Arkansas had the ball with a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter, but ultimately couldn’t get it done Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
A three-and-out following a fumble recovery midway through the fourth quarter and an unsuccessful onside kick in the final minute sealed the No. 21 Razorbacks’ fate in a 42-35 loss to No. 2 Alabama.
Following that punt and clinging to a six-point lead, Bryce Young found Jameson Williams at the back of the end zone for a 40-yard touchdown pass on third-and-long. The ensuing 2-point conversion put the Crimson Tide up by 14, which was too much for the Razorbacks to overcome.
Even though Raheim “Rocket” Sanders caught a touchdown to cut that deficit in half, it came with just 1:02 remaining and Cam Little’s onside kick bounced out of bounds to extend Arkansas’ losing streak in the series to 15 games - its longest to any single opponent in school history.
It was a much closer game than in recent years, though. The Razorbacks’ last four losses to the Crimson Tide had been by an average of 39 points.
Alabama was led by a record-breaking performance from Young, the Heisman Trophy frontrunner. He threw for a single-game school-record 559 yards - the most Arkansas has ever allowed - and five touchdowns on 31 of 40 passing.
On the flip side, the Razorbacks got a spectacular showing from their own quarterback, as KJ Jefferson completed 22 of 30 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns, plus added 22 yards on the ground. His favorite target, Treylon Burks, hauled in 8 passes for 179 yards and two scores.
Despite the shootout finish, it started out as somewhat of a defensive struggle in the first quarter. Eric Gregory actually came up with a tackle behind the line of scrimmage for a fourth-down stop after the Razorbacks punted on the opening drive.
It immediately went back to Alabama, though, as Ricky Stromberg snapped the ball before Jefferson was ready, leading to a bobbled snap that Dallas Turner recovered.
Luckily for Arkansas, its defense once again rose the occasion and gave up just two yards, limiting the Crimson Tide to a field goal. Will Reichard’s 48-yard kick gave them a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
Although they finally got into Alabama territory on their next drive, it stalled out and the Razorbacks had to punt. Reid Bauer pinned them at the 2, but the Crimson Tide wouldn’t stay there for long.
Back-to-back 25-yard completions to John Metchie III quickly got Alabama across midfield and then, on the first play of the second quarter, Young found the junior again to cap the possession with a 20-yard touchdown. Metchie accounted for 70 of the 98 yards on the nine-play drive that put his team up 10-0.
The two teams exchanged punts, with the Crimson Tide winning the field position battle by pinning the Razorbacks at the 4.
However, much like Alabama did when backed up, Arkansas put together an excellent drive to get on the board. Despite being in obvious pain, Burks came down with a back-shoulder throw to get the Razorbacks out of the shadow of their own end zone.
Facing a third-and-long, Jefferson nearly converted on a quarterback draw, but was knocked out of bounds just shy of the first down marker. Instead, he went under center and moved the chains on fourth down.
A few plays later, Jefferson found Burks in the flats and the Warren native threw Malachi Moore to the ground with a stiff arm as he turned up the sideline for a 21-yard touchdown. The 13-play, 96-yard drive pulled the Razorbacks within 10-7.
It seemed like they’d keep the momentum on the other side of the ball, but right after Zach Williams’ sack, Young threw a deep ball to Williams for a 79-yard touchdown for a quick answer.
On the ensuing drive, Arkansas went hurry up and moved right down the field, picking up 9, 13, 16 and 6 yards on its first four plays. A questionable intentional grounding penalty put the Razorbacks in a third-and-long, but Jefferson responded by dropping a dime into the hands of Warren Thompson.
Originally ruled a touchdown, it was eventually ruled just shy of the goal line for a 40-yard completion. Dominique Johnson punched it in on the next play - albeit only after the officials missed the call on the field and the replay booth overturned it. That pulled Arkansas within 17-14.
Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, they left plenty of time on the clock and Alabama made them pay. The Crimson Tide needed just six plays to cover 75 yards, with Williams capping it with a 32-yard catch and run.
It ended up being 24-14 at halftime, as Arkansas’ two-minute drill stalled before reaching midfield. Even so, the 10-point margin is much closer than what has come to be expected in the series. The last four years, Alabama led at halftime by an average of 31.8 points.
With the Crimson Tide getting the ball to start the half, it didn’t stay there long. They came out promptly marched down the field for a touchdown, with a scrambling Young finding Christian Leary wide open for an easy 11-yard touchdown.
The Razorbacks held serve on the next drive, though. Despite facing a third-and-short, Jefferson opted to take advantage of one-on-one coverage on Burks. They connected on a back-shoulder throw and Burks won the foot race for a 66-yard touchdown.
It seemed Alabama answered with another long drive, but a holding penalty wiped out a touchdown run by Young. A couple plays later, he took an ill-advised sack that backed the Crimson Tide up so far that Reichard had to attempt a 47-yard field goal - and the kick came up short.
However, Arkansas couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity to make it a one-possession game. It went three-and-out, with star linebacker Will Anderson Jr. beating Dalton Wagner to sack Jefferson and force the punt.
The result was Alabama getting the three points it missed out on the previous drive, as it got into the red zone before the Razorbacks’ defense stiffened and limited it to a short field goal. Reichard’s 30-yard kick made it 34-21.
Another great catch by Burks moved the chains on the ensuing possession, but a pair of false start penalties made Arkansas change its mind about going for it on fourth down. Although the Razorbacks sent out Cam Little for a 50-yard field goal attempt, Bauer - who ran for a first down last week at LSU - stood up after the snap and threw a jump pass to Blake Kern, who rumbled 32 yards for a touchdown.
That pulled the Razorbacks within 34-28.
The Crimson Tide responded with a few chunk plays. A pass to tight end Cameron Latu seemed like it had a chance to score, but Montaric Brown managed to strip the ball and fall on it at the 1-yard line.
Once again, Arkansas couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity. A back-shoulder throw to Thompson fell incomplete and it had to punt.
The Razorbacks had a chance to get it right back, but Young fired the aforementioned touchdown to Williams. There was a question about if he maintained possession of the ball as he went to the ground, but the play stood as called following a replay review.
At that point, Arkansas needed either a quick strike or an onside kick. It took more than four minutes off the block before getting in the end zone on Sanders’ touchdown catch, though, and the onside kick failed.
Entering the final week of the season, the Razorbacks are 7-4 overall and 3-4 in the SEC. They’ll have a chance to get back to .500 in conference play when they host Missouri at 2:30 p.m. CT on Black Friday.
