FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Jalen Hurts proved he can do just about anything Saturday during No. 1 Alabama’s 49-30 defeat of No. 16 Arkansas at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Although he threw two touchdown passes later in the game, the 6-foot-2, 209-pound dual-threat playmaker had the highlight of being the first player to punch his way into the end zone, scoring off a 5-yard run. Then, once he was back in the red zone during Alabama’s next drive, he powered through an Arkansas face-mask penalty to score another touchdown, this time from 6 yards out.
“He’s tough, he’s a competitor, and he’s a great leader,” running back Damien Harris said. “He’s everything you could want in a quarterback. He shows great poise. All situations he comes to, he handles them very well.”
Hurts closed out the night completing 13 of his 17 passes for 253 yards. He also kept the ball eight times to rush for 20 yards, averaging 2.5 yards per carry. In total, he was responsible for more than half (273) of Alabama’s 517 offensive yards.
Harris is one to speak, though.
The 5-foot-11, 214-pound bowling ball recorded 122 yards on the ground over the course of 13 carries. His longest run of the night was 57 yards, which actually led to Hurts’ first touchdown.
Harris, a sophomore, also caught two passes for 60 yards. After being limited against Kentucky the week prior with a sprained ankle, one of his receptions Saturday went for 56 yards and a score during the second quarter.
“You miss being out there with the team,” Harris said. “It’s not just about playing. It’s not just about going out there and getting carries. You miss being out there with those guys that work so hard and put so much into the team.”
Wide receiver ArDarius Stewart was also an offensive threat who had been missing from the Crimson Tide since going down against Ole Miss with a sprained knee. He returned to the field against the Razorbacks, though, to snag five receptions for single-game best 120 yards.
The 6-foot-1, 204-pound junior didn’t add any points to the scoreboard, but his longest catch of the night was 67 yards.
“Everybody knows he’s dangerous when he gets the ball in his hands,” Harris said.
Together, Stewart and Harris combined for 302 yards. Alabama coach Nick Saban was glad to have them back out there contributing to the offense.
“We miss players that are explosive players that can make big plays,” Saban said. “ArDarius Stewart is certainly a guy that can do that and Damien Harris has been a really consistent running back for us and made some explosive plays today.”
Along with Stewart and Harris, wide receiver Calvin Ridley grabbed a 4-yard touchdown pass and running back Bo Scarbrough scored off a 21-yard run.
Throughout 84 plays, the Crimson Tide finished with 252 passing yards and 264 rushing yards. It accomplished a little bit of everything.
“There were a lot of good things out there on offense,” Saban said. “That kind of balance is what we like to have.”
