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Alabama vs. Arkansas 2016

It's hog hunting time in Alabama! Our 5-0 Crimson Tide takes on the 4-1 Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville tomorrow at 6 p.m. On our last visit to Fayetteville in 2014, the weather was rainy and cold and we escaped with a 14-13 win. Although it was a close call, our team found a way to win by intercepting a pass late in the fourth quarter and sealing the victory.

This time in the season is about the time great teams begin to jell and put it all together to make the stretch run. We have played some great football in several quarters and halves, but I believe we are ready to play good sound football for four quarters tomorrow, on the road, in hostile territory.

I am excited about this game, as Arkansas is a quality opponent. The Hogs are ranked 16th and feature an always strong running game. This year through five games their quarterback, Austin Allen, the brother of 2015 star Brandon Allen, has accounted for 13 touchdowns including the game winner in their game against Big 12 contender TCU. He can run and pass, which always creates problems for a defense.

The running game has been Bret Bielema's trademark since he left Wisconsin for Arkansas. This year is no different, as the Arkansas line is big, strong and tough. The backfield is led by Rawleigh Williams III, a big tough running back with stamina and drive, along with 6-foot-5 Hayden Johnson, a freshman fullback, who can definitely clear a path for his tailbacks. They have three backs who can wear down a defense. They have two good wide receivers in Jared Cornelius and Drew Morgan, who are both ranked in the top 10 receivers in the SEC. Their tight end Jeremy Sprinkle, is one of the best at his position in the country. The Arkansas defense has been solid and tough as usual, but did give up some big plays against an explosive TCU passing attack.

Arkansas vs. Arkansas - 1962 Sugar Bowl

Memory takes me back a few years to recall another crucial game when our Alabama team faced the Razorbacks. After an undefeated season, the 1961 Alabama football team played Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl for the national championship. The game was played outdoors in Tulane Stadium. It was a very cold and damp day. Arkansas was led by running back and defensive halfback Lance Alworth, who went on to many years in the NFL. Frank Broyles was the coach of the Razorbacks. Both teams had excellent defensive units.

Alabama ended the regular season ranked first in total defense, giving up 133 yards a game. We were also first in scoring defense, giving up only 22 points in the regular season and only a grand total of 25 points after the 10-3 Sugar Bowl victory. Alabama's defense was led by All-Americans Lee Roy Jordan at linebacker and Billy Neighbors at tackle. Arkansas ended up the regular season ranked 10th in total defense at 177 yards a game, and third in pass defense giving up only 63 yards a game.

Football in that era featured limited substitutions and players could only enter the game twice in each quarter, but a specialist (usually the quarterback on offense and maybe a linebacker on defense) could enter as many times as necessary. Those rules forced players to learn how to play both ways and participate in all special teams plays. Obviously, coaches were forced to teach all three categories (offense, defense and kicking game) to all players.

At Alabama, the first team spent about 40 percent of its practice time on offense, 40 percent on defense and 20 percent on the kicking game. The second team spent 50 percent on defense, 30 percent on offense, and 20 percent on the kicking game. The third team spent 30 percent on defense, 50 percent on offense and 20 percent on the kicking game. In games, the first and second teams pretty much spent time evenly, playing about seven-and-a-half minutes a quarter. The third team didn't play much.

It was a different time and the game was far less sophisticated than it is today. Obviously, the players were smaller, but bigger players had a hard time playing all facets of the game (i.e., covering punts and kickoffs). Unlimited substitution has led to specialization at the highest level, which allows players talented in one particular area to go into the game at certain times and use those skills to the team's advantage. That takes serious management ability to pull that off in the heat of an SEC-level contest. Our coaches today are the best I've seen at managing that phase of the game.

The Sugar Bowl game itself was a defensive struggle. Alabama led 10-0 at halftime and beat the Razorbacks, 10-3. Pat Trammell, our outstanding quarterback from Scottsboro, scored the only touchdown in the game on a 12-yard run in the first quarter. Tim Davis, from Columbus, Ga., kicked a field goal in the second quarter. Mike Fracchia, from Memphis, Tenn., was the most valuable player and outplayed Lance Alworth in the game.

This Sugar Bowl game marked Coach Bryant's first national championship and made the 1961 team special in Crimson Tide history in the minds of Alabama fans. Alabama went on to win championships in 1964 and 1965. The undefeated 1966 team, as we talked about last week, went undefeated and beat Nebraska in the Sugar Bowl, but was denied the title, finishing ranked No. 3 behind Notre Dame and Michigan State, who tied in their final regular season game, but finished No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the final rankings.

