Tide notebook: Little things helped Bama roll

TUSCALOOSA — After a game in which Alabama scored three touchdowns on plays of 50 yards or longer, quarterback Greg McElroy allowed himself a lesser moment to savor.

Arkansas had pinned Alabama inside its 1-yard line with a punt. McElroy got the Razorbacks to jump offsides on first down. Given that bit of breathing room, the Crimson Tide went 99 yards in 13 plays and more than six minutes.

“That’s something I was really happy about,” McElroy said Monday. “That’s a momentum killer for them. They pin us within the 1-yard line. That’s tough to rebound from. ... That was definitely a turning point in the game.”

OK, he might have overstated the “turning point” part. The score gave the Tide a 35-7 lead in the fourth quarter.

Still, Arkansas lineman DeQuinta Jones blasted center William Vlachos, McElroy’s roommate, for five free yards.

“It’s a big play, getting somebody to jump offsides, especially to start a 99-yard drive,” the quarterback said. “I was really happy that that guy hit William as hard as he did. William deserves to get hit every once in a while.”

Vlachos was happy to take one for the team.

“I’d rather take that hit than be on the one-inch line. So it was fine,” said the center, who hinted it wasn’t as big a lick as McElroy thought.

“A little acting there, but, you know, we got it,” Vlachos said with a smile.

McElroy said a hip pointer injury he sustained against the Hogs wasn’t serious.

“It was on the third touchdown,” McElroy recalled. “I rolled out to my right and threw it to Mark. As I was getting tackled I landed on my right hip. ... Nothing too serious, just a little sore.”

Tide on TV: This week’s game at Kentucky will kick off at 11:20 a.m. CDT on the SEC Network.

Television for Alabama’s Oct. 10 game at Ole Miss hasn’t been determined.

CBS utilized its six-day hold on the game. CBS is going to televise an SEC doubleheader that week. The nightcap will be the Florida at LSU game at 7 p.m.

But the network is waiting on this week’s results to set the lineup. The Alabama-Ole Miss kickoff will be no later than 2:30 p.m. on CBS. Other possible networks and times are ESPN at 11 a.m., ESPNU at 11:30 a.m. or SEC Network at 11:20 a.m.

In addition to Florida at LSU (CBS, 7 p.m.), Oct. 10 games that have been set are Kentucky at South Carolina (FSN, 11:30 a.m., and Vanderbilt at Army (CBS College Sports, 11:00 a.m., have already been selected for Oct. 10. The games under hold are Alabama at Ole Miss, Auburn at Arkansas and Georgia at Tennessee.

Players of the Week: Freshman Trent Richardson, whose spectacular 52-yard run in the second quarter was the game’s first score, was one of two offensive players singled out by coaches from the Kentucky game.

Richardson finished with 65 yards on nine carries and earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors. Receiver Marquis Maze, who caught an 80-yard touchdown pass and whose key block sprung Mark Ingram on a 14-yard TD reception, was also recognized by the coaching staff.

Linebacker Rolando McClain (five tackles, one for loss) and cornerback Javier Arenas (four tackles, three for lost yardage, two sacks) were the defensive standouts.

On special teams, Chris Rogers, Tyrone King and Lorenzo Washington earned accolades.

Washington blocked a punt, which set up Alabama’s fourth touchdown in the third quarter. The senior, who also starts at defensive end, had containment responsibilities on the play. Arkansas punter Dylan Breeding tried a rugby-style punt after running to his right.

“He started rolling to me, so when he decided to kick it, I just threw my arms up,” said Washington, who sounded surprised at the play. “If he would have just punted normally, went straight up, I wouldn’t have been anywhere near him. I don’t know why he rolled out. I guess maybe he was going to try a fake or something. ... I don’t know.”