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Published Oct 26, 2019
Hogs torched by Tua-less Tide for 16th straight SEC loss
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Andrew Hutchinson  •  HawgBeat
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No Tua Tagovailoa, no problem for Alabama.

With backup quarterback Mac Jones playing for the injured Heisman Trophy frontrunner, the Crimson Tide rolled to a 48-7 blowout over Arkansas at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday.

The loss extends the Razorbacks’ SEC losing streak to 16 games, which is one shy of tying the school record. It also moves head coach Chad Morris to 0-13 in conference play, which is tied with Bret Bielema for the third most SEC games without a win to start a tenure since the conference was founded in 1933.

Making his first career start, Jones wasn’t much of a dropoff in production from Tagovailoa. Despite playing only one drive into the second half, he completed 18 of 22 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns.

It was a disastrous game for Arkansas’ starting quarterback, as Nick Starkel returned to the field for an injured Ben Hicks and completed only 5 of 19 passes for 58 yards and three interceptions. The Crimson Tide actually had more return yards (108) on those interceptions than he had passing yards.

Arkansas got off to a better start than a week earlier, when it went three-and-out on its first four possessions against Auburn. Starkel hit Rakeem Boyd on a screen that gained 22 yards and got the Razorbacks across the 50.

However, they had to punt and Alabama responded with a 14-play, 69-yard drive to get into field goal range. Joseph Bulovas booted the 31-yard attempt through the uprights and it was downhill from there.

After picking up 15, 10 and nine yards on the first three plays of its next possession, Arkansas turned the ball over when Starkel couldn’t handle a snap from center Ty Clary. The Crimson Tide recovered and scored on the very next play, as Jones found Henry Ruggs III at the back of the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown.

That was the first of two straight turnovers by the Razorback. Near midfield again, Starkel had a pass deflected into the air and intercepted by a diving Anfernee Jennings.

This time, Alabama needed five plays to turn the turnover into a touchdown. Jones capped the 48-yard drive with a 14-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy, making it 17-0 just before the end of the quarter.

The Crimson TIde’s defense stiffened after that, forcing back-to-back three-and-outs that the offense turned into touchdowns. Both scores came on 1-yard runs by Najee Harris, who finished the game with 13 carries for 86 yards.

DeVonta Smith set up the first of those scores by catching a slant from Jones and taking it 47 yards.

A special teams blunder by Arkansas contributed to the second, as walk-on defensive back Nathan Parodi fielded a kickoff as he stepped out of bounds at the 2-yard line.

Despite a solid 44-yard punt by Sam Loy, the Crimson Tide started in Arkansas territory for the third time in their first five possessions.

After an overthrow by Starkel to an open Mike Woods led to yet another punt by the Razorbacks, their defense finally forced a punt on Alabama’s sixth possession of the game.

The offense couldn’t do anything with it, though. Starkel’s second interception of the game gave the Crimson Tide great field position - their fourth drive starting on Arkansas’ side of the field in seven possessions - but the Razorbacks limited them to a 30-yard field goal.

The next time Arkansas took the field, it was with John Stephen Jones - who threw a 10-yard pass earlier in the game - at quarterback. He ran four straight RPOs on which he handed the ball off to the running back.

Although those plays gained 29 yards, Starkel went back in and - after the Razorbacks got down to the 24-yard line - threw his third interception of the game.

This one was an 84-yard pick-six by Trevon Diggs to make it 41-0. That was Arkansas’ largest halftime deficit since at least 1956.

When play resumed in the second half, Alabama received the opening kickoff and picked up where it left off, with Jones hitting Jeudy on a 40-yard bomb to make it 48-0. Jeudy hauled in seven passes for 103 yards for the Crimson Tide.

From that point on, both teams turned to backup quarterbacks. Taulia Tagovailoa, Tua’s true freshman younger brother, took over for Mac Jones, while Starkel never played after halftime and John Stephen Jones finished it out.

Jones helped the Razorbacks prevent the shutout by leading them on a 13-play, 85-yard drive that ended with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Cheyenne O’Grady. He accounted for 51 of those yards, picking up 24 on the ground and 27 through the air.

It was also O’Grady’s 12th career touchdown reception, breaking Jeremy Sprinkle’s record for the most by a tight end in UA history.

The Razorbacks return home to Fayetteville for a matchup with Mississippi State at 3 p.m. Saturday. It will serve as their homecoming game and be televised on the SEC Network.