One play makes all the difference for Tide

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- One play. Eighty-one yards. And it was over.

A double move by Alabama freshman receiver Calvin Ridley turned his seventh catch of the game into a 10-7 lead, and just like that, the king of SEC football was in control of his crown.

Until that point, the Arkansas Razorbacks defense had played inspired, overachieving, never look down and always attack football.

Deatrich Wise pressured Alabama quarterback Jake Coker. Brooks Ellis made tackles all over the field. Defensive backs defended. Everyone made tackles.

They fought to the end, but to win in the SEC your offense has to score.

Until that play, with the Razorbacks holding a surprising 7-3 lead and that defense making big plays and keeping Alabama's offense out of the end zone, the Tide hadn't struck fear in their hearts.

That play, though, put the team that was the best on both sides of the ball where it was supposed to be. Alabama was back on top and on its way to another victory.

For the longest time it seemed as if perhaps Halloween had arrived three weeks early. That the team fighting to equal last year's number of conference victories (two) at the halfway mark of this season was a team of destiny, at least for a night.

Until that play, maybe something even more odd than most of the first three quarters at Bryant-Denny Stadium had been witnessed. If so it was probably midnight in a Rome train terminal or Times Square in New York.

At the half the Tide had 13 first downs and 204 yards of offense on 42 plays and had converted 5 of 8 third downs. The visitors had 6 first downs and 77 yards of offense on 25 plays and had converted only 2 of 7 third downs.

Arkansas had been in Alabama territory one time, and that was when Santos Ramirez picked off a tipped pass at the Alabama 42 and returned it 18 yards to the 24, which is where the Tide got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that put the Razorbacks in action at the 12.

Alex Collins got a couple of yards and Brandon Allen scrambled for 6 more, giving it up for the final 2 yards when he was hit hard and drove to the turf as he went out of bounds.

Then came the single most important play of what the Hogs Nation hoped would hold up, and it was a great play call.

The Tide had nine guys in the box -- much of the night they had five or six selling out to stop the run -- and Allen ran the play-action to perfection, something he does often.

The Tide rushed in with reckless abandon, but Allen saw Drew Morgan and fired a strike to him in the end zone. Just like that, the Razorbacks had a touchdown and were going into intermission with their first-ever halftime lead in this football-crazed cradle of fanatics.

Until that play by Ridley the Razorbacks had hope, even though the offense drove into Alabama territory only twice, the second time with less than two minutes to play. But lady luck did a double fake and said not tonight.

Maybe it was inevitable. The Hogs struggled mightily to get anything going in their ground game. Bret Bielema even went to a hurry-up offense in hopes of catching the Tide looking the wrong way.

After the touchdown pass, the Hogs went for broke on fourth down at their own 45 and all they got was heartburn to go with their heartbreak. Before reality had set in it was 17-7, and it would get worse after Allen was intercepted and the Tide got a great punt return.

For a long time it looked like it might be a magic night for the Razorbacks, but 81 yards on one play -- almost double the total that the Hogs had rushing -- turned the Tide.

Sports on 10/11/2015