Alabama vs Arkansas Game Preview: Everything You Need To Know Before Kickoff
The Alabama Crimson Tide travels to Fayetteville for a top-20 matchup against division rival Arkansas. Get set for the night game with a preview of what to expect.
No. 1 Alabama (5-0, 2-0 SEC) vs No. 16 Arkansas (3-1, 0-1 SEC)
When: Saturday, October 8 at 6:00 PM CT
Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Weather: Mostly sunny and pleasant. The high is 75 but temperatures will likely dip into the 50s by the end of the game. Expect a slight wind of about 6 mph with gusts up to 10 mph.
TV: ESPN (Play-by-play: Joe Tessitore, color analyst: Todd Blackledge, sideline reporter: Holly Rowe)
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-by-play: Eli Gold, color analyst: Phil Savage, sideline reporter: Chris Stewart). Listen on 95.3 the Bear and Tide 102.9 in Tuscaloosa.
Spread: Alabama is a 13.5-point favorite, according to Bovada. The Crimson Tide is 2-3 against the spread in 2016.
Series History: Saturday marks the 27th meeting between the two schools. Alabama leads with an all-time record of 16-8 (19-7 before vactated and forfieted games). They first faced each other in the 1962 Sugar Bowl, where the Tide prevailed by a score of 10-3 to win the school's sixth national championship.
Last Meeting: One year ago, Arkansas carried a 7-3 lead into halftime at Bryant-Denny Stadium, but Alabama leaned on its defense to help pull out the 27-14 win. The Crimson Tide limited Arkansas to just nine first downs and held running back Alex Collins to 26 rushing yards, which was second-worst in his career.
Last Week: Alabama started slow against Kentucky but scored 28 points over a 20 minute stretch in the second and third quarter to put the game away. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley set a career high with 11 catches and 174 yards receiving while running back Joshua Jacobs also had the best game of his young career, totaling 100 yards on 16 carries. The Crimson Tide outgained the Wildcats 488-161 on the way to a 34-6 win.
Meanwhile, Arkansas had a week to recover after the loss to Texas A&M by hosting Alcorn State. The Razorbacks jumped out to a 24-0 lead after the first quarter and rolled to a 52-10 win. It marked the 10th win in 12 games for Bret Bielema's team and it gave the school its first 4-1 start in five years.