No. 16 Arkansas-No. 1 Alabama Set For Showdown
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The stage is set for a top-20 matchup in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Saturday as No. 16 Arkansas (4-1, 0-1 SEC) hosts No. 1 Alabama (5-0, 2-0 SEC) for its Southeastern Conference home opener.
Kickoff: Saturday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. CT
Location: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium (72,000)
TV: ESPN | WatchESPN
Game Notes: Complete PDF
#RazorFacts
• Arkansas will face the No. 1 team in the Associated Press poll for the 22nd time in program history and the eighth time at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Saturday. Three of the Razorbacks’ last five showdowns against the No. 1 team in the nation have been against Alabama.
• In fact, Saturday’s game will be just the sixth top-25 matchup at Razorback Stadium since Arkansas joined the SEC in 1992.
• Both teams enter the game ranked for the first time since 2011.
• Saturday’s game marks the first time since 2011 that a game at Razorback Stadium featured two ranked teams.
• It will be the third time in the opening six games that Arkansas will be the evening game on ESPN.
Five Key Storylines
• Arkansas moved up in both national polls released Sunday. The Razorbacks will head into their SEC home opener showdown with No. 1 Alabama ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 and No. 17 in the Amway Coaches Poll. The Razorbacks moved up four spots in the AP Top 25 and five spots in the Coaches Poll. The Razorbacks have now landed in both national polls four consecutive weeks.
• The Razorbacks’ 4-1 start is its best start through five games since 2011, as it picked up its 10th win in its last 12 games with a 52-10 triumph over Alcorn State at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Alabama enters Saturday’s game with the longest win streak in the nation at 17 games, including 10 straight SEC contests.
• Behind four 100-yard rushing efforts and two 100-yard receiving performances, Arkansas has totaled 400+ yards of total offense in each of its last four games, which is the second most in the SEC this season.
• Austin Allen and Rawleigh Williams III have been one of the best QB/RB combos in the SEC this season. Allen has tossed multiple TD passes in every game and is the league’s most efficient passer with a rating of 167.7. Williams has topped 100 yards on the ground in three of the last four games, ranks second in the SEC with 559 yards rushing and an average of 111.8 yards/game. Arkansas is one of two schools in the SEC with both its QB and RB ranking among the conference’s top five in both passing and rushing yardage (Allen – 4th, Williams – 2nd).
• Jared Cornelius has emerged as one of Arkansas’ top receivers. Highlighted by back-to-back 100-yard receiving games and his first multi-TD catch game last Saturday, Cornelius ranks 10th in the SEC with 65.5 yards receiving/game. He checks in just behind Keon Hatcher, who is averaging 70.3 yards receiving/game, good for seventh in the conference. Arkansas is the only school in the SEC with multiple players ranking among the league’s top 10 in receiving yards/game.
