Arkansas' transition from a run-reliant team to one that's more balanced will be a boon today when Alabama comes to Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

The No. 11 Crimson Tide's first three opponents have found little room to run against the top rush defense in the country. Clemson gained no yards on the ground in its 34-10 loss to Alabama in the season opener.

Alabama's stingy 3-4 defense permits fewer than 43 rushing yards per game and a paltry 1. 9 yards per attempt. Thirteen yards is the longest run it has allowed this year.

Alabama's defensive linemen are responsible for plugging two gaps in the SEC's lone 3-4 scheme. That's not a problem for junior nose guard Terrence Cody. He has the size (6-5, 365 ) and lateral movement to mind multiple gaps.

The fulcrum of the 3-4, Cody's penchant for absorbing double and triple teams has freed up other defensive linemen to make plays. It's also allowed junior Lorenzo Washington to move to his more natural position of defensive end.

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At 275 pounds, Washington was an undersized nose guard. With Cody in the mix, Washington said he and his teammates are more unfettered by O-line blocks.

" He's definitely made the offensive linemen double team him, " Washington said. " He's taken a lot of pressure off the defensive line and the linebackers. He's getting all the double teams. "

Cody transferred from Gulf Coast [Miss. ] College, helping the school win the junior college national championship last year. Because of his size, Cody didn't play football until high school and was unrecruited. Division I teams started courting him after he collected 31 tackles and 3. 5 sacks last season.

Cody's three tackles for loss this year are tied for the team lead. Relying on unusually nimble feet for a man his size, he also has a quarterback pressure. Chasing quarterbacks is fine, but Cody's amalgam of size and stopping the run, and you have to do that to be a good defense, " he said. " That is my main thing; I like to stop the run. "

Alabama's 3-4 alignment can quickly morph into different configurations that confuse opponents' blocking schemes. Washington said the state of flux created by the defense keeps offenses guessing.

"[The ] 3-4 shows a lot of different looks, " he said. " It's hard for an offensive line to know what's coming. They may have blocked a play one way, but when they run it again they'll have to block it another way. "

The Crimson Tide's personnel allows their defense to assume different forms, making Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino wary of Alabama's shifting front.

" They can play a threeman front or a four-man front, " Petrino said. " They back and forth. "

Petrino said prepping for the changing alignments has come at the expense of other areas the Razorbacks needed to address during practice.

" You have to recognize what the fronts are, " he said. " You have to be prepared to block different looks. In practice, you have to cut back on what you do, because you have to spend time preparing for the different looks. "

The Crimson Tide haven't allowed a red zone touchdown this year. Washington said the defense stiffens when an opponent crosses its 20-yard line.

" We bend but we don't break, " he said. " We may miss a couple of assignments or not make plays to allow them to get down there, but once they're inside the red zone we haven't made any mistakes. "