FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas played Alabama off its feet Saturday, but in the end it couldn’t stop Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson.
That running duo, reminiscent around here of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, was tougher than a two-peso taco.
They were stronger than a fleet of J.B. Hunt trucks, hauling the Hogs for extra yards that consumed time and turned into points.
Ingram finished with 157 yards rushing on 24 carries, and Richardson had 85 on eight carries. Both totals were more than the Razorbacks managed (64 yards on 20 carries).
Alabama had a balanced offense, one that is better than last year’s.
The 24-20 victory by Alabama won’t be called the game of the century like in 1969 when No. 1 Texas came to play No. 2 Arkansas, but it proved beyond the shadow of a doubt the Razorbacks program is on the right track.
For more than 55 minutes, the No. 10 Razorbacks led the No. 1 and defending BCS national champion Crimson Tide.
They were ahead at the half 17-7 and had racked up 301 yards of offense. A record crowd of 76,808 was there for support and overflowed outside to any patch of ground where they could get a peek of the action.
The Hogs were being called, the band was on top of its game, the student body had embraced the red-out and shout themes.
At intermission, Ryan Mallett had completed 15 of 22 passes for 250 yards and 1 touchdown. He had two completions of 43 yards and 31 yards. He looked ready to take a Superman grip on the favorite’s role for the Heisman Trophy.
The Crimson Tide had registered zero sacks, and the pressure on Mallett was minor.
However, anyone who has ever watched Alabama knew that the uncrowned king of college football, Nick Saban, was going to make defensive adjustments at the half.
In the second half, the Crimson Tide owned the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
The blitzes came from new places, and they came after Mallett like he had a bounty on his head.
They sacked him twice, forced him out of the pocket a dozen times and played a huge role in him throwing two more interceptions.
The Tide offense ground out just enough yards and points to let America’s most wanted escape and run their string to 28 consecutive regular-season victories.
Alabama ate enough clock in the second half to be on Greenwich Mean Time.
With a deliberate pounding between the tackles, the Tide kept the ball for 19:04 of the second half and kept the Razorbacks’ offense on the sideline, where it is difficult to get into an offensive rhythm.
Still, this is basically the same team that was dominated by the Crimson Tide last year, losing 35-7 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score.
Both teams finished with 421 yards of offense, but Alabama had balance with 227 on the ground and 194 in the air. The Hogs were 64 and 357.
Alabama scored 17 unanswered points to prove it is the best team.
The Hogs have two weeks to prepare for Texas A&M, and after the physical throwdown Saturday, they will need it.
They laid it on the line, and while the SEC Championship Game became a long shot, it doesn’t mean this team isn’t improving.
This one is better than last year’s team, and it was better than Bobby Petrino’s first one.
They might still be a work in progress, but progress has been made.
Sports, Pages 23 on 09/26/2010