UAB @ Arkansas preview
Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
Arkansas can be excused for wondering if it has the toughest schedule in football. After a grueling stretch of three straight games against top 10 teams, the Razorbacks finally get a reprieve Saturday afternoon as they welcome UAB in a non-conference encounter. Arkansas fell to 0-4 in SEC play with a 45-32 loss against visiting Georgia, while the Blazers are coming off a 34-22 loss to Middle Tennessee.
Saturday marks the last reasonably winnable game for Arkansas until the end of next month; the Razorbacks face current No. 1 Mississippi State next weekend, then enjoy a bye before hosting No. 24 LSU and No. 3 Mississippi in back-to-back weeks. They'll close out the regular season against a Missouri team that might also be ranked by the time they face off in late November. The Blazers are playing the middle contest of a three-game road trek.
TV: Noon ET, SEC Network. LINE: Arkansas -23
ABOUT UAB (4-3): Blazers quarterback Cody Clements will be looking to bounce back from a subpar effort at Middle Tennessee in which he threw for just 185 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. That ended an impressive stretch that had seen Clements rack up 620 yards with five scores in back-to-back triumphs over Western Kentucky and North Texas. The running game is paced by Jordan Howard, who rumbled for 121 yards and a score on 32 carries last week - his fourth triple-digit effort of the season.
ABOUT ARKANSAS (3-4): Expect the Razorbacks to continue doing what they've done all season - running the ball with authority. Arkansas enters the week ranked in the top 20 nationally in rushing yards per game (256.9) and are led by a true ground tandem in Jonathan Williams (104 carries, 677 yards, nine touchdowns) and Alex Collins (103 carries, 665 yards, eight TDs). Quarterback Brandon Allen set season highs in yards (296) and touchdowns (three) last week, but was hampered by a pair of interceptions.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The Razorbacks are the only team in the nation with two 600-yard rushers.
2. Collins led all freshmen in rushing yards last season (1,026), while Howard was tied for second (881).
3. UAB has scored 40 or more points four times this season after achieving the feat just four times in the previous three seasons combined.
PREDICTION: Arkansas 45, UAB 23