Arkansas wins uninspiring battle against FCS North Alabama
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Arkansas football is 1-0 after defeating FCS North Alabama 31-14. While there were some strong individual performances to note on Saturday, that’s about where the good news begins and ends for the Razorbacks.
Week 1’s win over North Alabama was uninspiring, to say the least. The Razorbacks turned the ball over 3 times and averaged just 3 yards per rush against a team they should have dominated. On top of that, North Alabama trailed by just 2 touchdowns for the majority of the 4th quarter — that should be unacceptable for an SEC team, even one with a new head coach.
KJ Jackson struggled in the pocket (that is, when a pocket existed), didn’t push the ball downfield and threw 1 interception on the evening. He finished his 2026 debut 24-35 with 267 passing yards and 3 touchdowns.
In fairness to Jackson, it’s tough to properly play the quarterback position without a functional offensive line. The Razorbacks’ unit struggled to get push against North Alabama, the weakest team they will face all season. Arkansas needs considerable improvement in the trenches if they want to sniff an SEC win this season.
Chris Marshall had perhaps the best day for Arkansas’s offense. The Boise State transfer totaled 7 receptions for 79 yards, ranking behind only North Alabama’s Xavier Johnson for the game-high.
It’s all uphill for the Razorbacks moving forward. Arkansas is set to travel to Salt Lake City for their Week 2 matchup against Utah, which is set to kick off at 9:15 p.m. CT.
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
