On Saturday, the Alabama Crimson Tide football team will travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to play the University of Arkansas Razorbacks in Alabama’s second SEC matchup of the season.  

The Crimson Tide (4-0) comes into Fayetteville with wins over Utah State, Texas, UL-Monroe and Vanderbilt, while the Razorbacks (3-1) beat Cincinnati, South Carolina and Missouri State. 

Alabama enters Saturday’s matchup with a 14-game winning streak against Arkansas dating back to 2008. In total, the Crimson Tide and Razorbacks have faced each other 30 times, with the first matchup being the 1962 Sugar Bowl. Alabama currently leads the matchup with 22 wins and a .733 all-time win percentage. On the other end, Arkansas has bested the Crimson Tide eight times and has an all-time win percentage of .250. 

Since Nick Saban took over the Alabama program in 2007, Alabama has yet to lose to Arkansas. Under Saban, the two teams have played 15 times and only three games have ended in one possession score differences.  

In recent years, Alabama has run over Arkansas, winning 52-3 in 2020 and 48-7 in 2019. The largest Alabama wins came in both the 2012 and 2013 seasons when Alabama won 52-0 in back-to-back years. 

Last season, Arkansas put on a show at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Razorbacks came into the game with a 7-3 record and ranked 21st in the nation. Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson went 22-for-30 on passing attempts for 326 yards and three touchdowns along with zero interceptions. Now-wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans, Treylon Burks led Arkansas in receiving yards, with eight receptions for 179 yards and two touchdowns.  

On the defensive side of the ball, Arkansas was guided by linebacker Grant Morgan who led the Razorbacks with five tackles. While Arkansas put up one of the best performances against Alabama in years, that would not stop the Crimson Tide.  

Quarterback Bryce Young picked apart the Razorback defense, passing for 559 yards and five touchdowns. On the ground, Brian Robinson Jr. was the lead rusher for Alabama with 27 carries for 122 total yards. In the air attack, both Jameson Williams and John Metchie III both had more than 100 receiving yards — Williams had eight receptions for 190 yards and three touchdowns, and Metchie had 10 receptions for 173 yards and one touchdown. Henry To’o To’o led the Alabama defense with eight tackles, five assisted tackles and two sacks. 

Saturday’s game has the potential to be a closer game than people think. Arkansas has beaten a young but hungry South Carolina team led by Spencer Rattler, 2021 College Football Playoff participant Cincinnati Bearcats, and Missouri State. The only loss this season for the Razorbacks came last week against the Texas A&M Aggies at AT&T Stadium in Dallas on a missed field goal kick.   

The No. 2 Crimson Tide and No. 20 Arkansas will kick off on Oct. 1 at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.

Questions or comments? Email Austin Hannon (Sports Editor) at [email protected]