The Arkansas Razorbacks will need to bounce back quickly after their cruising loss to Texas A&M last weekend saw them drop to 3-1 on the season. Their opponent is Alabama, with the Crimson Tide sitting at their customary 4-0 as we move into October.
Here are the three keys for a Hog win over the Crimson Tide:
Keep It Close Into The Fourth Quarter
Alabama has played four games so far this season. Three of them – the wins over Utah State, ULM, and Vanderbilt – finished with a combined score of 173-10 in favor of the Crimson Tide. The other was an as close as it sounds 20-19 win over unranked Texas in Austin. Alabama is still great – and it is a team under Nick Saban that gets better by the week – but the Hogs are the first-ranked team that ‘Bama will have played in 2022. If they can keep this close into the fourth quarter, it could be exciting in Fayetteville.
Keep The Passing Attack Grounded
The Alabama passing attack hasn’t been particularly special in 2022. Bryce Young is Bryce Young – he willed the Tide to the Texas win – but outside of La’Corey Brooks going off against Vandy, the wide receivers haven’t been helping him out. This isn’t to say that this isn’t a talented unit. Jermaine Burton will eventually break out, and Traeshon Holden is improving at the time. For the Hogs, it would be great if the secondary stepped up after being carved open by Jason Shelley (MSU) and Spencer Rattler (USC).
KJ Jefferson, This Is On You
Arkansas lost 42-35 in this game a year ago in Tuscaloosa. KJ Jefferson to Treylon Burks was the difference, with Burks catching eight balls for 179 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Burks is now in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans, but Jefferson still has several targets he can hit. Jefferson has eight touchdowns and a pick on the season while passing for 941 yards. He is hitting 69% with his passes and is still running the ball well. From the very start here, he will need to be on for Arkansas to have a chance.
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