5 Takeaways From Alabama’s Week 7 Win

Despite the loss, the Arkansas defense did its job well. They flustered Blake Sims into throwing incomplete passes and sacked him twice, stopped Derrick Henry from making any scores, and held the Tide to just 227 total yards. For opponents facing the Razorbacks in the future, they need to be aware of how tough Arkansas' defense can be.

Alabama’s running game was moot and Arkansas’ was average at best. The Crimson Tide had 32 rushes for 66 yards, and the Razorbacks didn’t fair much better with 89 rushing yards. There were plenty of opportunities for either team to put some points on the board, but mistake after mistake hindered both teams from doing so.

Even with two touchdown passes, Blake Sims hardly had a stellar game. He was clearly still shaken by last week’s loss to Ole Miss and it showed. His throwing game was inconsistent, he hardly rushed, and he barely made half of his throws, a far cry from how he has played earlier in the season. Sims must shake off his nerves if he expects to lead this Alabama team.

Interceptions. Fumbles. Penalties. Sacks. After leading 13-7 into the fourth quarter, things really went downhill for the Razorbacks. Brandon Allen could not complete a pass to save his life, and opportunities from earlier in the game were rapidly coming back to haunt Arkansas as Alabama pulled ahead 14-13. Had the Arkansas offense been a little tighter, they could have won this game.

Landon Collins bailed Alabama out of a dangerous situation by intercepting the ball from Brandon Allen with two minutes left in the game. This allowed the Tide to control the clock and seal their one-point victory. This single play on Collins’ part easily saved Alabama from its second loss.