Alabama-Arkansas game notes

Alabama defeats Arkansas read game recap story here

ALABAMA FOOTBALL: ALABAMA AT ARKANSAS Postgame Notes courtesy of UA Media Relations

ALABAMA 24, ARKANSAS 20
THE ALABAMA-ARKANSAS SERIES: With the victory over Arkansas, Alabama leads the series 11-8 (14-7 without NCAA rulings) after a dominating 35-7 win over the Razorbacks last season in Tuscaloosa. The Tide has now won four straight in the series and five of the last six contests. The Crimson Tide is 6-4 against Arkansas on the road, including a 4-4 record at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville and a 2-0 mark at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The two schools met two times before Arkansas joined the SEC in 1992 with the Crimson Tide defeating the Razorbacks in both the 1962 and 1980 Sugar Bowl games.

Arkansas (UA leads 11-8) [14-7 without NCAA vacations and forfeits]
Date Result Site Score
Jan. 1, 1962……………… W…….. N*……. 10-3
Jan. 1, 1980……………… W…….. N*……. 24-9
Sept. 19, 1992………….. W…….. A**….. 38-11
&Sept. 18, 1993………… W…….. H……… 43-3
Sept. 17, 1994………….. W…….. A……… 13-6
Sept. 16, 1995………….. L………. H……… 19-20
Sept. 21, 1996………….. W…….. A**….. 17-7
Sept. 20, 1997………….. L………. H……… 16-17
Sept. 26, 1998………….. L………. A……… 6-42
Sept. 25, 1999………….. W…….. H……… 35-28
Sept. 23, 2000………….. L………. A……… 21-28
Sept. 22, 2001………….. W…….. H……… 31-10
Sept. 28, 2002………….. W…….. A……… 30-12
Sept. 27, 2003………….. L/2 OT.. H……… 31-34
Sept. 25, 2004………….. L………. A……… 10-27
%Sept. 24, 2005………… W…….. H……… 24-13
Sept. 23, 2006………….. L/2 OT.. A……… 23-24
&Sept. 15, 2007………… W…….. H……… 41-38
Sept. 20, 2008………….. W…….. A……… 49-14
Sept. 26, 2009………….. W…….. H……… 35-7
Sept. 25, 2010………….. W…….. A……… 24-20
*Sugar Bowl (New Orleans)
**Little Rock
&Forfeited by NCAA ruling; %Vacated by NCAA ruling

ALABAMA 3-5 UNDER SABAN WHEN TRAILING AT THE HALF: Arkansas led Alabama at the half, 17-7, marking the first halftime deficit for Alabama since the Crimson Tide trailed, 7-3, vs. LSU at the half on November 7, 2009, in an eventual 24-15 Alabama victory in Tuscaloosa. With the win over Arkansas, the Tide is 3-5 under head coach Nick Saban when trailing at halftime and 2-2 when tied at halftime. Before the win over Arkansas, the two wins when trailing at the half came in a 34-24 win over No. 7 Virginia Tech on Sept. 5, 2009, in Atlanta and the win over No. 9 LSU last year in Tuscaloosa.

DOUBLE-DIGIT DEFICIT: Alabama trailed Arkansas by 13 points in the third quarter today, the second-largest deficit overcome by Alabama under head coach Nick Saban. When Arkansas led 17-7, at halftime, it marked the first time Alabama has trailed by at least 10 points at intermission since Utah led the Crimson Tide by 11 points, 21-10, at halftime of the 2009 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on January 2, 2009, in an eventual 31-17 loss by the Tide to the Utes. The Tide trailed Arkansas by 13 points (7-20) in the third quarter on Saturday. Below is a summary of the largest deficits faced by Alabama since head coach Nick Saban took over the program in 2007.

LARGEST DEFICITS OF THE SABAN ERA
21 vs. Utah (0-21 in 1st Quarter) Jan. 2, 2009 (L, 17-31)
14 at Auburn (0-14 in 1st Quarter) Nov. 27, 2009 (W, 26-21)
14 vs. LSU (3-17 in 2nd Quarter) Nov. 3, 2007 (L, 34-41 in OT)
14 vs. FSU (7-21 in 4th Quarter) Sept. 29, 2007 (L, 14-21)
13 at Arkansas (7-20 in 3rd Quarter) Sept. 25, 2010 (W, 24-20)

ALABAMA AGAINST THE BEST SINCE 2008: With the win over Arkansas, Alabama is 11-2 against the Associated Press Top 25 over the past three seasons and 6-2 against AP top 5 teams. The Crimson Tide’s 37-21 win over No. 2 Texas in the Citi BCS National Championship Game was the Tide’s sixth win over a top-10 team dating back to the start of the 2008 season. Alabama is 2-0 against the AP Top 25 this season.

