TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Here are 10 takeaways following the Alabama Crimson Tide’s 48-7 victory over Arkansas.



Click Here to start your free trial | Promo code is: RollTide

1. Nick Saban provides update on Tua Tagovailoa

While Alabama now knows it can survive without Tua Tagovailoa, it might not be without its starting quarterback for long. Following Saturday’s game, head coach Nick Saban provided an update on the left-hander, stating he could return to practice in the coming days. “Tua is doing really, really well,” Saban said. “He’s on the AlterG (treadmill) already, running on the AlterG. We expect to return to practice by midweek this week. I don’t know what he’ll be able to do or how much, but that’s sort of the prognosis for where we are right now.” Tagovailoa had surgery last Sunday after suffering a high-ankle sprain against Tennessee. No. 1 Alabama (8-0, 5-0 in the SEC) is off this week before hosting No. 2 LSU (8-0, 4-0) on Nov. 9 inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium.

2. Alabama had no major injuries against Arkansas

A slew of Crimson Tide players picked up knocks Saturday night. However, none of the injuries are expected to be significant. Here’s a look at the injury report Saban provided after the game. Najee Harris: “Najee just barely twisted his ankle. He’s fine, could’ve went back and played in the game.” Devonta Smith: “Smitty has a bruised shoulder. He’ll probably be out for a few days, but should be fine.” Shyheim Carter: “Shyheim Carter went out with a little knee sprain. He’ll be fine.” Ale Kaho: “Kaho has a fractured hand which will be fixed, and he’ll be able to play in a cast.” Evan Neal: "Evan’s got a little bit of a groin strain, probably could have kept playing with it. We took him out.” Jared Mayden: “We could’ve played him in an emergency. He has a pulled groin, as well — not bad. He was able to practice some this week. We felt comfortable playing with the guys that we were going to play and not make it worse. So, we’re hopeful in a couple days that he’ll be just fine.”

3. Mac Jones played well enough to beat LSU

Mac Jones claims he didn’t experience anything different walking around campus last week as the Crimson Tide’s new starting quarterback. “Nothing really, I just go to class and try to make As,” he said with a laugh. If Saturday was a test, the redshirt sophomore would have aced that as well. While Alabama’s offense wasn’t quite as dominant as it has been under Tagovailoa, Jones did a capable job of keeping the Crimson Tide rolling against Arkansas. The right-hander completed 18-of-22 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns while leading Alabama to scores on seven of his eight drives under center. LSU is a much more challenging task than Arkansas, but if Jones continues to play like this, he’ll put Alabama in position to beat any opponent. “I think it was just getting the ball to our playmakers and making them make plays for me,” Jones said. “Don’t overcomplicate it, and just play football like we know how to do.”

40-yard touchdown pass from Mac Jones to Jerry Jeudy pic.twitter.com/tzreZpLqma — Alabama Crimson Tide | BamaInsider.com (@bamainsider) October 27, 2019

4. Alabama’s defense returns to dominance

After hearing about how Alabama’s offense has carried the team all season, the Crimson Tide’s defenders wanted to prove they could return the favor Saturday night. “I think we made it a point of emphasis to not only stay focused on (Arkansas) but kind of send a message that we got to pick up for the offense,” outside linebacker Terrell Lewis said. “We got to react to adversity. We had to send a message as a defense that, OK, we’re growing as a defense and we want to show we’re still dominant.” Alabama did just that, holding Arkansas to 213 total yards while forcing four turnovers. Arkansas gained 53 yards on its first 10 plays before a fumble that set up Alabama’s first touchdown. The Razorbacks then gained 49 yards on their next five drives, resulting in three punts and two interceptions, including Trevon Diggs’ 84-yard pick-six to put Alabama up 41-0 at the half.

5. Another non-offensive touchdown

Diggs’ interception return marked Alabama’s fourth straight game with a non-offensive touchdown. Diggs had a 100-yard fumble return during Alabama’s win over Tennessee. The streak started against Ole Miss as linebacker Ale Kaho blocked a punt before falling on it in the end zone. The linebacker followed that up the next week by blocking a punt against Texas A&M, allowing Tyrell Shavers to scoop and score from the 2-yard line. “It’s something special, you know,” said cornerback Patrick Surtain II, who recorded an interception against Arkansas. “We’re just trying to build on it and just keep on forcing turnovers. That’s what we pride ourselves in doing.”

TREVON DIGGS TO THE TO THE 🏡 pic.twitter.com/IRdoZHOLh0 — Alabama Crimson Tide | BamaInsider.com (@bamainsider) October 27, 2019

6. Perine provides two more quality punts

Ty Perine received one of the loudest ovations Saturday night as he was announced as Alabama’s starting punter. The freshman walk-on became an instant fan-favorite after averaging 46.5 yards on a pair of punts against Tennessee. Saturday, he improved on that performance, averaging 47.5 yards on two boots against Arkansas. Perine’s first punt of the night went for 49 yards while his second bounced to 46 yards. Neither were returned. While the two boots weren’t as pretty as the pair he delivered against Tennessee, no one inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium was complaining about the results.

7. Terrell Lewis is scaring opposing quarterbacks

Lewis’ six quarterback hurries show how dominant he was in pass-rush Saturday. However, the outside linebacker didn’t need stats to see how much he was affecting the opposing quarterback. “Yeah, I start to sense how he’s kind of being alert to where I’m at,” Lewis said. “He’ll kind of stop looking downfield and kind of peek at his line and stuff like that. You can see that in the game.” When that happens, Lewis said he lets the quarterback know about it. “I tell him exactly what I told you,” he said.

Terrell Lewis is a bad man pic.twitter.com/2whKjnrK3O — Alabama Crimson Tide | BamaInsider.com (@bamainsider) October 27, 2019

8. Jerry Jeudy back on track

It had been a while since Jerry Jeudy hit the century mark through the air. After recording 100 or more yards in Alabama’s first two weeks, the star receiver failed to reach the mark in the Crimson Tide’s next five contests. That changed Saturday as he pulled in seven receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Through eight games, Jeudy has 682 yards and 10 touchdowns on 52 receptions.

9. Alabama’s cornerback duo is dominant

Alabama’s cornerback duo of Diggs and Surtain is quickly becoming one of the most dominant in the nation. Through eight games, opposing quarterbacks are a combined 29-of-62 (42.6 percent) for 296 yards with no touchdowns and five interceptions on balls thrown at the two defensive backs. “I think we put those guys on bump and run a lot,” Saban said. “They have a tough job out there a lot of times on some pretty good skills. Other than a couple pass interference calls, I think that they have done a pretty good job for the most part. We can keep playing the ball that will be good as well. We are also going to play against some really good, challenging guys in the future. That’s going to require them to be at the top of their game.”

10. Alabama says it isn’t looking past the bye week

Saban praised his team for looking past the “rat poison” leading up to the game against Arkansas as there was already anticipation for Alabama’s upcoming marquee matchup against LSU. Even after Saturday night’s 48-7 victory over the Razorbacks, the Crimson Tide might not be ready to turn its attention to the Tigers. “We’ve got a bye week first,” Lewis said. “I’ve got to take care of my body, work out, get in the weight room. I’m going to watch film, but other than that basically just use this bye week to kind of relax and get away from football.”

WestGate Luxury Condos - To be any closer, you'd need a ticket

WestGate Luxury Condos - To be any closer, you'd need a ticket

Andrew Bone, of BamaInsider.com, is also a real estate broker in the state of Alabama.

Contact Andrew Bone for all of your real estate needs; buyers, sellers, investors, developers. Property management; BoneHomeTours.com Call 205-531-5577 or click here

