Here are some quick thoughts on Alabama’s 27-14 victory against Arkansas on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.

What it means: On a day when several top 10 teams struggled, Alabama was able to survive a slow start and stay in the hunt for both the SEC and national titles. For Arkansas, it’s a much different story. The Razorbacks played one of their best games of the season for most of the night but still came away with a loss that didn’t even look that close. There was no moral victory in what’s becoming an extremely frustrating season in Fayetteville.

What I liked: Jake Coker knows when to run. Nobody is going to describe the Alabama quarterback as a true dual threat, but he’s done a fantastic job of picking his spots to pull it down and take off the past two weeks. He’s developed a real feel for knowing when to step up and take a few yards rather than force a pass, and he was able to scramble for a key first down early in the fourth quarter. Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin has also allowed Coker to execute nice run-pass option plays, and the quarterback seems to know exactly when to take it himself or dump it off to Kenyan Drake. Kiffin probably won’t be calling a bunch of naked bootlegs or draws for Coker to run, but he’s doing just enough with his legs.

What I didn’t like: Neither team had much confidence on offense, especially early on. Alabama’s passing game seemed to regress after it seemingly figured out how to gain yardage in big chunks at Georgia. Coker didn’t seem comfortable throwing deep most of the game and made a bad decision to throw off his back foot while being hit that resulted in one of his first half interceptions. Alabama can always count on Derrick Henry to grind away and get yards, but the Tide needs more from everyone else.

Arkansas couldn’t get its running game going and if Alex Collins isn’t making yardage for the Razorbacks, it’s going to be tough for the team as a whole to move the ball. That’s particularly true when quarterback Brandon Allen is under as much pressure as he saw nearly all game. Both defenses deserve a lot of credit, but the offensive coaches have to be a bit disappointed after much stronger showings on that side of the ball by both teams a week ago.

Who’s the man: Eddie Jackson picked off a pass for the second straight week, and this one was a huge play for the Tide. Jackson read Brandon Allen’s eyes and stepped in to snag the interception in the middle of the field shortly after a Richard Mullaney touchdown gave Alabama a 17-7 lead. Jackson’s pick set up a field goal that felt at the time like it might be enough to put the Razorbacks away. Jackson is quickly becoming a big-play guy for the Tide.

Key play: Santos Ramirez came up with an interception to set up an Arkansas touchdown just before halftime, but he was responsible for Alabama getting the lead back late in the third quarter. Alabama receiver Calvin Ridley ran a perfect route, faking he would go across the middle, then blowing by Ramirez when the redshirt freshman safety stepped up on the fake. The double-move left Ridley all alone in the middle of the field, and he hauled in the pass from Coker and went into the end zone untouched for an 81-yard touchdown to give the Crimson Tide a 10-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

What’s next: Alabama travels to Texas A&M for what very well could be the key game in deciding the SEC West crown. Obviously, LSU and Ole Miss will have something to say about that, but it won’t get a whole lot bigger in the division than the matchup between the Crimson Tide and Aggies. The Tide might be riding high at the moment, but we’ll see how much better it responds to a high-profile spread offense such as A&M’s and whether or not new Texas A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis can cook up a scheme to slow down the Alabama offense.

For Arkansas, it’s a week off to regroup and prepare for a pair of extremely winnable games coming up. The Razorbacks get Auburn at home on Oct. 24 and follow it up the next weekend with a homecoming tilt versus Tennessee Martin. If Arkansas can win those two, then getting to six wins and a bowl game isn’t out of the question. Any slip-ups in the next three weeks, and you can just about officially declare 2015 a failure.