Alabama vs. AP Top 25 Opponents (since the start of the 2008 season)
Date Team Opp. Rank Result
Aug. 30, 2008… vs. Clemson (at Atlanta, Ga.) …………… 9…………………. W, 34-10
Sept. 27, 2008.. at Georgia ……………………………………. 3…………………. W, 41-30
Nov. 8, 2008….. at LSU …………………………………………. 15……………….. W, 27-21 (OT)
Dec. 6, 2008….. vs. Florida (at Atlanta, Ga.)………………. 2…………………. L, 20-31
Jan. 2, 2009…… vs. Utah (at New Orleans, La.)………….. 7…………………. L, 17-31
Sept. 5, 2009…. vs. Virginia Tech (at Atlanta, Ga.) ……… 7…………………. W, 34-24
Oct. 10, 2009…. at Mississippi ………………………………… 20……………….. W, 22-3
Oct. 17, 2009…. South Carolina………………………………. 22……………….. W, 20-6
Nov. 6, 2009….. LSU……………………………………………… 9…………………. W, 24-15
Dec. 5, 2009….. vs. Florida (at Atlanta, Ga.)………………. 1…………………. W, 32-13
Jan. 7, 2010…… vs. Texas (at Pasadena, Calif.)…………… 2…………………. W, 37-21
Sept. 11, 2010.. Penn State……………………………………. 18……………….. W, 24-3
Sept. 25, 2010.. at Arkansas…………………………………… 10……………….. W, 24-20

28 STRAIGHT REGULAR-SEASON WINS FOR TIDE: With the win over Arkansas, Alabama has reeled off 28 consecutive regular-season victories. The win streak dates back to the 2008 season opener against Clemson. UA’s last regular-season loss came at Auburn on Nov. 24, 2007. During that stretch, the Crimson Tide boasts a 30-2 overall record with its only losses coming to Florida in the 2008 SEC Championship Game and Utah in the 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl. The Tide is also a perfect 17-0 in SEC play over the last two-plus years, becoming just the second team (Florida – 1995 & 1996) in conference history to post back-to-back undefeated 8-0 records since the league split into a divisional format in 1992.

LESTER NABS 2 INTERCEPTIONS: Sophomore safety Robert Lester made two huge interceptions against Arkansas, most importantly his grab of a Ryan Mallett pass with 4:40 left in the fourth quarter that Lester returned to the Arkansas 12-yard line to set up Mark Ingram’s go-ahead 1-yard touchdown run with 3:18 remaining. Earlier in the game, Lester ended an Arkansas scoring threat early in the second quarter by intercepting a pass in the Alabama end zone. The two interceptions were Lester’s third and fourth this season, giving him the SEC lead.

INGRAM NOW 5TH ON CAREER RUSHING YARDS CHART: Junior running back Mark Ingram rushed for 158 yards on 24 carries against Arkansas, moving him up the Alabama career rushing yards chart into 5th place with 2,695 yards in his career. Shaun Alexander (1996-99) is the Alabama career rushing yards record holder with 3,565 yards.

ALABAMA’S CAREER RUSHING LEADERS
3,565….. Shaun Alexander (727 att.)…………………………. 1996-99
3,420….. Bobby Humphrey (615 att.)………………………. 1985-88
3,324….. Kenneth Darby (702 att.)……………………………. 2003-06
2,741….. Johnny Musso (574 att.)…………………………….. 1969-71
2,695… Mark Ingram (443 att.)………………………….. 2008-present
2,645….. Dennis Riddle (612 att.)…………………………….. 1994-97
2,560….. Bobby Marlow (408 att.)……………………………. 1950-52
2,519….. Johnny Davis (447 att.)……………………………… 1974-77
2,486….. Sherman Williams (535 att.)……………………… 1991-94

INGRAM MOVES UP CAREER TD LIST: Junior running back Mark Ingram’s two rushing touchdowns against Arkansas gives him 33 rushing touchdowns in his career at Alabama. That is tied for third in Alabama history.

CAREER RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
41 Shaun Alexander 1996-99
34 Johnny Musso 1969-71
33 Bobby Humphrey 1985-88
33 Mark Ingram 2008-present
29 Tony Nathan 1975-78
27 Sherman Williams 1991-94

INGRAM OVER 100: Mark Ingram’s 158 rushing yards against Arkansas gives him 12 100-yard rushing performances in his Alabama career, ranking him tied for third in Alabama history. Shaun Alexander (15 from 1996-99) and Bobby Humphrey (15 from 1985-88) hold the record.

