The repeat national championship bid is off to a good start for No. 1 Alabama (1-0), who beat Louisville 51-14 in Orlando. In Week 2, the home opener, the Crimson Tide get a pre-SEC tuneup facing the Arkansas State Red Wolves out of the Sun Belt Conference. Below, find the score, live updates and stats for the Arkansas State-Alabama football game.

Arkansas State-Alabama football: score, live updates, stats

FINAL: Arkansas State 7 Alabama 57

4TH QUARTER

  • SCORE: 12:06 – Alabama RB Najee Harris one-yard run for TD. XP good. Arkansas State 7 Alabama 57

3RD QUARTER

  • SCORE: 1:30 – Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa 14-yard pass to Derek Kief. XP good. Arkansas State 7 Alabama 50
  • SCORE: 9:46 – Alabama K Joseph Bulovas 39-yard field goal good. Arkansas State 7 Alabama 43
  • SCORE: 12:28 – Arkansas State QB Justice Hansen 23-yard pass to Kendrick Edwards for TD. XP good. Arkansas State 7 Alabama 40

HALFTIME: Arkansas State 0 Alabama 40

2ND QUARTER

  • SCORE: 6:44 – Arkansas State QB Justice Hansen pass intercepted by Alabama DB Saivion Smith, returned 38 yards for TD. XP good. Arkansas State 0 Alabama 40
  • SCORE: 7:43 – Alabama QB Jalen Hurts seven-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy for TD. XP good. Arkansas State 0 Alabama 33
  • SCORE: 8:52 – Alabama QB Jalen Hurts 10-yard pass to Irv Smith for TD. XP good. Arkansas State 0 Alabama 26

1ST QUARTER

  • SCORE: 3:00 – Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa 41-yard pass to DeVonta Smith for TD. XP no good. Arkansas State 0 Alabama 19
  • SCORE: 11:30 – Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa 31-yard pass to Henry Rugs III for TD. XP no good. Arkansas State 0 Alabama 13
  • SCORE: 13:19 – Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa 58-yard pass to WR Jerry Jeudy for TD. XP good. Arkansas State 0 Alabama 7

All times are ET. Odds via MyBookie.

TV channel: The Arkansas State-Alabama game will air on ESPN2.

Time: The Arkansas State-Alabama game kicks off at 3:30 p.m.

Location: The Arkansas State-Alabama game will be played at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Odds: Alabama is favored by 36.5 points.

The lead up

SDS News: ESPN analyst Trevor Matich explains where Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa can improve

On Thursday, Paul Finebaum asked ESPN analyst Trevor Matich a question defensive coordinators all over the SEC will be asking themselves all season — where does he need to improve?

“He needs to make sure he doesn’t take the big sack,” answered Matich. “He needs to make sure he doesn’t force the ball into a place it shouldn’t go. He needs to not believe his own hype because the laws of physics still apply to him.

“That football will not disappear inside a defender’s chest and then materialize on the opposite side into the hands of his receiver. So he’s got to make sure he stays football humble.”

SDS News: Arkansas State players respect Alabama, feeling confident heading into Week 2 matchup

The Red Wolves are cautiously optimistic heading into Saturday’s action against the No. 1 team in the country.

“It’s just another game,” WR Justin McInnis said. “We know we’ve got one of the best receiving corps in the nation. So if we go out there and play like we can play, sky’s the limit for our group. Sky’s the limit for our offense, sky’s the limit for our team. Definitely confident.”

Nick Saban finally ends the debate: ‘Everybody knows that Tua (Tagovailoa) is going to start’

The debate that raged on all offseason is officially over — Tua Tagovailoa is Alabama’s starting quarterback.

“I think everybody knows that Tua (Tagovailoa) is going to start this game, and we’re going to use Jalen (Hurts)’s skill set however we can to benefit the team,” Saban said during his Monday media availability.

SDS executive editor Chris Wright: How should Nick Saban handle Jalen Hurts? We have a few ideas

The quarterback conversation has shifted in Tuscaloosa and now the biggest question is: What to do with Jalen Hurts? Play him? Sit him? Save him?

We knew this day was coming. If you weren’t convinced that Tua Tagovailoa won the starting job with his heroic relief appearance in the national title game, surely there was no doubt after Hurts’ uninspiring performance in the A-Day game.