No. 2 Alabama takes on No. 25 Arkansas in SEC West matchup

Updated Nov. 18, 2021 2:11 a.m. ET

Associated Press

A look at Week 12 in the Southeastern Conference:

GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 25 Arkansas (7-3, 3-3) at No. 2 Alabama (9-1, 5-1)

The host Crimson Tide are in the driver’s seat for another Western Division championship with a one-game lead over No. 10 Mississippi and holding the tiebreaker after beating the Rebels last month. They

BEST MATCHUP

Arkansas’ No. 6 rushing game faces Alabama’s third-ranked rushing defense. The Hogs managed “just” 141 yards last week against the Tigers but average 233.5 yards per game on the ground to rank second in the SEC. That’s impressive considering they don’t have a rusher among the top 10 in the conference. What they have is sophomore Dominique Johnson, who has gone from fifth string to lead the team with 456 yards and six touchdowns on 71 carries. Finding yardage will be tough against Alabama, which held non-league New Mexico State to just nine yards rushing last week. The Crimson Tide rank second in SEC rushing defense (81.5 yards per game) behind stingy Georgia and have allowed only Florida (246 yards) and LSU (109) past the century mark this season.

LONG SHOT

As if this season hasn’t been tough enough for Vanderbilt (2-8, 0-6), the Commodores and their SEC-worst defense faces the league’s best offense at Ole Miss. The ‘Dores are allowing 458.1 yards per game and rank 119th among 130 FBS teams. Meanwhile, the Rebels’ high-powered offense led by QB Matt Corral averages 522.2 yards (No. 3 FBS) and 36.9 points per game. Another offensive juggernaut awaits Vandy next week against rival Tennessee, but for now it must hope for the best as a 36.5-point underdog, according to

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers threw a school-record six touchdowns in last week’s 43-34 win over Auburn that also marked the program’s biggest comeback. The Bulldogs have a school-record 412 completions this season, shattering last year’s mark of 373. ... Florida allowed a season-high 530 yards against FCS Samford but won a surprising

IMPACT PLAYER

Alabama junior receiver Jameson Williams has registered 441 yards and four TDs on 22 receptions the past three games with his two best efforts over the past two weeks in particular. Against LSU, he caught 10 passes for the second time this season for 160 yards and a score before following up with six receptions for 158 and three TDs against New Mexico State. Williams leads SEC receivers with 1,028 yards and 10 TDs and is averaging 20.2 yards per catch.

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