Alabama vs Arkansas Game Preview: Everything You Need To Know Before Kickoff
Another early kickoff awaits Alabama this weekend as the Tide heads west to play at Arkansas.
It'll be the second conference road game of the year but Nick Saban's team finds itself as a huge favorite in Fayetteville.
Here's everything you need to know about this week six divisional matchup.
No. 1 Alabama (5-0, 2-0 SEC) vs Arkansas (1-4, 0-2 SEC)
When: Saturday, October 5 at 11:00 AM/CT
Where: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.
Weather: The temperatures might stay in the mid to upper 70s this weekend in Arkansas but there's a chance of a thunderstorm at times on Saturday.
TV: ESPN (Play-by-play: Dave Pasch, analyst: Greg McElroy, sideline reporter:Tom Luginbill)
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-by-play: Eli Gold, color analyst: John Parker Wilson, sideline reporter: Rashad Johnson). Listen on 95.3 the Bear and Tide 102.9/100.9 in Tuscaloosa or download the station apps to stream the game for free.
Spread: The Crimson Tide opened as a 35-point favorite and it's stayed right around that number. This is the largest favorite Alabama has been in an SEC road game. Ever.
Series History: This marks the 29th time these two programs will meet in a series that began 56 years ago. That first meeting took place at the Sugar Bowl, which was a familiar meeting spot for Alabama and Arkansas early on. After a pretty even series through the first 17 meetings, this has turned all crimson since Nick Saban's arrival. The Crimson Tide has won all 11 matchups under Saban and only four of those victories were within two touchdowns.
Last Meeting: Alabama running back Damien Harris took it 75 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage and the team never looked back. Alabama would take a 24-0 lead into halftime and finished the night with a 41-9 victory behind 308 yards rushing.
Last Week: Alabama scored on every possession of the first half and tacked on a punt return touchdown to go up 49-0 over Louisiana in the first 30 minutes of the game. All three quarterbacks saw action and combined for just three incompletions while throwing for four touchdowns. Henry Ruggs III and Jaylen Waddle both finished with 100+ receiving yards and two touchdowns each while the offense finished with more than 600 total yards. Louisiana would score two fourth-quarter touchdowns to cover the spread and prevent the shutout.
Arkansas played its old Southwest Conference rival Texas A&M in Dallas and had a chance to pull the upset. The Razorbacks forced two Kellen Mond interceptions and came back to cut it to a one-score game in the final minutes. Quarterback Ty Storey moved the team to mid-field before throwing an interception at the A&M 26-yard line to end it. The loss marked four straight for Arkansas since opening the season with a victory over Eastern Illinois.