TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The Arkansas Razorbacks got off to about as bad a start as imaginable on Saturday against No. 1 Alabama.
The Razorbacks whiffed on Alabama running back Damien Harris' 75-yard touchdown on the first snap of the game, then bungled their first punt to give the Crimson Tide a quick 10 points and all the momentum.
But it wasn't all gloom for the Razorbacks in a 41-9 loss to the Tide before a crowd of 101,821 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Arkansas got a glimpse of its near future.
Cole Kelley, filling in for injured starting quarterback Austin Allen, showed toughness under fire against one of the nation's strongest defenses.
But Alabama (7-0, 4-0 SEC) simply had too much firepower in the end, piling up 496 yards in the 32-point rout of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (2-4, 0-3 SEC).
"I wanted to go swing for swing and be as physical as we possibly could," Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said. "Physicality comes from within your heart, and within your mind and within your soul. I thought the guys did fight and did respond. But obviously we didn't have enough horses."
Arkansas lost its 11th consecutive game to the Crimson Tide and dropped to 4-19 in games against the No. 1 team. The Razorbacks' losing streak to Power 5 teams stretched to six games dating to November.
Senior captain Frank Ragnow said there was a lot better vibe against the Tide than in last week's second half against South Carolina.
"Nobody folded," he said. "Nobody backed down. Credit Alabama. They're a heck of a team, obviously. I think everyone knows that. But in the first half we had some things that weren't necessarily because of them, but more because of our errors."
Alabama Coach Nick Saban is 11-0 against Arkansas in his current job and has not lost to the Razorbacks since his 2002 LSU team fell victim to the "Miracle on Markham."
With the No. 1-rated Alabama run defense holding Arkansas to a season-low 27 yards on the ground, Kelley had to shoulder much of the Hogs' offensive load.
"We did a good job against their run and forced them to be one dimensional," Saban said. "All in all, there's a lot of good things out there."
The Razorbacks also shuffled their offensive line, moving Johnny Gibson to left tackle for Colton Jackson, switching center Frank Ragnow to right guard, and inserting Brian Wallace at right tackle and Zach Rogers at center.
Kelley, the 6-7 freshman, completed 23 of 42 passes for 200 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception while showing fire and enthusiasm.
"I don't care who we're playing, I don't like to lose, so I'm not very happy," Kelley said. "Obviously they're great. They always have a good defense. Their coaches are very good, and they play very well on the defensive side. They're very fast and physical."
Alabama sent waves of pressure against Kelley and managed to sack him five times for 36 yards in losses and move him in the pocket with frequency. But Kelley kept plugging away, leading drives deep into Alabama territory late in each of the last three quarters.
"I thought it was a real key to the game," Saban said of the blitzes against Kelley. "Being a young quarterback, we didn't want him to be able to just stand there in the pocket and play coverage."
Kelley found fellow freshman Jordan Jones for a 3-yard slant pass touchdown on fourth down to cap a 13-play, 75-yard march in the fourth quarter to give the Hogs their lone touchdown.
Arkansas had two takeaways, a fumble recovery of a punt by Ryder Lucas and Kevin Richardson's diving interception, which set up the Hogs' first points in the third quarter.
The Razorbacks became the first team to beat Alabama in turnover margin this season. The Tide had only one turnover the entire season before Saturday.
Kelley played turnover free until a pass in traffic in the fourth quarter was tipped in the air and picked off by linebacker Mack Wilson.
The Crimson Tide held a 308-27 edge in rushing yards and a 496-227 advantage in total offense.
Jalen Hurts passed for 155 yards and 1 touchdown and had an 11-yard run for another score. Harris had 9 carries for 125 yards, including 2 touchdowns.
Harris cut back up the middle on Alabama's first snap, leaving a trail of defenders in his wake on a 75-yard touchdown run.
Four plays later, the Razorbacks muffed their punt snap. After punter Blake Johnson corralled it deep in his own territory, he threw incomplete instead of attempting to punt.
The Razorbacks held from their own 25 and Andy Pappanastos came in for a 39-yard field goal and a 10-0 Alabama lead less than four minutes into the game.
The Crimson Tide drove 65 yards for a touchdown on Harris' 4-yard run on their next series, and at 17-0 it looked like Alabama might be in position to rack up a landslide victory.
The Razorbacks dialed up some defensive pressure and stopped the Crimson Tide on three consecutive offensive drives, then recovered a muffed Alabama fumble to stop the bleeding.
Alabama put together a 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by Hurts' 11-yard keeper to put the Tide ahead 24-0 with 1:20 left in the half.
Arkansas capped the half with its best series yet, sparked by Jones' 46-yard catch deep down the middle from Kelley to the Alabama 31. Brandon Martin caught three passes for 28 yards, the last a 14-yard catch and run to the Alabama 3 with three seconds left before halftime.
The Razorbacks passed up a short field goal try and threw for the end zone, but Kelley couldn't connect with tight end Cheyenne O'Grady as the half came to a close. Kelley rushed up to an official after the play to check on why a flag wasn't thrown on safety Ronnie Harrison on the play.
Deon Stewart led the Razorbacks with 65 yards on six catches. Jones added 72 yards on four catches, including his second touchdown in two games.
Game sketch
RECORDS Arkansas 2-4, 0-3 SEC; Alabama 7-0, 4-0 STARS Alabama’s Damien Harris rushed for 125 yards and 2 TDs on 9 carries. Jalen Hurts had 155 passing yards and touchdowns passing and rushing. TURNING POINT Harris sprinted up the middle for 75 yards on the game’s first snap, then Alabama took over at the Arkansas 25 after a bad punt snap on its first series. KEY STATS Alabama outgained the Hogs 496-227 in total offense and averaged 7.8 yards per play to Arkansas’ 3.2 yards per play. UP NEXT The Razorbacks return home for an SEC West game against Auburn on Saturday.
— Tom Murphy
Sports on 10/15/2017