CAREER 100-YARD RUSHING PERFORMANCES
15 Shaun Alexander………………………………………………….. 1996-99
15 Bobby Humphrey……………………………………………….. 1985-88
12 Kenneth Darby…………………………………………………….. 2003-06
12 Sherman Williams………………………………………………. 1991-94
12 Mark Ingram………………………………………….. 2008-present

INGRAM EXPLOSIVE: Junior running back Mark Ingram erased an early Arkansas lead with a 54-yard run for a touchdown with 6:21 left in the first quarter. That big play continued a trend of explosive runs in early action for Ingram in 2010 as it marked the Heisman winner’s fifth rush of more than 20 yards in only his first dozen carries of the season. Last week at Duke, Ingram has carries of 50, 48 and 20 yards while gaining 151 yards on only 9 attempts.

INGRAM’S LONGEST RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
70 at Mississippi State (2009)
54 at Arkansas (2010)
40 vs. Chattanooga (2009)
36 at Mississippi (2009)
32 at Kentucky (2009)

100-YARD RUSHERS AND RECEIVERS: Alabama has had 25 100-yard rushers and nine 100-yard receivers over the last three-plus seasons since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa. Junior running back Mark Ingram has recorded 12 100-yard rushing games during his career while Trent Richardson has three 100-yard rushing efforts and Eddie Lacy one. Junior Julio Jones, with five, is the only current player on the roster with a 100-yard receiving game. Under Saban, Alabama has gone 24-1 in those 25 games.

100-Yard Rushers (24-1)
246 by Mark Ingram vs. South Carolina (Oct. 17, 2009)…………… W
218 by Glen Coffee vs. Kentucky (Oct. 4, 2008)…………………….. W
173 by Terry Grant at Vanderbilt (Sept. 8, 2007)…………………… W
172 by Mark Ingram at Mississippi (Oct. 10, 2009)…………………. W
162 by Glen Coffee at Arkansas (Sept. 20, 2008)…………………… W
158 by Mark Ingram at Arkansas (Sept. 25, 2010)…………………. W
151 by Mark Ingram at Duke (Sept. 18, 2010)……………………….. W
150 by Mark Ingram vs. Virginia Tech (Sept. 5, 2009)……………… W
149 by Mark Ingram vs. Mississippi State (Nov. 14, 2009)……….. W
144 by Trent Richardson vs. Penn State (Sept. 11, 2010)………… W
144 by Mark Ingram vs. LSU (Nov. 7, 2009)………………………….. W
144 by Glen Coffee vs. Auburn (Nov. 29, 2008)…………………….. W
140 by Mark Ingram at Kentucky (Oct. 3, 2009)…………………….. W
134 by Terry Grant vs. Western Carolina (Sept. 1, 2007)…………. W
126 by Glen Coffee at LSU (Nov. 8, 2008)……………………………. W
121 by Glen Coffee vs. Houston (Oct. 6, 2007)……………………… W
118 by Trent Richardson vs. Florida International (Sept. 12, 2009) W
116 by Mark Ingram vs. Texas (Jan. 7, 2010) (BCS)………………… W
113 by Mark Ingram vs. Florida (Dec. 5, 2009) (SEC)………………. W
113 by Mark Ingram vs. Arkansas State (Nov. 1, 2008)…………… W
111 by Eddie Lacy vs. San Jose State (Sept. 4, 2009)………………. W
112 by Glen Coffee vs. Florida (Dec. 6, 2008) (SEC)……………….. L
109 by Trent Richardson vs. Texas (Jan. 7, 2010) (BCS)…………… W
104 by Terry Grant vs. Tennessee (Oct. 20, 2007)…………………. W
102 by Mark Ingram vs. Chattanooga (Nov. 21, 2009)…………….. W

100-Yard Receivers (8-1)
185 by D.J. Hall vs. Tennessee (Oct. 20, 2007)………………………. W
172 by D.J. Hall at Arkansas (Sept. 15, 2007)…………………………. W
140 by D.J. Hall at Mississippi (Oct. 13, 2007)………………………… W
128 by Julio Jones at LSU (Nov. 8, 2008)………………………………. W
124 by Julio Jones vs. Florida (Dec. 6, 2008) (SEC)………………….. L
106 by Julio Jones at Duke (Sept. 18, 2010)………………………….. W
103 by Julio Jones at Tennessee (Oct. 25, 2008)……………………. W
102 by Julio Jones vs. LSU (Nov. 7, 2009)…………………………….. W
100 by Mike McCoy vs. Florida International (Sept. 12, 2009)….. W

