TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Eighth-ranked Alabama came away with a 27-14 victory over Arkansas on Saturday night in a hard-fought SEC game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Alabama scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter when quarterback Jake Coker hit freshman wide receiver Calvin Ridley in stride on an 81-yard pass that made it 10-7.
After a fake punt attempt by Arkansas failed, Coker capped another scoring drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Richard Mullaney.
The Tide added a 35-yard field goal by Adam Griffith and a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Derrick Henry late in the fourth quarter for a 27-7 lead.
"I was really pleased with the way we played in the second half," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "I thought we didn't play poorly in the first half; we just turned the ball over and didn't finish drives in the red zone."
The Arkansas offense was mostly stuck in the mud during the second half. The Razorbacks added a late touchdown when quarterback Brandon Allen passed to Dominique Reed for a 54-yard score.
Arkansas managed just 44 rushing yards after entering the game with 28 rushes of at least 10 yards this season. The longest run of the night was eight yards, on a scramble by Allen.
"Yeah (we've been stopped before), unfortunately last year against these guys," Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said. "One of our offensive goals is to respect what they can do and remember what we're about. We tried a couple of different things. ... We will go back, we will watch that film and we will get better. One thing about Alabama, their defense is unique to them. We knew that coming in."
Allen ran for his life during much of the game. He took hit after hit but continued to play through the punishment. He finished with the two touchdowns but had a pass intercepted by Tide safety Eddie Jackson.
"Their quarterback did a really good job," Saban said. "He was really hard to sack, and he is very elusive. We did a good job of pressuring him, but he got out of there a couple times on us and hurt us a few times with the scramble pass as well as scrambling for a couple first downs."
Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland left the game briefly with a shoulder injury but returned and had eight tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
"I thought offensively we didn't do enough to win," Allen said. "The defense played really well. They were keeping us in the whole time."
After forcing Arkansas to punt on its opening drive, Alabama's offense drove 80 yards in 13 plays and made it to the 7-yard line. But the Crimson Tide stalled and settled for a 24-yard field goal from Griffith to make it 3-0.
The teams' second drives were similar to the first as the Razorbacks punted and Alabama drove the length of the field before settling for a field goal attempt. This time, Griffith missed from 25 yards.
Arkansas totaled 77 yards on 25 plays in the first half, but Coker's second interception of the game set the Razorbacks up at the Crimson Tide 12-yard line. Arkansas took advantage three plays later when Allen found wide receiver Drew Morgan for a 4-yard touchdown to make it 7-3 with 1:29 left before intermission.
Alabama had a chance to cut into the lead, but Griffith missed a 48-yard field goal attempt as time expired in the second quarter.
NOTES: Crimson Tide freshman DL Daron Payne made his first career start. ... Alabama LB Reggie Ragland left the game briefly with a shoulder injury. ... Razorbacks RB Alex Collins, who entered the game with 656 yards and six touchdowns, had 9 yards on five carries in the first half.
