Arkansas-Alabama position-by-position comparison
The Arkansas Razorbacks (2-4, 0-3 SEC) are set to take on the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide (5-1, 3-0 SEC) at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. CT.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban has led the Tide to a great start to the 2023 season with wins over Middle Tennessee State (56-7), South Florida (17-3), Ole Miss (24-10), Mississippi State (40-17) and Texas A&M (26-20). Their lone loss was to Texas (34-24).
Head coach Sam Pittman got the Razorbacks off to a 2-0 start with wins over Western Carolina and Kent State, but they've lost four straight to BYU, LSU, Texas A&M and Ole Miss.
Though the Razorbacks and Tide face off every season, the transfer portal has made it more difficult to keep up with where the players you know are at.
For this reason, HawgBeat has you covered with a position-by-position breakdown between the two programs to see who has the advantage where...
Note: All players listed are starters or backups on each respective team depth chart.
Quarterback
Players:
Arkansas: KJ Jefferson - 6'3", 247 lbs.
110/164, 67.1%, 1300 yards, 12 TDs, 6 INTs, 150.5 passer rating, 136 rushing yards, rushing TD
Alabama: Jalen Milroe - 6'2", 220 lbs.
75/111, 67.6%, 1159 yards, 9 TDs, 4 INTs, 174.8 passer rating, 158 rushing yards, 4 rushing TDs
Both of these quarterbacks have their similarities. Big arms? Check. Dual-threat capability? Check. What they don't have in common, however, is season trajectory.
Jefferson came into the year with high expectations after being named the Preseason All-SEC Second Team quarterback and totaling 3,288 yards and 33 touchdowns last season.
Through the first half of the 2022 season — keeping in mind that Jefferson didn't play in the sixth game of the year against Mississippi State due to injury — the Arkansas quarterback had still already totaled 1,096 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns, 312 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to just one interception.
At the halfway point of the 2023 season, Jefferson has 1,300 passing yards and 12 passing touchdowns, but only has 136 rushing yards and one touchdown on the ground. When you add in the fact that he's thrown six interceptions, it's easy to see the regression for Jefferson.
On the flip side, Milroe continues to get better as he plays more. After throwing two interceptions in a 34-24 defeat to Texas in Week 2, Milroe tossed for 321 yards, three touchdown passes and just one pick last week in a 26-20 victory over Texas A&M.
This is a tough one. Jefferson has the edge on experience and past production, but Milroe is improving each and every week.
Pick: Push
Running backs
Players:
Arkansas: Raheim Sanders - 6'2", 242 lbs.
34 attempts, 91 yards, 2 TDs, 7 receptions, 58 yards
Alabama: Jase McClellan - 5'11", 212 lbs.
79 attempts, 371 yards, 3 TDs, 8 receptions, 61 yards
Look, we all know how talented Sanders is. You don't rush for 1,443 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022 unless you're a legit SEC running back. But there comes a point where the things that are happening (or not happening, in this case) outweigh past production. A knee injury against Western Carolina in the season opener didn't help, but Sanders just hasn't looked the same this year.
McClellan isn't a workhorse running back by any means, but is still a talented playmaker for the Tide offense. His lone 100+ rushing yard game came against Ole Miss in Week 4 (105 yards), with his next highest coming against South Florida in Week 3 (74 yards).
I'm going to take the guy who is doing more for his team right now.
Pick: Alabama
Wide receivers
Players:
Arkansas: Andrew Armstrong/Isaac TeSlaa/Jaedon Wilson
Average Height/Weight: 6'3.75", 205 lbs.
58 receptions, 754 yards, 6 TDs
Alabama: Jermaine Burton/Malik Benson/Isaiah Bond
Average Height/Weight: 6'0", 196 lbs.
42 receptions, 731 yards, 6 TDs
This isn't the usual dominant group of Alabama wide receivers, but they more than hold their own when compared to Arkansas'.
In his most recent game against Texas A&M, Burton caught nine passes for a whopping 197 yards and two touchdowns. In the same matchup, Bond caught seven passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Those two playmakers have a high ceiling for the Tide's offense and can really click when things are going well.
As for Arkansas, it's been a bit of a disappointment for everyone not named Andrew Armstrong. Some of that has to do with a poor offensive line and a struggling quarterback, but there eventually comes a point when you have to produce. Hailed in the offseason as a guy who can catch just about anything, TeSlaa hasn't sparked the way many fans hoped and Wilson lacks top-end playmaking ability.
Pick: Alabama
Tight ends
Players:
Arkansas: Tyrus Washington - 6'4", 247 lbs.
7 receptions, 90 yards, 2 TDs
Alabama: CJ Dippre/Amari Niblack
Average Height/Weight: 6'4.5", 245 lbs.
14 receptions, 274 yards, 2 TD
On one hand, you have an experienced and proven tight end in Dippre, who has yet to blossom in the Alabama offense. On the other, Washington exploded in his first real opportunity of the season, as he made all seven of his catches against Ole Miss last week.
The real separating factor for the Crimson Tide is rising sophomore Niblack, who has been Alabams's main receiving threat through the first six games of the season with nine catches for 170 yards and two touchdown catches. His best game came against Mississippi State in Week 5, where he caught three passes for 61 yards.
With Luke Hasz out for the remainder of the season with a broken clavicle, Washington has a clear path to success in an offense that really needs a playmaker at the position. The Razorbacks don't have any kind of receiving threat at the position besides Washington, and the others don't excel in blocking either.
Pick: Alabama
Offensive line
Players:
Arkansas: Andrew Chamblee/Brady Latham/Beaux Limmer/Joshua Braun/Patrick Kutas
Average Height/Weight: 6'5.5", 317 lbs.
