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Coffee, defense fuel Alabama in rout

Sep 20, 2008 - 8:56 PM FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas (Ticker) -- Glen Coffee rushed for two touchdowns and the defense added a pair of scores Saturday, leading 13th-ranked Alabama to a 49-14 rout of Arkansas in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.

Coffee finished with a career-high 164 yards on 11 carries and scored on runs of 87 and 32 yards.

Javier Arenas returned an interception for a 64-yard score in the first quarter and fellow defensive back Justin Woodall added a 73-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second as the Crimson Tide (4-0, 1-0 SEC West) took a 35-7 lead into the break.

"This wasn't one of our best games, in terms of overall execution," said Alabama coach Nick Saban, who owns a 5-2 record against Arkansas. "But we did control the line of scrimmage and we won the turnover battle, and that was the big difference in the game."

It marked the first time in school history that Alabama scored two touchdowns on interception returns in one game.

"(The interceptions) were bad plays," Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino said. "(Quarterback Casey Dick) executed well up until that point. We just need to execute better. He needs to come back from it."

Dick passed for 183 yards and a TD with three interceptions for the Razorbacks (2-1, 0-1), who suffered their worst loss since falling to Southern California by a 50-14 margin on September 2, 2006.

Alabama jumped out to an early lead as its offensive line - led by tackle Andre Smith - overmatched Arkansas' front seven.

"We have one of the best offensive lines in the country," Coffee said. "They blocked well today. You can't do a better job of blocking than they did today."

"They did a nice job today; there is no doubt about it. We made some big-play runs and it was all because of the way we blocked them up front," Saban added. "The backs did a good job of pressing the hole and making the cuts they needed to make and Glen (Coffee) had a great run on the 87-yard run, but the left side - Mike Johnson and Smitty (Andre Smith) - they waxed them."

Mark Ingram's 1-yard TD run, Coffee's 87-yard burst and Arenas' first defensive score of the year provided the Crimson Tide with a 21-0 edge at the end of the opening period.

The Razorbacks cut into the deficit early in the second as Dick found tight end Andrew Davie for a 12-yard score.

But Alabama answered when John Parker Wilson connected with freshman Julio Jones for a 26-yard touchdown. The Crimson Tide sealed the victory on Woodall's score midway through the second quarter.

"I was thinking touchdown and not getting caught from behind," Woodall said. "It was fun out there today and winning by that big of a margin."

Wilson, who set a school record with his 42nd career TD pass, completed 6-of-14 passes for 73 yards and was helped by a rushing attack that racked up 339 yards.