Razorbacks Report

All eyes on big linemen in Alabama

Alabama defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson works through drills during an NCAA college football practice, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Vasha Hunt/The Tuscaloosa News via AP)
Alabama defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson works through drills during an NCAA college football practice, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Vasha Hunt/The Tuscaloosa News via AP)

FAYETTEVILLE -- The matchup Saturday between Arkansas' beefy offensive line and Alabama's massive defensive front will have the eyes of plenty of scouts and will likely go a long way in determining if Arkansas can hang with the No. 8 Crimson Tide.

Arkansas offensive line coach Sam Pittman said there won't have to be a lot of rah-rah talk to prepare for a front that features 312-pound A'Shawn Robinson and 313-pound Jarran Reed at ends and 315-pound Darren Lake at nose guard, with the top backups running 315, 294 and 283 pounds.

"All you've got to do is turn the tape on," Pittman said. "Everything about them is plastered all over our room. I mean, they've gotten a lot of accolades that are deserving. If you can't get ready for these cats, you're in the wrong business."

Arkansas guard Sebastian Tretola said the Tide's linemen stand out on tape.

"They're big boys, definitely," Tretola said. "Bigger than you're usually going to see. They're powerful, they're strong. They know how to contain with leverage and work their gaps. They're definitely coached up well."

Arkansas' offensive line averages 327.6 pounds per man.

Happy days

The Razorbacks are stepping lighter after ending a three-game losing streak with Saturday's 24-20 victory at Tennessee.

"Everybody has been doing their part to the best of their ability," said tailback Alex Collins, who is averaging 158.3 rushing yards in the past three games. "We feel it now. Now that we've pulled off this win, everybody is working together. You can just see the determination in practice."

Quarterback Brandon Allen said the team's optimism was up.

"We're always excited to play 'Bama, especially down there," Allen said. "I think a lot of people are excited for this week. ... Spirits are so much higher when you come off wins."

Allen was asked about sharing a big hug with Coach Bret Bielema after the victory in Knoxville, Tenn.

"It was a lot of fun for us," he said. "We've been so close so many times, but to finally pull one out was really nice. ... We kind of took that feeling and said, 'Why don't we want to feel like this every time?' All we've got to do is not hurt ourselves and play like we're capable and we could have this feeling every time."

TV take?

Receiver Drew Morgan had a vivid description of the team's 24-20 victory over Tennessee.

"That's a good feeling, not only just because we won, but we won on the road," Morgan said. "So we know what it feels like to go over to somebody's house, kick down the front door and take their TV.

"I feel like it was a good experience for the team and it builds confidence. Knowing that you can go into somebody's else house and beat them builds belief."

Penalty improvement

Arkansas had a season-low three penalties for 20 yards, including no holding infractions, against Tennessee.

The Hog calls were a block in the back on Drew Morgan on a punt return and two delay of game penalties.

The Razorbacks are tied for No. 74 with 6.8 penalties per game and are No. 79 with 61.8 penalty yards per game.

Alex blocks

Tailback Alex Collins will carry a streak of three consecutive 150-yard rushing games into Alabama on Saturday, but the junior from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was just as excited with another part of his game when he talked to his high school coach, Doug Gatewood, earlier this week.

Gatewood related some of Collins' thoughts in a subsequent phone call to Coach Bret Bielema.

"One of the things he said, he was blown away when Alex said, 'How about my blocking? Have you seen my blocking?' " Bielema said. "For a running back to say that to his high school coach tells you a little bit where his mind is. It's a great thing."

Spotty record

Alabama has walked off the field a winner over Arkansas in eight of the teams' 11 games played at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

NCAA judgments against the Crimson Tide have altered the series record, however, forfeiting Alabama's 43-3 victory on Sept. 18, 1993, and its 41-38 victory on Sept. 15, 2007, and vacating the Crimson Tide's 24-13 win on Sept. 24, 2005.

So while the on-field results say Alabama leads the all-time series 8-3 in Tuscaloosa, official NCAA records say the series is tied 5-5, with the vacated game in 2005 not counting for either team.

Ride the continuum

Alabama Coach Nick Saban got on a "continuum" streak Monday while describing how he'd like his team to react after a 38-10 victory at Georgia re-energized the Crimson Tide's chances of battling for a berth in the College Football Playoff.

"Consistency is a human behavior that we all struggle with every day," Saban said. "Things don't go right, everybody gets all fired up about trying to get it right. Things go really well, and everybody wants to relax and, 'I deserve a day off. I did a good job.' That's my relief syndrome here.

"I think that consistency is an element of human nature that the individual has to challenge himself as well as we have to coach and make our players aware of the things they need to do well, they need to build on. That's what creates a continuum, and the continuum is what creates consistency. That's where our focus is going to be."

No flinching

Bret Bielema said one of the most important moments against Tennessee came when the Razorbacks drove 75 yards in four plays to fight back into contention after falling behind 14-0.

"That kept anybody from flinching," Bielema said. "We did a really nice job of responding from there on out."

The drive consisted of two touches from Drew Morgan -- a 52-yard catch and an 8-yard end around at left end -- and two runs from Alex Collins -- an 11-yard romp up the middle and his 4-yard touchdown run behind Sebastian Tretola and Mitch Smothers.

Sports on 10/07/2015

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