Quarterback Mac Jones tallied three touchdown tosses in the first start of his Crimson Tide career

 

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 1 Alabama football beat Arkansas, 48-7, on Homecoming in Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday night. The Crimson Tide goes to a perfect 8-0 overall with a 5-0 mark in Southeastern Conference play, while the Razorbacks drop to 2-6 on the season and 0-5 in SEC competition.

 

Redshirt sophomore Mac Jones made the first start of his Crimson Tide career at quarterback, stepping in for an injured Tua Tagolvailoa. Jones was 18 of 22 for 235 yards and three touchdowns in just over two quarters of work.

Junior wide receiver Jerry Jeudy reeled in 103 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches to lead all receivers on the day. Junior running back Najee Harris led all rushers with 86 yards and two touchdowns on 13 attempts.

 

The Crimson Tide defense forced four turnovers in the game, including an 84-yard pick-six by senior defensive back Trevon Diggs. Two fumble recoveries and another interception resulted in 17 additional points off turnovers.

 

Freshman linebacker Shane Lee led the Tide defense with six tackles, including five solo stops, two tackles for loss and a sack. Freshman linebacker Christian Harris also had six tackles, including four solo efforts and a 37-yard fumble recovery that led to a touchdown in the first quarter.

 

How It Happened

  • The Crimson Tide opened the scoring with a 31-yard field goal by redshirt sophomore placekicker Joseph Bulovas on Alabama’s first offensive drive of the game. He hit another field goal from 30 yards out on the Tide’s last offensive possession of the first half.
  • Jones found junior wide receiver Henry Ruggs III in the back of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown in the first quarter following a 37-yard fumble recovery and return by Christian Harris.
  • The Tide turned another turnover, a diving interception by redshirt senior linebacker Anfernee Jennings, into points when Jeudy caught a 14-yard touchdown from Jones with 34 seconds left in the first quarter.
  • Alabama opened the second quarter with a pair of 1-yard rushing touchdowns by Najee Harris, pushing the score to 31-0 in the Tide’s favor with 9:57 left in the first half.
  • After generating 17 points off turnovers in the first quarter, Diggs scored on a pick six, taking the ball 84 yards for the touchdown to close the second quarter, making the score Alabama 41 – Arkansas 0 heading into the break.
  • Jones threw a 40-yard touchdown strike to Jeudy in the third quarter to make the score 48-0 in Alabama’s favor with 12:38 left in the third quarter.
  • The Razorbacks scored a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to make the score 48-7, which turned out to be final.

 

Players of the Game

  • Jones threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns in just over a half of work in his first start for the Crimson Tide.
  • Jeudy caught seven passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns, highlighted by a 40-yard touchdown catch early in the third quarter. It was his third 100+ yard receiving game of the season.
  • Diggs returned a second-quarter interception 84-yards for a touchdown to close out the half to go with two tackles and a pass break up.

 

Key Stats

  • The Crimson Tide got off to a quick start, scoring 41 points in the first half, including 24 in the second quarter.
  • The Tide generated 24 points off four turnovers all in the first half.
  • Alabama’s defense accounted for 145 return yards and a touchdown, while Arkansas had 213 yards of total offense and a touchdown.

 

Up Next

  • After its second bye week of the season, No. 1/1 Alabama remains at home for the third game in a row when it hosts No. 2/3 LSU in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9. Kickoff between the Crimson Tide and the Tigers is slated for 2:30 p.m. CT and will air on CBS.