FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- The Arkansas Razorbacks are now unranked in the newest AP Poll after suffering their second loss in as many weeks, this time a 49-26 loss to now-No. 1 Alabama.
Before moving forward to next weekend's contest at Mississippi State, here is how the Hogs answered the five questions we posed before the Alabama game:
1. Can Hogs' secondary stop the Alabama passing attack?
For the game, Alabama only passed for 238 yards, which is 321 yards less than what they had last season. The likely reason for that, though, was the loss of starting quarterback Bryce Young.
Young left in the first half with a shoulder injury, and backup quarterback Jalen Milroe filled in, only throwing 65 yards and a touchdown.
Prior to Young's departure, though, he was carving up the Arkansas secondary, throwing for 173 yards while Alabama receivers ran free for most of the first half.
2. Will the offensive line be able to neutralize Will Anderson?
Anderson's impact was only minimally felt in the game, but he did finish the game with seven tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sack in the game.
Overall, the offensive line played well, only allowing three sacks, but they also gave up nine tackles for loss.
Anderson's comments during the week leading up to the game didn't deter Hog fans. Even when they found their team down 28-7 at the half, most stayed through the game and made their presence felt during the third quarter comeback.
3. Can the running game roll against an elite defense?
Coming into the game, Arkansas averaged 232.4 yards rushing per game, and the Crimson Tide only gave up 87.4 yards per game on average. The Hogs finished under their average with 187 yards and they found the end zone twice on the ground.
Raheim Sanders also checked in with 101 yards, his fourth game with over 100 yards rushing this season. He currently leads the SEC with 609 yards on the ground, ahead of Ole Miss' Quinshon Judkins, who has 535.
4. How will KJ Jefferson bounce back?
Following up a disappointing outing with a matchup against one of the best teams in the nation is never an easy task, and Jefferson struggled again for a second straight week. There seemed to be a disconnect between Jefferson and most of the receiving corps, as drops and inaccurate throws seemed to plague the passing attack.
By the numbers, Jefferson finished 13-of-24 for just 155 yards with a touchdown and his quarterback rating was 57.2.
He did not put the ball in jeopardy, though, and did not throw an interception. He also rushed for 38 yards on 17 carries.
Jefferson left the game in the fourth quarter with a head injury before returning one play later to throw an incompletion on third down. He then sat out the final two drives of the game while backup Cade Fortin ran the offense.
5. How will Arkansas crowd affect the game?
Inside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium was the fifth-largest crowd in the stadium's history, and they were all decked in red for a red-out during the Saturday afternoon contest.
The pressure didn't seem to affect Young, who looked calm and collected after throwing an interception on the Crimson Tide's opening drive, but once he left the game with an injury, the crowd did seem to get to Milroe at times.
In the third quarter, Arkansas scored 21 unanswered, and the defense held the Tide scoreless through the entire quarter.
