Alabama improved its record to 2-0 on Saturday with a 35-0 defeat of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.  The Crimson Tide took control of the contest from the opening kickoff and the outcome of the game was never in doubt.   It was far from a perfect performance, however, and the win may have provided more questions than answers.

     Most of those questions revolve around an offensive line that has been consistently touted as the best in the nation.  That may prove to be the case as the season goes on, but their performance on Saturday was sub-par at best.

     Most glaringly, quarterback AJ McCarron was sacked six times for a total of 48 yards.  The sacks were a combination of lethargic offensive line play, lack of pocket awareness by McCarron and an inspired effort by the Hilltopper defense.

     The sacks were clearly on the mind of Coach Saban following the game.  “We didn’t do a very good job in pass protection having six sacks”, Saban said.  “Three or four of those were just that guys got beat.”

     When not flat on his back, McCarron had a very productive day throwing the ball.  He completed 14 of 19 passes for 219 yards and four touchdowns.  The junior from Mobile is the first Alabama quarterback to throw for at least four touchdown passes in more than one game.  McCarron also threw four against Vanderbilt last season.

     After running almost at will in the opening game against Michigan, the Tide struggled mightily on the ground against the Hilltoppers.  Alabama finished the day with 103 yards rushing on 31 attempts.  The two longest runs of the day were 18 yards by punter Cody Mandell after a dropped snap and 32 yards late in the fourth quarter by fifth-string running back Kenyon Drake.

     There are plenty of areas that must be improved on if Alabama is going to make a run for the SEC and National Championship titles.  The first big challenge will come Saturday when Saban takes the team on the road to face Arkansas.  Could it be that the focus of the team had drifted ahead?  If so, the same can be said for the Razorbacks who didn’t just struggle, but were upset by Louisana-Monroe 34-31 in overtime.

     It was the Warhawks first victory over an SEC team since they upset Alabama in 2007.  Next week they’ll travel to Auburn and try to make it two in a row.

     Arkansas had built a 21-7 first half lead when starting quarterback Tyler Wilson went out with what is described as an “above the shoulders” injury.  The status of Wilson remains unclear at this time, but all indications are that he suffered a concussion.  He had completed 11 of 20 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns before being injured.  Wilson was replaced by Brandon Allen, who completed just 6 of 20 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown.

     Like Alabama, Arkansas had difficulty gaining yardage on the ground.  The Razorbacks were able to produce just 96 rushing yards on 26 attempts.  The defense also had an uninspired effort, giving up 550 yards of total offense.

     If the Alabama offensive line plays up to its potential, the Tide should have a productive day against the Arkansas defense.  The skill players are in place at both the running back and receiver positions.  When given the proper pass protection, it is clear that McCarron and his receivers are on the same page and there is clearly no shortage of talent in the backfield.  It all starts with the big men up front, though, and they’ll need to live up to their billing this week.

     The Alabama defense is not the immovable force that last year’s unit was.  The truth is, it wasn’t expected to be nor does it have to be.  Every team has its own identity and the 2012 Alabama defense looks to be very opportunistic in creating turnovers.  The defense has caused four turnovers in each of its two games and the offense has yet to turn the ball over.

     Cornerback Dee Milliner (hip flexor) and nose tackle Jesse Williams (concussion) are both expected to return this week after being held out for precautionary reasons against Western Kentucky.  Saban said both players could have played Saturday if necessary.  Their absences gave other players some much needed playing time and could prove to be beneficial as the Tide looks to build depth on the defense.

     For the most part the injury news is good heading into SEC play.  On the downside, Jalston Fowler suffered a knee injury and will undergo an MRI.   He has played a variety of roles so far including running back, fullback and tight-end/H-back.  The potential loss of Fowler looms large for this offense.

     Alabama has two easy wins under its belt and Arkansas lost to a big underdog.  That makes the Crimson Tide the favorite in its first SEC game of the season.  That doesn’t translate into an easy win, however.  There are questions yet to be answered and the real test begins Saturday in Fayetteville.