This Alabama vs Arkansas game tomorrow won't be for a national championship, but it will very likely determine which team can stay on a solid path to make it to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game. And, as we all know, the winner of that game usually moves on to the College Football Playoff. We look forward to an exciting game and hope the Crimson Tide faithful will travel to Fayetteville and out-shout the hog-calling going on there. We are pleased that our weather is good this weekend but our prayers go out to all along the East Coast who are experiencing damage from Hurricane Matthew.

Fulfilling the Mission: Student-Athletes in the Prestigious Honors College

There is no doubt that The University of Alabama, in all facets, is an amazing place where extraordinary people come together to push the envelope of what is possible. That is certainly part of our mission within Athletics. That's why I'm proud of the fact that more than 120 of our more than 550 student-athletes are part of Alabama's Honor College. The University of Alabama Honors College is dedicated to providing an environment where exceptional students can thrive. Much like our department, the Honors College supports a culture of community and collaboration. Within that environment, students can achieve a world-class education based on the college's four pillars: innovative scholarship, advanced research, cultural interaction and civic engagement. This fall, 15 of our teams have students who have been a part of the Honors College during their Crimson Tide tenures, including NCAA Champion Luke Kaliszak of our men's swimming and diving team, as well as All-Americans Bridget Blood (women's swimming and diving) and Joe Williams (men's track and field). All-Region honoree Hannah Waggoner (women's cross country) is also a member of the Honors College. Like the old adage says, iron sharpens iron – putting the best with the best, whether it be academically or athletically, brings out the best in everyone involved.

Crimson Tide Foundation Update: Create Your Legacy

Have you thought about the legacy you can leave with the Alabama Athletics Department? There are many ways to make an impact on our student-athletes and athletics program by investing in our annual scholarship program; endowing a scholarship or gift fund in your name or that of someone you love; making a contribution to keep our facilities in championship condition; or supporting a specific sport, program or even giving to the priority needs of the department. Have you thought about ways that you can plan future charitable gifts? The Crimson Tide Foundation and the University's Office of Planned Giving work cooperatively to help your philanthropy extend far into the future. The Office of Planned Giving specializes in charitable gift planning as well as complex current and future gift plans. Charitable gift planning allows you to make the most of what you have, preserve financial security for you and your loved ones, and leave a legacy that supports the education of future students at The University of Alabama. There are a variety of ways you can involve The University of Alabama in your charitable giving plans. Visit the Planned Giving website to learn more about bequests, IRA Rollovers, Capstone Lands and other giving options. You can also contact a development officer at the Crimson Tide Foundation for information about ways to support Alabama Athletics.

Sports Updates

Cross Country

Coach Dan Waters' cross country squads returned from a two-week break to post top-20 finishes at the Joe Piane Invitational at the University of Notre Dame last weekend. Our runners are now hard at work preparing for their lone home meet of the year, the Crimson Classic, which will take place next Friday, Oct. 14 at the Harry Pritchett Running Park here in Tuscaloosa. The men's race is slated to begin at 9 a.m., followed by the women's race at 9:45 a.m. Come on out and cheer on our runners before you head to Knoxville for the football game!

Men's Golf

Congratulations to head coach Jay Seawell and former Alabama men's and women's golf coach Dick Spybey, two of the six inductees to the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) 2016 Hall of Fame class announced Wednesday. The six coaches – which also include former Alabama assistant coach and current Baylor coach Mike McGraw as well as Vince Clark, Tim Poe and Mike Small – will be officially inducted at the GCAA Hall of Fame Reception and Awards Banquet Monday, Dec. 12, in Las Vegas. Leading our program since 2002, Jay coached the Tide to back-to-back national championships in 2013 and 2014, and his teams have captured four SEC championships. He has led Alabama to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and nine NCAA championships berths, coaching the Tide to 46 team tournament championships with 34 individual medalists. He received the Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award in 2013. On the course, behind the play of junior Lee Hodges, the 24th-ranked Tide finished fifth at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate hosted at Old Overton Club this past Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 3-4. Lee led the way for the Tide by finishing third in the medalist standings.

Soccer

Coach Wes Hart's resurgent squad returns to action on Sunday, traveling to Columbia, Mo., to square off against Missouri at 1 p.m. CT, after absorbing a tough 2-1 loss to Ole Miss on Thursday at the Alabama Soccer Complex. The Tide is now 7-5-1 overall this season and 2-3-1 in SEC play.

