Alcorn State @ Arkansas preview

Arkansas missed out on a chance to make an early statement in the SEC West with a loss to Texas A&M last week but still has an opportunity to get things right before facing off against No. 1 Alabama on Oct. 8. The 22nd-ranked Razorbacks will tune up for that battle by hosting FCS Alcorn State off campus at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Ark., on Saturday.

The biggest challenge for Arkansas this weekend will be fighting the urge to look past the Braves with Alabama coming up in Week 5 and Ole Miss visiting in Week 6. The Razorbacks dropped a 45-24 decision to the Aggies last week but still feel good about the team thanks to quarterback Austin Allen, who threw for a career-high 371 yards and a pair of touchdowns without an interception in his first SEC start. "When you have a quarterback that plays the way (Allen) does, you got a chance every Saturday," Arkansas coach Bret Bielema told reporters. "It shows up in our league, it shows up in high school, it shows up in the NFL. When you have a guy with that toughness, of that caliber, and your team can rally behind you, you have a chance every week." Allen leads the SEC in completion percentage (66.9) and has thrown at least two TD passes in each of the first four games.

TV: Noon, ET, SEC Network. LINE: Off

ABOUT ALCORN STATE (1-2): The Braves are coming off a pair of losses in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and were beaten up 43-18 at Grambling last week. Freshman Noah Johnson got the start at quarterback against Grambling after a strong performance the previous week but was replaced in the second quarter by junior Lenorris Footman. Both quarterbacks could use more help from the defense, which is allowing an average of 324.7 passing yards and 11 passing TDs despite senior linebacker Darien Anderson getting after opposing quarterbacks for 6.5 sacks.

ABOUT ARKANSAS (3-1): Sophomore running back Rawleigh Williams is helping to keep some of the pressure off Allen by averaging 108.3 yards and a touchdown through the first four games, though he had a more difficult time finding holes while rushing for a season-low 79 yards against the Aggies. The Razorbacks have had difficulty with opposing rushing attacks, especially against teams with running quarterbacks like TCU's Kenny Hill and Texas A&M's Trevor Knight. Dre Greenlaw leads that defense with 32 tackles while Jeremiah Ledbetter's 2.5 sacks pace the pass rush.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Arkansas lost three fumbles last week after losing just one in the previous three games.

2. The Braves offensive line has surrendered only one sack on the season.

3. The Razorbacks are converting 43 percent of their third downs and are 5-of-7 on fourth down.

PREDICTION: Arkansas 70, Alcorn State 13