ATTEMPTS WITHOUT AN INTERCEPTION STREAK ENDS: Jalen Hurts streak of consecutive passing attempts without an interception ended tonight at 206, the second-longest streak in school history. Prior to the third quarter inception this evening, Hurts had not thrown an interception since the second quarter of the Auburn game on Nov. 24, 2016.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
SCOTT NOW ALABAMA’S CAREER PUNTING YARDAGE LEADER: Senior JK Scott’s 131 yards on three punts moved him into first place on Alabama’s career punting yardage chart with 9,616 yards. Scott entered tonight’sgame tied with P.J. Fitzgerald (2006-09) with 9,485 yards. Scott’s 211 career punt attempts ranks second to Fitzgerald’s 238.
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