Three things to look for:
1. Old-school defense: Remember Alabama's base 3-4 defense? Neither does Alabama, which has rolled out its nickel and dime units for just about every play this season. Arkansas' I-formation, ground-and-pound offense will allow the Crimson Tide to trot out three down linemen, four linebackers and just four defensive backs through most of Saturday's game. That's big news for nose guard Brandon Ivory, who hasn't been able to play much, and A'Shawn Robinson, who will be able to play defensive end after spending a lot of time at nose. The Razorbacks' approach will also allow Nick Saban and Kirby Smart to make the substitutions they're often hindered from doing against fast-paced, uptempo offenses. You could sense some excitement from Saban as he approached one of Alabama's only games against this style of offense.
2. Center of attention: The circumstances Saturday certainly won't be friendly, but they'll be a whole lot more favorable for redshirt freshman Bradley Bozeman, who will make his first career start in place of the injured Ryan Kelly. Bozeman was thrown into the fire against Ole Miss during last week's second half and he understandably struggled. He's had a full week to work out the kinks with quarterback Blake Sims and get better acquainted with the first-team offensive line. Alabama can't afford to burn multiple timeouts the way it did in the fourth quarter against the Rebels because of communication breakdowns. And it can't afford anymore pre-snap administrative issues and penalties. If Bozeman needs to come out, Alabama's options are two true freshmen: Josh Casher and J.C. Hassenauer.
3. Who's the new big play threat?: Sure, there's Amari Cooper. He's always a threat to break off an explosive play at any moment. But who's going to fill the shoes of Kenyan Drake, the speedy running back who was just as much of a threat to score on a deep touchdown pass as he was on a big run. Drake is out after his gruesome leg injury and it's uncertain if he can be truly replaced. Sophomore Altee Tenpenny will bump up a few spots on the depth chart, but his skill set leans more toward a traditional running back. Wide receiver Chris Black has lined up in the backfield before and has similar speed, but he doesn't pose the same threat to take handoffs. This may just be a case where a portion of Lane Kiffin's playbook is simply scrapped.
We should know half way into the first quarter if we can stop the Arky run game. These guys are good, so they're going to have some success. Expect them to control the clock, because we'll score fast and often.
Time for DeAndrew White to show off; so too Tenpenny.
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