Alabama: Kadyn Proctor/Tyler Booker/Seth McLaughlin/Darrian Dalcourt/JC Latham
Average Height/Weight: 6'5", 339 lbs.
I'm not going to waste any time here. Arkansas' offensive line has been down-right awful through the first six games of the season and is a major reason why the Hogs' offense has struggled to get things going.
Is Alabama's offensive line perfect? No, quite the opposite actually. The Tide has allowed 26 sacks to Milroe, slightly worse than the Razorbacks' 23 allowed. But Alabama's rushing attack has fared better than Arkansas', as it's ranked 83rd in the country at 143.7 rushing yards per game compared to the Hogs' 112th-ranked rushing attack at 111.5 yards per game.
On top of the statistical advantage, the Tide's offensive line also has more talent. Alabama has two five-stars, two four-stars and one three-star compared to Arkansas' one four-star and four three-stars.
Pick: Alabama
Defensive line
Players:
Arkansas: Landon Jackson/Eric Gregory/Taurean Carter/Trajan Jeffcoat/John Morgan III/Keivie Rose/Cameron Ball/Zach Williams/Anthony Booker Jr.
Average Height/Weight: 6'4", 297 lbs.
94 TOT, 24.5 TFL, 11 SKS
Alabama: Jaheim Oatis/Tim Keenan III/ Justin Eboigbe/ Tim Smith/ Damon Payne Jr./Jah-Marien Latham/James Smith
Average Height/Weight: 6'3.75", 300 lbs.
84 TOT, 7.5 TFL, 6 SKS
As you may have guessed from the stats above, Arkansas does an excellent job getting to the quarterback and tackling runners behind the line of scrimmage.
The Razorbacks have two players with a Pro Football Focus pass rush grade above 70.0 (Morgan III and Jeffcoat), whereas Alabama has one (Keenan III).
On top of that, the Razorbacks have six defensive linemen with a pass rush grade from 60.0-70.0 (Williams, Jackson, Rose, Gregory, Ball and Carter) and the Tide only have three in that range (Oatis, Latham and Eboigbe).
In terms of run defense grade, Arkansas has three players above 70.0 (Jackson, Ball and Gregory) and two more above 65.0 (Morgan III and Jeffcoat). Alabama has three players above 70.0 (James Smith, Keenan III and Eboigbe) and three more above 65.0 (Tim Smith, Payne Jr. and Oatis).
Not often do the Hogs have a defensive front comparable or even slightly better than the Tide's, but there's a first time for everything.
Pick: Arkansas
Linebackers
Players:
Arkansas: Chris Paul Jr./Jaheim Thomas/Antonio Grier/Brad Spence
Average Height/Weight: 6'2", 235 lbs.
118 TOT, 10 TFL, 4 SKS, 2 INT
Alabama: Dallas Turner/Trezmen Marshall/Deontae Lawson/Chris Braswell
Average Height/Weight: 6'2.5", 241 lbs.
115 TOT, 21.5 TFL, 14.5 SKS, INT
Where Alabama's defensive line lacked in pass rush, the linebackers do not. Turner (87.8), Lawson (85.8), Brazwell (79.2) and Marshall (72.3) are all rated highly at attacking the quarterback, according to PFF.
Grier is the highest-rated pass rusher from either team (92.2), but only has 10 pass rush snaps to his name. Thomas (84.5) and Paul (68.4) do a solid job as well, but Spence (58.2) lacks in the metric. It's also worth noting that Paul might not play this weekend due to an undisclosed injury.
In the end, give me the group with the overwhelming statistical advantage.
Pick: Alabama
Defensive backs
Players:
Arkansas: Dwight McGlothern/Jaheim Singletary/Lorando Johnson/Hudson Clark/Jayden Johnson/Alfahiym Walcott/Jaylon Braxton
Average Height/Weight: 6'1.5", 194 lbs.
132 TOT, 6 TFL, 15 PD, 5 INT, 2 FF
Alabama: Kool-Aid McKinstry/Terrion Arnold/Jaylen Key/Caleb Downs/Malachi Moore/Kristian Story/Trey Amos
Average Height/Weight: 6'2.75", 201 lbs.
164 TOT, 9 TFL, 14 PD, 5 INT, FF
For the sake of this argument, let's assume McGlothern is fully recovered from the concussion he suffered against Texas A&M and is healthy for the Razorbacks.
Alabama ranks 29th in the country in passing yards allowed at 193.3 per game. Arkansas comes in at 51st in the country with 214.7 passing yards allowed per game.
The Tide's defense ranks 27th in the nation in defensive passing efficiency, whereas the Razorbacks rank 83rd.
As a team, Alabama has a PFF coverage grade of 94.1 compared to Arkansas' 79.2.
This is an easy choice, even with a healthy McGlothern.
Pick: Alabama
Special teams
Players:
Arkansas: K Cam Little, P Max Fletcher, KR/PR Isaiah Sategna
Average Height/Weight: 6'2", 178 lbs.
21-21 XPA (100%), 9-10 FG (90%), 24 PUNTS, 1116 YDS (46.5 AVG), PR TD
Alabama: K Will Reichard, P James Burnip, KR Kool-Aid McKinstry, PR Kendrick Law
Average Height/Weight: 6'1.75", 203 lbs.
18-18 XPA (100%), 12-12 FG (100%), 23 punts, 1105 yards (48.0 AVG)
Reichard has been more accurate, but Little has proven to have the bigger leg this season. Little has made three field goals from 50+ yards out, while Reichard has made only one.
As for punters, both have been very good for their respective teams. Burnip does have the advantage, however, with the higher yards per punt average, but he might not be able to play due to injury.
When it comes to punt and kickoff returns, Sategna is the obvious winner with his punt return touchdown and electric playmaking ability in the open field.
Pick: Push