Arkansas has now misplaced 16 straight video games to Alabama following the 49-26 loss on Saturday. It was a mixture of Alabama simply downright being higher than Arkansas in each part of the sport, and Arkansas not enjoying good soccer.

The Hogs got here to life in direction of the top of the primary half, however in the long run, the Crimson Tide simply couldn’t be stopped. Alabama’s Heisman Trophy successful quarterback Bryce Younger left the sport with a shoulder damage with 10:54 left within the second quarter, and Arkansas was in a position to rattle his back-up Jalen Milroe.

After being outscored 28-0 within the first half Arkansas would rating 23 unanswered factors to make it a 28-23 ballgame. Alabama had the ball on their very own 20-yard line dealing with a 3rd down and lengthy. Milroe would step again to throw, however then take it 77 yards to the Arkansas purpose line the place they’d rating a landing two performs later.

That play was a backbreaker and momentum-killer that Arkansas couldn’t get well from.

The irritating factor about Saturday isn’t actually that the Hogs misplaced to Alabama, and even that they misplaced convincingly. The frustration from Saturday is that this needs to be your solely loss on the season to this point, and it’s not. Now, as a substitute of simply regrouping whereas being 4-1 (2-1), they’re backed into a troublesome nook with zero margin for error the remainder of the season being 3-2 (1-2).

The Hogs are on this place now as a result of they misplaced to a Texas A&M crew who they outplayed and shouldn’t have misplaced to. There’s nonetheless rather a lot to play for, however even replicating the success from final season (9-4 with an Outback Bowl win) goes to be a tall process.

The tradition that Sam Pittman has constructed at Arkansas is about to face its greatest check but throughout this upcoming stretch of the season. There aren’t any extra assured wins on the schedule. This crew goes to need to dig down deep and discover one other gear if this season goes to have a contented ending.

What We Realized

• The Crew Confirmed Some Resiliency

I don’t assume there are a lot of groups within the nation that may take a 28-0 punch from Alabama proper out of the gates and nonetheless be capable to reply again and make a recreation of it. Trailing 28-0 three minutes earlier than halftime, Arkansas might’ve simply packed it in and known as it a day.

That didn’t occur.

Each the offense and the protection regarded very a lot engaged on the sideline. The offense regarded poised and targeted as they marched down the sphere to attain earlier than halftime. This sparked a 23-0 run that made it a one possession recreation going into the fourth quarter, which is a place I feel any crew would like to be in towards Alabama.

Though the momentum rapidly dissipated and the Crimson Tide put the sport away shortly after, it’s nonetheless good to see that this Arkansas crew is not going to merely fold below such adversity.

Groups folding below adversity and giving up have been the emblems of former coaches Bret Bielema and Chad Morris, so it’s yet one more reminder that Sam Pittman has modified the tradition right here at Arkansas. That’s one thing to be grateful for and pleased with.

• Protection Must Restrict Huge Performs, Particularly on Third Down

The Arkansas protection has struggled all season with regards to permitting huge performs for opposing offenses. Saturday was no completely different. Alabama completed with 555 yards of whole offense and averaged nearly 9 yards per play (8.7).

The Arkansas protection additionally performed very poorly on third downs, not with the ability to get the Alabama offense off the sphere. The Crimson Tide have been in a position to convert on third down 9 occasions on Saturday.

“We simply couldn’t get them off the sphere,” Sam Pittman mentioned after the sport. “They’d two actually lengthy go performs. And a variety of occasions it was on third and lengthy. We simply gave up manner too many huge performs. They’re a superb soccer crew, and so they made us look actually unhealthy at occasions.”

I discussed earlier about Alabama’s Jalen Milroe going 77 yards on third and lengthy, and Sam Pittman acknowledged how huge of a turning level it was within the recreation in his press convention.

“It was big,” Pittman mentioned. “They have been down I feel contained in the 20 in a 28-23 recreation. They went 77, after which they scored a pair performs later and bought it again as much as a 12-point recreation. We didn’t reply on offense. That was an enormous, huge play.”

On the 77-yard run, Bumper Pool was the quarterback spy and appeared to be in place to make a play on the line of scrimmage however took a horrible angle that led to the massive achieve.

I don’t know if there’s a selected answer to this drawback as a result of it’s change into such a theme with the protection. One constructive is that Arkansas was nonetheless in a position to get some strain on Younger and Milroe, however the protection simply isn’t there.

Poor tackling and blown coverages proceed to hang-out this Arkansas protection, and till they’ll get these items fastened it’s going to be robust sledding via the remainder of this brutal schedule.

• Particular Groups Persevering with Strong Season

Total, the Arkansas particular groups have been strong this season. The one blemish for that place group was when Cam Little missed a tough 42-yard area purpose towards Texas A&M that might’ve given the Hogs a lead late within the recreation.

This week the particular groups have been superb, but once more.

Cam Little responded to his robust outing final week by going 2-for-2 on his makes an attempt Saturday.

One of many greatest performs of the day got here on a kickoff proper after Arkansas scored on their opening drive to start out the second half.

Kickoff specialist Jake Bates lined as much as kick off to the Crimson Tide, nevertheless it was a designed onside kick that caught everybody within the stadium and at house off guard. Bates recovered his personal onside kick on the Arkansas 46, and it helped get the momentum of the sport firmly again on the Arkansas facet.

It took a variety of guts for Sam Pittman and particular groups coach Scott Fountain to make that decision, nevertheless it was the right time to strive it and the execution was good.

I really like that Sam Pittman isn’t afraid to take these sorts of possibilities on particular groups, and that he’s been very calculated and methodical about when to strive some trickeration. Not like Chad Morris, Pittman’s potential to make the most of his particular groups in huge moments continues to impress me.

• Huge Change at QB2

Late within the fourth quarter of Saturday’s recreation KJ Jefferson left with an undisclosed head damage. Malik Hornsby is listed because the No. 2 quarterback on the crew’s official depth chart; nonetheless, it was redshirt senior switch Cade Fortin who entered the sport and performed the rest of the snaps.

Once more, Hornsby has been listed because the No. 2 quarterback on the crew’s official depth chart all season, so not seeing Hornsby within the recreation was stunning. Pittman later mentioned after the sport that it was a coach’s determination.

“That call has been made for some time,” Pittman mentioned. “He’s our No. 2 quarterback, so we put him in there.”

That is much more important given Monday’s information about KJ Jeffferson’s standing for this week. Pittman revealed that the workers is taking a “wait-and-see” strategy with Jefferson’s head damage, and that this Wednesday could be when the ultimate determination on his enjoying standing could be made.

With out Jefferson, Fortin presents extra of a prototypical, pocket passer possibility at quarterback, with considerably first rate working potential. Hornsby continues to be listed on the depth chart as the opposite possibility at quarterback, so it’ll be fascinating to see how Pittman and his workers strategy the sport if Jefferson is absent.

One factor is for certain, the quarterback state of affairs behind KJ Jefferson is as clear as mud.

Up Subsequent

Arkansas travels to Starkville to tackle No. 23 Mississippi State. This would be the fourth Prime 25 opponent Arkansas has confronted this season. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. and protection could be seen on SEC Community.