10 Things to Know - Alabama

The Arkansas Razorbacks hit the road to take on No. 1 Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 6 p.m. at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and can be streamed on the ESPN app. Here are 10 things to know before kickoff on Saturday.

1. Saturday marks the 30th meeting between the two programs, as Alabama holds a 21-8 lead in the all-time series. The two teams have played every year since Arkansas joined the Southeastern Conference in 1992. The Razorbacks are 4-9 against Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Arkansas’ last win against the Crimson Tide came in 2006 in a double overtime thriller, as the Razorbacks posted a 24-23 victory in Fayetteville. The last time Arkansas won in Tuscaloosa was also a result of a double overtime game, as the Razorbacks picked up a 34-31 win in 2003.
2. Senior tight end Cheyenne O’Grady is making the most of his final season wearing the Cardinal & White, turning in another strong performance against Auburn last weekend. The Fayetteville native hauled in seven passes for 72 yards, scoring on a 45-yard toss from Ben Hicks in the third quarter for his second touchdown of the season. It was the third time this year he’s recorded 70 or more receiving yards, going for 74 yards & a score against Colorado State and a career-high 91 yards on eight receptions against Texas A&M. Despite missing the first game of the year, O’Grady ranks second among conference tight ends in catches (29) and receiving yards (359), trailing the leader, who has played in two more games than O’Grady. He was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week on Oct. 1 for his game vs. the Aggies.
3. The top freshman wide receiver duo in the power five resides in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and the tandem is finally playing at the same time. Trey Knox and Treylon Burks arrived on the Hill with plenty of hype as four-star prospects, with Knox enrolling early in January. In six games, Knox has hauled in 26 receptions, for 357 yards, both second on the team, and two touchdowns, while Burks has 18 catches for 283 yards to his name in the same amount of contests. Their totals combine for 44 receptions and 638 yards this season, as Knox has the most receiving yards by an Arkansas true freshman since Hunter Henry’s 409 in 2013.
4. For the third consecutive game, senior linebacker De’Jon “Scoota” Harris was involved in forcing a fumble or recovering one, jarring the ball free from the Auburn offense last week. Harris popped the ball free and after a diving save from fellow linebacker Bumper Pool, senior defensive tackle McTelvin Agim landed on the ball for the turnover. The next play, Ben Hicks found C.J. O’Grady for a 45-yard touchdown. In the two previous games, Harris had two fumble recoveries, scoring on one against Texas A&M and falling on another at Kentucky, which was turned into a field goal. He is tied for first in the conference with two recoveries this season and tied for sixth in the NCAA.He added another 10-tackle performance against the Tigers, giving him three double-digit tackle games this year and 18 in his collegiate career. Harris has led the conference in total tackles in each of the last two seasons, posting 100+ in both years, and is currently fifth in the conference with 54 total stops.
5. Sophomore safety Joe Foucha continues to perform at a high level on Saturdays, registering an eight-tackle performance last weekend against Auburn. The New Orleans native recorded his first tackle for loss of his career vs. the Tigers, coming on a fourth down play, jumping the snap to bring down the Tiger rusher for a loss of two yards. Foucha has 25 tackles over the last three games, tallying a career-high 11 at Kentucky on Oct. 12. He ranks fourth on the team in total tackles this season with 43 stops, with an interception against Portland State on Aug. 31 and a fumble recovery at Ole Miss on Sept. 7 to go with it.
6. Sophomore linebacker Bumper Pool has become a reliable force at the WILL position for the Razorbacks, sitting in third on the team in total tackles this season with 49. After a 10-tackle night at Kentucky on Oct. 12, Pool tallied nine stops against Auburn last weekend. Included in his nine tackles was his first career sack, joining forces with T.J. Smith for a seven-yard sack in the second quarter to force a Tiger field goal, which was missed. Pool has 3.5 tackles for loss this season along with three quarterback hurries and a pass breakup.
7. Arkansas has started a total of five true freshmen this season, with all five starting in three games against Colorado State, Kentucky and Auburn. Greg Brooks Jr. (DB), Treylon Burks (WR), Trey Knox (WR), Mataio Soli (DL) and Ricky Stromberg (OL) have all earned starting nods in 2019. Arkansas is one of six schools to have started at least five true freshmen in 2019 & is one of three programs, including the only SEC school to have started three true freshmen on offense. A total of 24 freshmen have played in a game this season for the Razorbacks, including 15 true freshmen.
8. Senior defensive tackle McTelvin “Sosa” Agim has picked up sacks in each of the last three games, bringing him to 14.5 as a Razorback. It was the fourth game this year he’s recorded a sack, notching two in the season opener against Portland State. With his latest figure, Agim inches closer to writing his name in the Arkansas record books. He is now two sacks away from reaching 10th on the career sack list at Arkansas, while needing 3.5 tackles for loss to reach 10th in the career TFL list, sitting at 29.5 over his time as a Razorback. He has 6.5 tackles for loss this season, which leads the team after 1.5 against Kentucky on Oct. 12 and one at Ole Miss on Sept. 7.
9. Junior running back Rakeem Boyd continues to make highlight reel plays week after week, from hurdling oncoming defenders to breaking off huge plays for the Razorback offense. In Lexington, Boyd took the second play of the game 74 yards to the house for a touchdown. He finished the night with 134 rushing yards, his most while wearing an Arkansas uniform, and two touchdowns, scoring again in the fourth quarter to give the Hogs the lead. It was his third game this season with 100+ rushing yards and sixth overall as a Razorback, also doing so against Colorado State (122) and Portland State (114). Last year, all three of his century-mark rushing performances came against SEC opponents. He is one of 20 Arkansas running backs all-time to record six 100+ yard rushing performances while playing for the school.
10. The Razorbacks have returned three fumble recoveries for touchdowns this season, all involving different players, doing so against Ole Miss, Colorado State & Texas A&M. Kam Curl stripped and recovered his own fumble at Ole Miss, returning it 69 yards for the score. Against Colorado State, Hayden Henry came barreling in and popped the ball free right at LaDarrius Bishop, who scooped it up & sprinted 25 yards to the end zone for the touchdown. It was the first time Arkansas has returned a fumble for a TD in back-to-back games since 1999. Against Texas A&M, Gabe Richardson stripped the ball free and De’Jon Harris took it eight yards for the score. It was the first time Arkansas has had three fumble recovery TDs in a season since 2017. Arkansas is the only program with three fumble recovery TDs & one of three in all of FBS with three defensive scores this year.