It has been a tough season, but there is no denying that Arkansas hasn’t quit and is going to continue to give everything they have. In the matchup at Alabama, the Razorbacks battled until the last second, losing 24-21.

The Razorbacks were down 21-6 at the half, and the game could have easily turned into an absolute rout in Tuscaloosa. However, the team stayed together and competed, cutting the lead to 3 and even having the ball with a chance to take a lead late.

While college football isn’t about moral victories, Razorback Nation and coach Sam Pittman have to be proud of the way his team has continued to battle despite being on a 5-game losing streak.

Player of the Week: DL Landon Jackson

This is a pretty easy one, as Jackson was absolutely special on the defensive line. In the game against Alabama, Jackson finished with 11 tackles and 3.5 sacks. He entered the game with 19 total tackles and 2 sacks, and put together one of the best individual defensive performances of the year.

The 6-foot-7, 281-pound junior had a game-of-a-lifetime type performance on Saturday, as he absolutely dominated the Alabama offensive lineman. The Razorbacks had 5 sacks in the game, but don’t be surprised if Jackson wins some player of the week awards.

Freshman/Newcomer of the Week:  LB Jaheim Thomas

It was another defensive player who was the newcomer of the week, as the linebacker also had his best day as a Razorback. Thomas finished with 10 tackles and 0.5 sacks and was just all over the field the entire day. He has been on a tear as of late, as he has double-digit tackles in five of his seven games.

He began his career at Cincinnati and is having the best season of his career. If he comes back next year as expected, there could be a ton of talent on the Razorback defense.

Biggest surprise: Defense got after the quarterback

The Razorbacks had 5 sacks in the game against Alabama and had only 16 entering the game. The Crimson Tide are known for always having one of the better offensive lines in the country, and very few teams are able to sack an Alabama quarterback 5 times.

Quarterback Jalen Milroe was able to hit some deep passes, but the defense of the Razorbacks put together an outstanding performance

Biggest concern: Zero ability to rush the ball

It has been a major issue all year, but the Razorbacks haven’t been able to run the ball at all. Arkansas made the switch this season to become more of a passing team than in years past, but the rushing attack has become non-existent.

Through seven games this year, Arkansas has rushed the ball 261 times for 769 yards. That is an average of 2.9 yards per carry with only 109.9 yards per game.  Last season, they rushed the ball 605 times for 3,075 yards. That was good for 5.1 yards per carry, and they rushed for 236.5 yards per game.

Not being able to come close to those numbers has made it extremely difficult for this team to close out games, which has been a trend the entire season.

Developing trend: Can’t find ways to win close games

It is very impressive to see how competitive Arkansas has been this season, but the Razorbacks just haven’t been able to get the win. Of the five losses on the year, Arkansas has lost four of those games by a touchdown or less. The worst loss the Razorbacks have on the season is a 12-point loss to Texas A&M.

It started with the loss to BYU, as the Razorbacks lost that game 38-31. They were winning that game 31-21, but couldn’t score in the final 26 minutes of the game in the loss.

This team has been so close to winning some of these games but just hasn’t been able to get it done. Three of their losses are also on the road against teams that are all in the top 19.

Key Stat: 4-for-14 on 3rd downs

A big reason why they are unable to win those close games is because they can’t sustain drives and convert 3rd downs. That is where the struggles on the ground this year have been extremely noticeable. With the way the Razorbacks ran the ball last year, they were able to get easy first downs and would turn long drives into touchdowns.

If Arkansas is going to try and make a run at the bowl game, then the Razorbacks will have to start converting 3rd downs.

First impression about Week 8

Arkansas has done so many good things, but it hasn’t ended up in a victory in some time. The Razorbacks will be playing Mississippi State this week, and this could be a good opportunity for Arkansas to get a win. Like Arkansas, the Bulldogs are winless in the SEC and have not been able to get anything consistently going.

This is a golden opportunity for the Razorbacks to get on the right track and try to salvage what is left of their season.