100-Yard Rusher/Receiver in Same Game (4-1)
Tennessee (Oct. 20, 2007)……………….. W…….. 104 by Terry Grant and 185 by D.J. Hall
vs. Florida (Dec. 6, 2008) (SEC Champ.).. L………. 112 by Glen Coffee and 124 by Julio Jones
Florida International (Sept. 12, 2009)…. W…….. 118 by Trent Richardson and 100 by Mike McCoy
LSU (Nov. 7, 2009)………………………….. W…….. 144 by Mark Ingram and 102 by Julio Jones
at Duke (Sept. 18, 2010)………………….. W…….. 151 by Mark Ingram and 106 by Julio Jones

JULIO JONES MOVES UP CAREER RECEPTIONS LIST: Junior wide receiver Julio Jones caught 5 passes for 55 yards against Arkansas, moving him up to 4th on the Alabama career pass receptions list with 121 for 1,823 yards.

CAREER RECEPTIONS
194…… DJ Hall (2,923 yards)…………….. 2004-07
152…… Freddie Milons (1,859 yards)…. 1998-01
132…… David Bailey (1,857 yards)……… 1969-71
121…… Julio Jones (1,823 yards)………. 2008-present
117…… Keith Brown (1,863 yards)…….. 2004-07
108…… Lamonde Russell (1,332 yards).. 1987-90
106…… Curtis Brown (1,568 yards)…….. 1991-95
106…… Antonio Carter (1,294 yards)….. 1999-04
102…… Ozzie Newsome (2,070 yards).. 1974-77
102…… David Palmer (1,611 yards)……. 1991-93

McELROY EXTENDS STREAK: Greg McElroy has yet to lose a game as a starting quarterback at the University of Alabama. With the win over Arkansas, the Southlake, Texas, native has a perfect 18-0 mark over the last two seasons as a starter. In fact, dating back to his senior year at Southlake Carroll High School, McElroy has started 34 consecutive games and walked off the field as a winner each time. McElroy’s last loss as a starting quarterback was in the eighth grade. McElroy’s 18-0 start to his career is the second best in school history and he is currently the only Alabama quarterback to have never lost during his career as a starter (minimum 10 starts). It also ranks as the second-longest streak of consecutive wins by a starting quarterback in school history. Jay Barker owns both records, winning the first 22 games of his career from 1991-93.

Quarterback Win Streak to Start a Career
22…….. Jay Barker…….. 1991-93
18…….. Greg McElroy… 2009-present
11…….. Terry Davis……. 1971
8………. Joe Namath….. 1962

McELROY MOVES UP CAREER CHARTS: Senior quarterback Greg McElroy moved into a tie for 10th place on the Alabama career touchdown passes list today on a 20-yard touchdown pass to running back Trent Richardson with 44 seconds remaining in the third quarter, cutting the Arkansas lead to 20-14. McElroy tied Jay Barker (1991-94) on the career list. Brodie Croyle (2002-05) holds the career touchdown passes record at Alabama with 41. He also moved into the top 10 on Alabama’s career passing yards list (see below).

CAREER TOUCHDOWN PASSES
41 Brodie Croyle………………………………………………………. 2002-05
47 John Parker Wilson…………………………………………….. 2005-08
35 Andrew Zow………………………………………………………… 1998-01
35 Mike Shula…………………………………………………………… 1983-86
30 Freddie Kitchens…………………………………………………. 1993-97
30 Jeff Rutledge………………………………………………………… 1975-78
29 Harry Gilmer……………………………………………………….. 1944-47
29 Walter Lewis……………………………………………………….. 1980-83
27 Scott Hunter………………………………………………………… 1968-70
26 Jay Barker……………………………………………………………. 1991-94
26 Greg McElroy……………………………………………. 2007-present

CAREER PASSING YARDS
7,924 John Parker Wilson (665 of 1,175)………….. 2005-08
6,382 Brodie Croyle (488 of 869)……………………… 2002-05
5,983 Andrew Zow (459 of 852)……………………….. 1998-01
5,689 Jay Barker (402 of 706)……………………………. 1991-94
4,899 Scott Hunter (382 of 672)………………………… 1968-70
4,668 Freddie Kitchens (343 of 680)…………………. 1993-97
4,257 Walter Lewis (286 of 504)………………………. 1980-83
4,069 Mike Shula (313 of 578)………………………….. 1983-86
3,842 Gary Hollingsworth (345 of 621)……………. 1989-90
3,603 Greg McElroy (261 of 411)……………. 2007-present
3,540 Tyler Watts (284 of 494)…………………….. 1999-2002

SABAN VS. ARKANSAS: Alabama head coach Nick Saban is 7-2 all-time against Arkansas, with his only two losses coming in his first three years at Louisiana State. Both of Saban’s losses to Arkansas came in War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Saban has never lost a game to Arkansas in Baton Rouge, Fayetteville or Tuscaloosa.