Alabama quarterback Bryce Young passed for 559 yards and 5 touchdowns, and the No. 2 Crimson Tide withstood a late challenge to beat No. 21 Arkansas 42-35 on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The Razorbacks pulled within 42-35 when KJ Jefferson threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Raheim “Rocket” Sanders with 1:02 remaining to cap a 12-play, 75-yard drive. The subsequent onside kick went out of bounds to allow the Crimson Tide to run out the clock.
Young’s passing yards shattered Alabama’s 52-year-old program record of 469 set by Scott Hunter and were the most ever thrown against an Arkansas defense. Former Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott previously held the record with 508 yards against the Razorbacks in 2015.
If not for minus-11 yards rushing, Young would have broken the record for most yards of total offense by one player against Arkansas, set by former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel (557) during a 2012 game.
The Crimson Tide had 671 offensive yards, the fourth most ever allowed by the Razorbacks and the most allowed since 2017.
Alabama (10-1, 6-1 SEC) clinched the division championship in the SEC West and will play top-ranked Georgia in the SEC Championship Game in two weeks. The Crimson Tide beat the Razorbacks for the 15th consecutive season.
Jefferson completed 22 of 30 passes for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns for Arkansas, which had 468 yards total. Jefferson also rushed for 22 yards.
The Razorbacks (7-4, 3-4) trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half, but pulled within one score on multiple occasions in the fourth quarter. Punter Reid Bauer threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to tight end Blake Kern on a fake field goal attempt with 11:24 remaining to cut Alabama's lead to 34-28.
Cornerback Montaric Brown recovered a fumble at the Razorbacks’ 1-yard line on the ensuing possession to give Arkansas possession with a chance to take the lead, but Alabama forced a three-and-out and scored on its next drive when Young threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams. Young also successfully ran for a two-point conversion.
Williams caught the pass with his upper body falling out of bounds. The ball appeared to bobble once he hit the ground, but the call of touchdown was allowed to stand after a review.
Williams, a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best receiver, had 8 catches for 190 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Razorbacks. He also scored on passes from 79 and 32 yards in the first half as the Crimson Tide built a 24-14 halftime lead.
John Metchie III added 173 yards on 10 receptions, and scored on a 20-yard pass from Young on the first play of the second quarter to put the Crimson Tide ahead 10-0.
Young completed 31 of 40 passes to 9 different receivers, strengthening his Heisman Trophy candidacy on a day when another front runner, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, threw for 6 touchdowns before halftime against Michigan State.
Arkansas' Treylon Burks battled through a first-quarter shoulder injury to catch 8 passes for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Crimson Tide. He was injured again on the onside kick attempt in the fourth quarter.
Burks' 15-yard touchdown in the second quarter cut Alabama's lead to 10-7, and he added a 66-yard touchdown in the third quarter to pull the Razorbacks within 31-21.
Will Reichard put the Crimson Tide ahead 3-0 with a 48-yard field goal in the first quarter. The teams combined for 35 points during the second quarter.
Metchie's touchdown on the first play of the second quarter capped a 9-play, 98-yard drive for Alabama, but Arkansas responded with a 13-play, 96-yard drive that ended with Burks' first score.
Young hit Williams for 79 yards two plays later to put the Crimson Tide ahead 17-7. Arkansas needed just seven plays to close the gap again at 17-14 on Dominique Johnson's 1-yard touchdown run with 3:40 remaining in the half.
Alabama scored quickly again, though, with a 6-play, 75-yard drive that was capped with Williams' second touchdown reception 1:44 before halftime.
Reichard missed a 47-yard field goal in the third quarter to keep the Razorbacks within 10 points, but he made a 30-yard attempt late in the third quarter to extend the Alabama lead to 34-21.
Arkansas kicker Cam Little lined up for a 49-yard attempt before Bauer came out of his holding crouch and fired a jump pass to Kern, who corralled the ball with hand before outrunning a pair of defenders to the end zone. Bauer was also successful on a fake field goal a week earlier at LSU when he ran for 23 yards.
The Crimson Tide remained perfect against Arkansas under 15th-year head coach Nick Saban, who improved to 18-2 all-time against the Razorbacks. Saban had a 3-2 record against Arkansas while coaching LSU from 2000-04 and has won 17 straight against the Razorbacks.
The 15 straight losses to Alabama are the most consecutive losses to any team by Arkansas. The Razorbacks lost 14 straight against Texas in non-consecutive years between 1894 and 1932.
Arkansas closes its regular season on Friday with a home game against Missouri (6-5, 3-4) at 2:30 p.m. The Razorbacks have not won in that series since 2015.