Is there anything University of Arkansas punter Reid Bauer can’t do?
Obviously, Bauer can’t place kick, but as he’s shown the last two games at LSU and Alabama, he also can run and pass effectively.
Bauer, a redshirt junior from Magnolia, Texas, threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to tight Blake Kern on a fake field goal in the fourth quarter of the Razorbacks loss against the Crimson Tide on Saturday.
The pass by Bauer — who holds on field goal and extra-point attempts for kicker Cam Little — pulled Arkansas within 34-28 with 11:24 to play.
Kern reached back and made a one-handed grab on his way to the end zone.
When the Razorbacks beat LSU 16-13 in overtime as Tiger Stadium last week, Bauer had a 23-yard run on a fake field goal.
Bauer’s run set up a 29-yard field by Little that put Arkansas ahead 13-10 with 37 seconds left in the third quarter.
If Little had attempted a field goal on the fake, it would have been from 53 yards.
Bauer also had a good day punting as he averaged 44.5 yards on six kicks and had two downed inside the Alabama 20.
Make it 20
Arkansas redshirt sophomore quarterback KJ Jefferson threw three touchdown passes — two to Treylon Burks and one to Raheim Sanders — to give him 20 for the season.
Jefferson is now tied with Brandon Allen for eighth on the Razorbacks’ list for most touchdown passes in the season.
Allen threw 20 touchdown passes in 2014.
Immediately ahead of Jefferson is Tyler Wilson, who had 21 touchdown passes in 2012. Wilson had 24 touchdown passes in 2011.
Burks nearly had four touchdown passes against Alabama, but what first was ruled a 41-yard score to Warren Thompson in the second quarter was overturned when the replay booth determined Thompson’s knee was down inside the 1-yard line.
Running back Dominique Johnson then scored on the next play.
Ryan Mallett holds the Arkansas season record with 32 passes in 2010.
200 over
Alabama Coach Nick Saban improved to 266-66-1 in 26 seasons as a college head coach at Toledo, Michigan State, LSU and with the Crimson Tide.
So Saturday’s outcome made Saban 200 games over .500 for his career record with an average of 10 victories for all of those 26 seasons.
With the Crimson Tide now 10-1, Saban’s Alabama teams have won at least 10 games in 14 consecutive seasons.
Kern catches on
Arkansas senior tight end Blake Kern had season-highs of three catches and 47 yards and scored his second touchdown of the year. He also caught a touchdown pass in the Razorbacks’ 45-3 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Anderson’s updated totals
Alabama sophomore outside linebacker Will Anderson added to his national-leading totals for tackles for losses and sacks.
Anderson had 3 1/2 tackles for 17 yards in losses against Arkansas to give him 27 1/2 for 113 on the season. He also had one sack to give him 13 1/2 this season for 79 yards in losses and 11 tackles for a total of 79.
Taking down Young
The Razorbacks sacked Alabama quarterback Bryce Young four times for 33 yards in losses.
Linebacker Hayden Henry sacked Young for a 4-yard loss, lineman Eric Gregory had a 9-yard sack and cornerback Montaric Brown and safety Simeon Blair each had 4-yard sacks.
Vs. ranked teams
Arkansas is now 2-3 against teams ranked in this week’s College Football Playoff poll.
The Razorbacks have beaten No. 16 Texas A&M and No. 25 Mississippi State and lost to No. 1 Georgia and No. 12 Ole Miss along with No. 2 Alabama.
Sweet home Alabama
Alabama improved to 61-2 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in its last 63 games. The two losses were to Ole Miss 43-37 in 2015 and to LSU 46-41 in 2019.
Coach Nick Saban is 96-8 in home games as Alabama’s coach.
For starters
Arkansas cornerback LaDarrius Bishop was back in the starting lineup after Hudson Clark started last week. Clark was out after sustain a concussion at LSU.
Nickel back Greg Brooks was back in the starting lineup for Jayden Johnson and safety Simeon Blair was back as well for Malik Chavis.
Beating ranked opponents
Alabama is 70-17 against nationally ranked teams since 2008 with the Tide’s victory over No. 21 Arkansas.
No miracle
Alabama Coach Nick Saban is now 18-2 against Arkansas, including 3-2 at LSU and 15-0 with the Tide.
Saban’s teams have won 17 in a row over the Razorbacks since Arkansas beat LSU 21-20 in Little Rock in 2002 on Matt Jones’ last-second touchdown pass to DeCori Birmingham to cap an improbable winning drive. The game is known as “The Miracle on Markham.”
Nice invite
Arkansas senior deep snapper Jordan Silver posted on his Twitter account this week that he’s been invited to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl, one of the top college all-star games.
Musselmans make trip
Arkansas basketball Coach Eric Musselman and his wife, Danyelle, attended the game and sat in the visiting athletic director’s suite, along with AD Hunter Yurachek and deputy AD Jon Fagg.
Bowl and NFL scouts
Representatives of the Citrus Bowl and Liberty Bowl were in attendance as well as scouts representing four NFL teams, including three from the San Francisco 49ers led by General Manager John Lynch.