For the first time this season, Alabama will start a game without its Heisman contender at quarterback. Although, even without Tua Tagovailoa behind center, the No. 1 Crimson Tide isn’t expected to have much trouble as it faces SEC bottom-dweller Arkansas for Homecoming inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT.
Alabama heads into this week’s matchup as 31.5-point favorites according to VegasInsider.com. Here are five questions to consider heading into the game.
Can Alabama continue its streak of non-offensive touchdowns?
We’ve seen streaks like this before. Trevon Diggs’ 100-yard fumble return against Tennessee marked Alabama’s third non-offensive touchdown in as many games. The streak started when Ale Kaho blocked a punt against Ole Miss before landing on it in the end zone. Next, the sophomore linebacker blocked a punt against Texas A&M, allowing Tyrell Shavers to scoop and score from the 2-yard line.
While this year’s streak isn’t yet at the level of the 10-game run which occurred over the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Alabama’s defense seems to be picking up steam. The Crimson Tide has forced 14 turnovers the season with at least one in all seven games it has played.
“I feel like now really the point of emphasis is getting the ball and making turnovers,” safety Jared Mayden said. “I don’t want to say at the beginning of the season we weren’t thinking that. But usually when Coach makes something a point of emphasis, like, ‘Let’s get a turnover. We need to get balls out and get the ball back in the hands of our playmakers on offense,’ those are the types of things you start focusing on. Then, when we go through the film, you’re noticing how people are carrying the ball and things like that or when receivers catch it they try to make it look pretty. When you start seeing those little things, that can totally help you to getting balls out and making plays on the ball.”
Arkansas has yet to give up a non-offensive touchdown this season. However, the Razorbacks have surrendered a whopping 13 turnovers through seven games.
Will 'Joker' be the hero Alabama needs?
Mac Jones has earned the nickname ‘Joker’ by his teammates, a reference to his high-pitch laugh which can oftentimes be heard inside Alabama’s locker room.
“He like cackles a little,” tight end Miller Forristall said. "Less of a laugh and more of a high-pitched cackle, and that’s kind of where it came from.”
Although, unlike his Batman villain nickname, Jones will be the good guy for the Crimson Tide this weekend. At least he hopes to be. The redshirt sophomore is set to make his first career start as he fills in for Tagovailoa, who suffered a high-ankle sprain last week against Tennessee.
Jones completed 6 of 11 passes for 72 yards after coming in for Tagovailoa during the Crimson Tide’s 35-13 victory over the Volunteers. Appearing in five games this season, the right-hander has completed 20 of 32 passes (62.5 percent) for 237 yards and a touchdown with an interception. Jones will be the 10th starting quarterback in the Nick Saban era. It will also mark the first time a quarterback has missed a start in the head coach’s 13 years at Alabama.
“Mac’s got to be the leader of the team," head coach Nick Saban said. "He’s got to take over the team. When you’re the backup player, you’re a little bit like the sparring partner, but you can’t be that anymore. You’re the lead fighter, you’re the top dog. You’ve got to do things with confidence, you’ve got to take command and you’ve got to play with confidence."
Are Alabama’s punting issues finally resolved?
The numbers are still ugly, but at least they’re getting better. Alabama still ranks second-to-last among Division I schools, averaging 35.94 yards per punt this season. Although, those stats could be a lot worse if not for two nice punts from walk-on Ty Perine last week.
Perine averaged 46.5 yards on his two punts against Tennessee, the second of which traveled 51 yards before he ran down the field to make the tackle himself. That’s created quite a bit of buzz around the Prattville, Ala., native
“It’s exciting,” receiver Henry Ruggs III said. “Any guy on the team, whenever they get an opportunity you want them to make the best of it, and that’s something we preach: whoever it is, whenever it’s time to go, you got to do what you got to do."
Perine should get a chance to follow up on his debut this week as Will Reichard is likely to miss the game after reaggravating his hip flexor injury on a 33-yard punt.
