.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
The final score didn't impress Alabama wide receiver Kevin Norwood much.
The top-ranked Crimson Tide easily handled heavy underdog Western Kentucky 35-0 on Saturday, but the pass protection was surprisingly iffy and the run game wasn't as prominently displayed as usual. It left coach Nick Saban with some fairly painless teaching points ahead of the Southeastern Conference opener at an Arkansas team that was upset by Louisiana-Monroe a few hours later.
''We definitely can't play like we played,'' Norwood said after the game. ''I mean, 35-0 might seem good for the fans or whatever, but we know that deep down inside we didn't play our best.''
For Alabama (2-0), that just meant the score didn't get into embarrassingly lopsided territory. It also might have provided a small dose of reality for the Tide after an overpowering opening win over No. 17 Michigan.
The Razorbacks (1-1) were stunned 34-31 by the Warhawks in overtime, deflating some of the hype leading up to what would have been a second top-10 matchup in the Tide's first three games. Arkansas dropped from No. 8 clear out of the AP Top 25.
It's still a showdown between two of the presumed SEC West front-runners.
''We're playing Alabama, you know; it's the opening SEC game, so everything they want to get done they can still get done,'' Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said.
Plus, the Warhawks proved strange things can happen.
''They showed up and beat us, there's no reason why we can't show up and beat Alabama,'' Petrino said.
The Tide left Saban with some tidying up to do.
''There are certainly a lot of things that we need to work on and improve on rolling into SEC play,'' he said. ''Arkansas is a very good team. Lots of people picked them to be the best team in our division.''
That is, just about anybody who didn't pick either Alabama or No. 3 LSU.
The Western Kentucky game didn't necessarily point out shortcomings in either the blocking or the run game, both of which figure to be the biggest strengths of the offense even with quarterback AJ McCarron and the passing game flourishing against the Hilltoppers (1-1).
Alabama allowed six sacks for minus 48 yards against Western Kentucky - and two against Michigan.
''I think we learned that anytime we don't bring our best, we're pretty average,'' Tide center Barrett Jones said. ''I think that goes for any other unit on the field.''
The rushing numbers - 31 carries, 103 yards - took a substantial hit from the sacks. Tailbacks T.J. Yeldon and Eddie Lacy got only nine and six carries, respectively. The biggest concern for the ground game was a left knee injury for 242-pound running back Jalson Fowler. No update was available Sunday afternoon.
McCarron, meanwhile, threw for 219 yards and four touchdowns, and receivers Kevin Norwood and Christion Jones got loose for big plays. Both had two touchdown catches. Norwood has six catches for 145 yards in two games, emerging as McCarron's go-to receiver so far, at least.
The performance through the air also gave the Razorbacks food for thought. Louisiana-Monroe's Kolton Monroe passed for 412 yards against them.
''Everyone knows we're going to run but one thing we have to do to affect the running game is have a great passing game,'' Christion Jones said. ''When we ran the ball, we did a decent job but we didn't do as usual because of the miscues with blocking assignments and pressure that we didn't pick up.''
Just another teaching point.
