Tide dominates Arkansas in SEC opener

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.—Twice Saturday Casey Dick was on his back looking up at an Alabama defender returning one of his passes for six points.

Alabama’s defense took the air out of Arkansas’ new high-flying offense as the Crimson Tide exposed the Razorbacks with a 49-14 win at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

With all but one of Alabama’s seven touchdowns coming on plays of 25 yards or longer, the Tide used big plays dominate the Hogs in its first SEC game of the season.

Some of them came from unexpected places. The Tide’s power backs hit a gear Alabama fans haven’t seen.

Not Terry Grant or Mark Ingram, but Glen Coffee and Roy Upchurch broke runs of 87-yards and 62-yards respectively to reach the end zone.

“We were ready to play, but I feel like when I broke that run, the team took it to a whole new level,” Coffee said. “I feel like we answered the call. You visualize plays like that every game and when it comes true, you have to give thanks to the Lord. I also give thanks to the (offensive) line for their hard work.”

Center Antoine Caldwell was as excited as Coffee about the long run.

“That’s probably the best feeling I’ve had the last two or three years,” he said. “Not a lot of times we’ve actually broken long gains and actually scored on them.”

Defensive backs Javier Arenas and Justin Woodall each recorded a pick-six to boost Alabama’s lead to 35-7 by the half.

Trailing 14-0 in the first quarter, Arkansas marched into Tide territory with three first downs, but an-off target throw from Casey Dick ended up in the hands of a waiting Javier Arenas. With 63-yards and a quarterback separating him from six points, the return man had no problem scoring the ball. Dick tracked Arenas inside the 20-yard line, but a simple juke left the overmatched quarterback on his back and Arenas in the end zone.

The return signaled déjà vu as the Tide took a 21-0 first quarter lead, just like last year’s contest in Tuscaloosa. Unlike last year, the Razorbacks were too demoralized and understaffed to make a comeback run.

“When you’re in a fight, and you take a bat and hit someone in the knee with it, they’re going to feel it,” Arenas said. “When we were going out there, coach was stressing: ‘hit ‘em in mouth. First play, let them know we’re about business; jack ‘em up.’ That was the same time of situation, it just wasn’t physical.”

Woodall was gassed after his 74-yard return, the last touchdown of the half that gave Alabama a 28-point advantage. Like Arenas, he shook off Casey, a minor hiccup, to take it to the house.

The strong safety said he was more than a little winded after the play. He had to remove his pads in the locker room at half time.

“It was his (Casey’s) third read. He came back to it and I was sitting on it,” Woodall said. “I guess he didn’t see me … I was tired. I was real dizzy. They wanted to give me an IV, but I said no. No needles,” he said with a laugh.

The home run plays provided a cushion for the Tide defense, which, though the scoreboard won’t show it, struggled at times to keep the Hogs off the field. Arkansas converted nearly a third of its third-down situations and outgained Alabama’s offense in the first half.

“Defensively, we made a lot of mental errors today, especially in coverage-type of things and on third (down),” head coach Nick Saban said. “That is probably why they kept the ball so much, especially in the first half, and we got tired on defense. Even though we made some big plays and ran them back for touchdowns, and that was great and I am happy with it, and those are important plays in the game, but our down-in and down-out execution was not as good today as it has been in most games.”

Alabama’s defensive unit did turn in a gritty goal line stand just before halftime to send a dejected Arkansas team to the locker room.

Marquis Johnson and Chris Rogers came up with an interception each to boost Alabama’s total to four for the game, half of which were returned for touchdowns.

Alabama took advantage of a senseless Arkansas penalty to get on the board on its first possession.

Arkansas forced the Tide into a fourth down but was flagged on a running into the punter call, giving Alabama a fresh set of downs. Four plays later, John Parker Wilson connected with Earl Alexander on a 26-yard post route to set up first and goal. Mark Ingram punched it with consecutive carries to give the Tide a lead it would soon bolster but never relinquish.

Arkansas was forced to punt on its first drive, pinning Alabama deep in its own territory. On the first play of the series, Coffee carried it up the gut, cut back and sprinted 87-yards down the Arkansas sideline to paydirt, just barely outpacing the nearest defender who dove at his feet at the goal line.

After back-to-back punts, Alabama extended its lead with Arenas’ interception return.

Arkansas’ Dennis Johnson returned the kickoff 41-yards, and the Razorbacks ended thoughts of a shutout with an eight-play, 41-yard touchdown drive. Andrew Davie ran a delayed corner route and found himself uncovered in the end zone for an easy pass and catch, cutting the Alabama lead to 21-7.

The Tide countered with a record-setting drive. Alabama capped nine-play drive with a 25-yard strike from Wilson to Julio Jones, who brushed off two defenders for the score. Wilson broke Brodie Croyle’s Alabama career passing touchdown mark on the play, pushing his total to 42.

Woodall’s interception return and a 31-yard touchdown scamper by Coffee gave Alabama its second run of 21 unanswered points.

Alabama led 35-7 at the half, despite being outgained 234 yards to 226 in total offense.

Most of the second half consisted of back-up players and punts, interrupted by another touchdown scamper by Coffee and an acrobatic interception by Chris Rogers. Both teams tacked on meaningless touchdowns late in the third, including Upchurch’s. Back-up quarterbacks played the majority of the fourth quarter for both teams as Alabama rode out its 49-14 rout.