Previewing Bama
The Arkansas Razorbacks hope to maintain their upward momentum in the polls after their Southeastern Conference opener against Alabama at 5:45 p.m. this Saturday on ESPN.
The Crimson Tide are 2-0 after crushing Western Carolina 52-6 in their opener and defeating Vanderbilt, 24-10, at Nashville last Saturday.
Under the direction of first-year head coach Nick Saban, Bama has found the running game that was missing last season. After rushing for 134 yards in the Tide’s opener and punishing Vandy for 173 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries, freshman Terry Grant has already become one the league’s premier backs.
Bama receiver D.J. Hall caught three passes for 67 yards, which pushed him over the 2,000 career yard mark. Junior quarterback John Parker Wilson had an up-and-down performance, completing 14 of 28 passes for 150 yards as the Tide finished with 371 total yards (221 rushing, 150 passing).
Javier Arenas added some spice to the Crimson and Cream’s attack with a 69-yard punt return to the Vandy 1 to set up Bama’s first TD.
Kicker Leigh Tiffin kicked 3 of 4 field goals, while the Bama defense held the Commodores to just 101 yards of offense through three quarters.
Saban is no new face to the Razorbacks’ coaching staff. Prior to spending two uneventful seasons as the Miami Dolphins head coach, Saban built LSU to prominence in his five seasons at the Tigers’ head coach. LSU won a share of the national title in 2003 with a 13-1 mark.
The Razorbacks went 2-3 against Saban’s LSU squads, winning 14-3 in 2000 and 21-20 in the Miracle on Markam in 2002. The Tigers topped the Hogs in a 41-38 shootout in 2001 and pounded the Razorbacks, 55-24, in 2003 and 43-14 in 2004. All three losses were at Baton Rouge, La., while the Razorback wins were at Little Rock.
Alabama’s offense is coordinated by a young but familiar face in Major Applewhite. Applewhite quarterbacked for Texas when the Hogs blew out the Longhorns, 27-6, in the 2000 Cotton Bowl.
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