Will Arkansas try to test Alabama's corners?
Arkansas hasn’t been shy about airing it out this season. The Razorbacks have completed 15 passes which have traveled 20 or more yards through the air, tied for the second-most of any team in the SEC. However, Arkansas might want to think twice about going deep against Alabama.
The Crimson Tide features two of college football’s best cover corners in Diggs and Patrick Surtain II. Through seven games, Diggs is allowing opposing quarterbacks a 28.9 NFL quarterback rating on balls thrown his way, according to Pro Football Focus. That ranks No. 3 in the nation among cornerbacks with at least 200 snaps. Surtain isn’t too far behind, limiting opposing passers to a 53.2 rating, good enough for No. 22 in the nation.
When the two cornerbacks have allowed completions, they haven’t typically gone for big plays. Surtain ranks No. 7 allowing .56 yards per defensive snap, while Diggs ranks No. 8 averaging .57 yards.
Last year, Arkansas mixed in plenty of screens and short passes to hit Alabama for 233 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Considering the Crimson Tide's talent in the secondary, that might be the best game plan this week as well.
Who will start at quarterback for Arkansas?
Alabama won’t be the only team with quarterback concerns as Arkansas starter Ben Hicks is dealing with a shoulder injury. The 6-foot-1, 216-pound senior played every snap in the Razorbacks’ loss to Auburn last week. While Hicks was able to practice Tuesday, Arkansas coach Chad Morris is still uncertain who he will start at quarterback Saturday.
“No, I haven’t made that decision,” Morris said on the SEC coaches' teleconference Wednesday morning. “Ben was out there yesterday, just trying to work through some of the soreness that he has. He definitely made it through practice. He did some good things. We’ll continue to get back out there today and see where he’s at.”
Arkansas has bounced back and forth between Hicks and junior Nick Starkel this season. Hicks has made three starts over five appearances, completing 50 percent of his passes for 692 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Starkel has made four starts over six games, completing 58.7 percent of his passes for 1,060 yards and seven touchdowns with seven interceptions.
Alabama heads into this week’s matchup as 31.5-point favorites according to VegasInsider.com. Here are five questions to consider heading into the game.
Can Alabama continue its streak of non-offensive touchdowns?
We’ve seen streaks like this before. Trevon Diggs’ 100-yard fumble return against Tennessee marked Alabama’s third non-offensive touchdown in as many games. The streak started when Ale Kaho blocked a punt against Ole Miss before landing on it in the end zone. Next, the sophomore linebacker blocked a punt against Texas A&M, allowing Tyrell Shavers to scoop and score from the 2-yard line.
While this year’s streak isn’t yet at the level of the 10-game run which occurred over the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Alabama’s defense seems to be picking up steam. The Crimson Tide has forced 14 turnovers the season with at least one in all seven games it has played.
“I feel like now really the point of emphasis is getting the ball and making turnovers,” safety Jared Mayden said. “I don’t want to say at the beginning of the season we weren’t thinking that. But usually when Coach makes something a point of emphasis, like, ‘Let’s get a turnover. We need to get balls out and get the ball back in the hands of our playmakers on offense,’ those are the types of things you start focusing on. Then, when we go through the film, you’re noticing how people are carrying the ball and things like that or when receivers catch it they try to make it look pretty. When you start seeing those little things, that can totally help you to getting balls out and making plays on the ball.”
Arkansas has yet to give up a non-offensive touchdown this season. However, the Razorbacks have surrendered a whopping 13 turnovers through seven games.
Will 'Joker' be the hero Alabama needs?
Mac Jones has earned the nickname ‘Joker’ by his teammates, a reference to his high-pitch laugh which can oftentimes be heard inside Alabama’s locker room.
“He like cackles a little,” tight end Miller Forristall said. "Less of a laugh and more of a high-pitched cackle, and that’s kind of where it came from.”
