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Saturday, Sep. 25 3:30pm ET
Alabama prevails despite six turnovers | |||||
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BOX SCORE
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Alabama overcame a week's worth of controversy and six turnovers, and may have saved coach Mike DuBose's job in the process. Freddie Milons caught one touchdown pass and threw one to help Alabama to a 35-28 victory over No. 14 Arkansas on Saturday. Distracted most of the week by the ouster of athletic director Bob Bockrath and the speculation that DuBose would be the next to go, the Crimson Tide (3-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) said a few big victories would quiet the controversy. It got the first one against Arkansas (2-1, 0-1), snapping a two-game losing streak to the Razorbacks and taking the lead in the race for the SEC West. "I can't say enough about our football team, having class and handling adversity," DuBose said. "We asked them to do one thing today, and that was play as one." Arkansas quarterback Clint Stoerner said he was amazed how focused Alabama was despite the controversy. "I couldn't imagine going through all that all season long," Stoerner said. "A win like this should put some of that to rest." The Tide played a sloppy, careless game -- Arkansas scored 25 points off of turnovers -- but made the big plays when needed. Clinging to a 28-21 lead at the start of the fourth quarter, Alabama looked to put the game away on Milons' first-ever touchdown pass. Andrew Zow pitched the ball to the sophomore receiver, who turned the corner to run a reverse before he threw the ball to wide-open Jason McAddley for a 66-yard touchdown that made it 35-21 with 14:14 to play. The Tide looked to be in command after Arkansas turned the ball over on downs after driving to the Alabama 28. But Zow, who already had two passes intercepted, threw his third and Arkansas' D.J. Cooper caught it at the 22. Stoerner's 13-yard TD pass to Joe Dean Davenport made it 35-28 with 9:59 to go. "Even though we had all those turnovers, I still had the confidence that we could win," Zow said. "We put the defense in too many positions they shouldn't have been in, but they stepped up big." After forcing an Arkansas punt late in the game, Alabama handed the ball off to Shaun Alexander to try to grind time off the clock. He couldn't get enough first downs, however, and Alabama had to punt with 1:26 to play. The Razorbacks marched to the Tide 31 before time expired. Stoerner's desperation pass with six seconds to play was incomplete. "The thing that jumps out at me is that any time the other team commits six turnovers, you should get the win," Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. "I was disappointed we didn't get more points earlier. If we put Alabama in a catch-up role, that makes all the difference." Alexander overcame two fumbles to run for 165 yards and a touchdown. He also passed Johnny Musso for second place on Alabama's career rushing list. Alexander has 2,796 yards. "I was just trying to make too many big plays today, always trying to make the fantastic play," Alexander said about his fumbles. "I've just got to calm down and play football." With Alabama leading 21-13 in the third quarter, Alexander's second fumble of the day let Arkansas back in the game. Kenoy Kennedy recovered and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown. Stoerner's 2-point conversion pass to Michael Jenkins made it 21-21 with 6:11 to play in the third quarter. Alexander made amends on Alabama's next series, scoring on a 12-yard run up the middle. "He's smells blood, he smells the goal line," Nutt said. "We knew what we were up against. He's a great player." The Razorbacks then moved to the Alabama 9, but turned it over on downs when Cedric Cobbs failed to get around the corner on fourth-and-1. Stoerner, playing despite a slightly separated shoulder, was 24-for-52 for 316 yards and a touchdown. He became Arkansas' career passing yardage leader with 5,892 yards, passing Barry Lunney's 5,782. Stoerner made up most of Arkansas' offense, picking up the slack for a running game held to 64 yards. The Tide overcame four first-half turnovers deep in its own territory to lead 14-13 at halftime. Zow's pass was intercepted by Randy Garner on Alabama's first series at the 34. The Hogs turned it into a 7-0 lead on Crys Chukwuma's 2-yard touchdown run. The Tide rebounded with a four-play, 80-yard scoring drive, tying the game on Zow's 35-yard pass to Milons. After an Arkansas punt, Zow's pass was intercepted by Kennedy, who returned it 14 yards before lateraling to Ontraia Moss for another 14 yards. Tony Dodson's 36-yard field goal made it 10-7. The Tide turned it over on its next play when Alexander fumbled, but Alabama held and Dodson missed a 32-yard attempt. Tyler Watts, who rotates with Zow at quarterback, gave Alabama its fourth turnover when his pass was intercepted by David Barrett at the Arkansas 9. The Hogs gave the ball right back, however, when Stoerner's pass was intercepted on the next play by Milo Lewis at the 20. Zow threw a 17-yard touchdown to Antonio Carter that made it 14-10 with 9:39 to play in the half. "When you turn it over as many times as we turned it over today, the only chance you got is that oneness," DuBose said. "I can't say it was the biggest win, but it was a great win for our program." | ALSO SEE College Football Scoreboard Arkansas Clubhouse Alabama Clubhouse Top 25 overview
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