Flawed and hindered at times by sacks and penalties in the first half of this season, Alabama is nevertheless winning football games and leading the Southeastern Conference’s West Division race entering mid-October.
Arkansas has been afflicted with similar challenges, but the Razorbacks have proven unable to overcome them so far.
The 11th-ranked Crimson Tide (5-1, 3-0 SEC) have worked their way to the top of the standings and kept the team’s national championship hopes alive with a three-game winning streak. They are sizable favorites to keep those winning ways going when the Razorbacks (2-4, 0-3) visit Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday trying to halt a four-game skid.
Alabama has been trending upward since a nonconference loss to Texas in early September, especially offensively. But games like last week’s 26-20 victory at Texas A&M have kept the Tide humble enough to know the team is “nowhere near a finished product,” as quarterback Jalen Milroe put it. Alabama won in College Station despite giving up six sacks and committing 14 penalties.
“We’re nowhere near the finish line, there’s no wall that we can’t cross,” said Milroe, whose improvement has been a big factor in the resurgence. “That resonates in the locker room. It’s very key for us to be successful in the future. But another thing too … we have a hungry group of guys, not just one particular position, all the positions.”