Although, unlike his Batman villain nickname, Jones will be the good guy for the Crimson Tide this weekend. At least he hopes to be. The redshirt sophomore is set to make his first career start as he fills in for Tagovailoa, who suffered a high-ankle sprain last week against Tennessee.
Jones completed 6 of 11 passes for 72 yards after coming in for Tagovailoa during the Crimson Tide’s 35-13 victory over the Volunteers. Appearing in five games this season, the right-hander has completed 20 of 32 passes (62.5 percent) for 237 yards and a touchdown with an interception. Jones will be the 10th starting quarterback in the Nick Saban era. It will also mark the first time a quarterback has missed a start in the head coach’s 13 years at Alabama.
“Mac’s got to be the leader of the team," head coach Nick Saban said. "He’s got to take over the team. When you’re the backup player, you’re a little bit like the sparring partner, but you can’t be that anymore. You’re the lead fighter, you’re the top dog. You’ve got to do things with confidence, you’ve got to take command and you’ve got to play with confidence."
Are Alabama’s punting issues finally resolved?
The numbers are still ugly, but at least they’re getting better. Alabama still ranks second-to-last among Division I schools, averaging 35.94 yards per punt this season. Although, those stats could be a lot worse if not for two nice punts from walk-on Ty Perine last week.
Perine averaged 46.5 yards on his two punts against Tennessee, the second of which traveled 51 yards before he ran down the field to make the tackle himself. That’s created quite a bit of buzz around the Prattville, Ala., native
“It’s exciting,” receiver Henry Ruggs III said. “Any guy on the team, whenever they get an opportunity you want them to make the best of it, and that’s something we preach: whoever it is, whenever it’s time to go, you got to do what you got to do."
Perine should get a chance to follow up on his debut this week as Will Reichard is likely to miss the game after reaggravating his hip flexor injury on a 33-yard punt.
Will Arkansas try to test Alabama's corners?
Arkansas hasn’t been shy about airing it out this season. The Razorbacks have completed 15 passes which have traveled 20 or more yards through the air, tied for the second-most of any team in the SEC. However, Arkansas might want to think twice about going deep against Alabama.
The Crimson Tide features two of college football’s best cover corners in Diggs and Patrick Surtain II. Through seven games, Diggs is allowing opposing quarterbacks a 28.9 NFL quarterback rating on balls thrown his way, according to Pro Football Focus. That ranks No. 3 in the nation among cornerbacks with at least 200 snaps. Surtain isn’t too far behind, limiting opposing passers to a 53.2 rating, good enough for No. 22 in the nation.
When the two cornerbacks have allowed completions, they haven’t typically gone for big plays. Surtain ranks No. 7 allowing .56 yards per defensive snap, while Diggs ranks No. 8 averaging .57 yards.
Last year, Arkansas mixed in plenty of screens and short passes to hit Alabama for 233 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Considering the Crimson Tide's talent in the secondary, that might be the best game plan this week as well.
Who will start at quarterback for Arkansas?
Alabama won’t be the only team with quarterback concerns as Arkansas starter Ben Hicks is dealing with a shoulder injury. The 6-foot-1, 216-pound senior played every snap in the Razorbacks’ loss to Auburn last week. While Hicks was able to practice Tuesday, Arkansas coach Chad Morris is still uncertain who he will start at quarterback Saturday.
“No, I haven’t made that decision,” Morris said on the SEC coaches' teleconference Wednesday morning. “Ben was out there yesterday, just trying to work through some of the soreness that he has. He definitely made it through practice. He did some good things. We’ll continue to get back out there today and see where he’s at.”
Arkansas has bounced back and forth between Hicks and junior Nick Starkel this season. Hicks has made three starts over five appearances, completing 50 percent of his passes for 692 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Starkel has made four starts over six games, completing 58.7 percent of his passes for 1,060 yards and seven touchdowns with seven interceptions.