Swimming & Diving

Coach Dennis Pursley's women's squad posted another outstanding showing last Friday, winning all but one event in a double-dual meet with Vanderbilt and West Florida. The Tide was led by Mia Nonnenberg, who won three events, and Hannah Musser, who for the second meet in a row, won both the 100 and 200 butterfly events. Overall, 10 different Alabama women won individual events, including three freshmen – Alexis Preski, Lexi Souther and Kacey Oberlander. The meet was also the kickoff of our 2016-17 Power of Pink schedule, and our men and women did a great job of supporting the vital cause of raising awareness in the fight against breast cancer. After two home meets in September, our men and women will be on the road until January, starting with a trip to Missouri on Oct. 14 to take on the Tigers. The swimming and diving season is just getting underway, but we're off to a fast start which bodes well for the future.

Women's Tennis

Last weekend, our doubles pair of Andie Daniell and senior Erin Routliffe, ranked 34th nationally, won the doubles championship of the ITF 10k LTP Charleston Tournament in Charleston, S.C. The victory marked the fourth consecutive match the duo has won in straight sets. Earlier this week, Andie Daniell posted a 1-1 mark in the qualifying singles draw as part of the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

For the latest information on all Crimson Tide teams, go to www.rolltide.com.

Upcoming Action

Here's a summary of athletic events over the next several days (times listed are for the location of the event: CT is Central Time. ET in Eastern Time). For a complete look, check out our upcoming calendar.

Saturday, October 8

Time	Sport	Event	Location
6 p.m.	Football	at Arkansas	Fayetteville, Ark.
All Day	Rowing	at Head of the Chattanooga	Chattanooga, Tenn.
All Day	Men's Tennis	at ITA All-American Championships	Tulsa, Okla.
All Day	Women's Tennis	at ITA Riviera All-American Championships	Los Angeles, Calif.

Sunday, October 9

Time	Sport	Event	Location
1 p.m.	Soccer	at Missouri	Columbia, Mo.
1:30 p.m.	Volleyball	at Auburn	Auburn
All Day	Men's Tennis	at ITA All-American Championships	Tulsa, Okla.

Wednesday, October 12

Time	Sport	Event	Location
8 p.m.	Volleyball	vs. Mississippi State	Foster Auditorium

Thursday, October 13

Time	Sport	Event	Location
6 p.m.	Soccer	vs. Georgia	UA Soccer Complex

Friday, October 14

Time	Sport	Event	Location
9 a.m.	Cross Country	hosts Crimson Classic	Harry Pritchett Running Course
12 p.m.	Swimming & Diving	at Missouri	Columbia, Mo.
All Day	Women's Golf	at Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational	Chapel Hill, N.C.
All Day	Men's Tennis	at USTA/ITA Regional Championships	Auburn
All Day	Women's Tennis	hosts USTA/ITA Regional Championships	UA Tennis Center

Where to See, Listen and Follow Alabama Sports

Here's how to follow Crimson Tide teams via TV, radio, rolltide.com, Twitter and Facebook:

Cross Country

Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaTrack

Football

Watch: CBS
Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaFootball
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (check local listings)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 126, XM 191

Women's Golf

Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaWGolf

Soccer

Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaSoccer

Men's Tennis

Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaMTN

Women's Tennis

Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaWTN

Volleyball

Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Watch: SEC Network +
Twitter: @AlabamaVBall

Catch Alabama Athletics on the SEC Network

Here's a summary of our athletic events to be televised over the next week on The SEC Network and its platforms. Read this schedule closely as some events can be seen via SEC Network +, which is available online via WatchESPN here. If you can't make it to our games in person, catch us on radio or TV. (All times listed are Central Time)

Sunday, October 9

Time	Event	Network
1 p.m.	Soccer at Missouri	SEC Network +
1:30 p.m.	Volleyball at Auburn	SEC Network +
9 p.m.	REPLAY: Football at Arkansas	SEC Network

Monday, October 10

Time	Event	Network
11:30 a.m.	REPLAY: Football at Arkansas	SEC Network
12 p.m.	Alabama Football Weekly Press Conference	SEC Network +

Tuesday, October 11

Time	Event	Network
8 p.m.	REPLAY: Football at Arkansas	SEC Network

Wednesday, October 12

Time	Event	Network
11 p.m.	REPLAY: Football at Arkansas	SEC Network

Thursday, October 13

Time	Event	Network
6 p.m.	Soccer vs. Georgia	SEC Network

Our teams need your support, so please plan to attend to do your part! A rising tide lifts all boats and it's up to all of us to Keep the Tide Rising!

Roll Tide!

University of Alabama Athletics