SABAN REMAINS painful thorn in Hogs’ side.

FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas has had its struggles against Alabama for a while, but specifically against the Crimson Tide with Coach Nick Saban at the helm.

Saturday’s 52-3 loss to Alabama and Saban was the 14th in a row for the Razorbacks in the series, the longest continuous losing streak to one opponent in consecutive years in Arkansas history.

Prior to the current streak, the series was tied 8-8 with Arkansas receiving one forfeit victory in 1993 for the Tide’s use of an ineligible player and the 2005 result (a 24-13 Alabama win in Tuscaloosa, Ala.) being vacated by a ruling of the NCAA Committee on Infractions.

Saban hasn’t lost to Arkansas since the original “Miracle on Markham” game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock 18 years ago. Saban improved to 17-2 against Arkansas.

Arkansas was 2-3 against Saban’s LSU teams from 2000-04, including a 21-20 victory in 2002. In that game Matt Jones’ lastsecond touchdown pass to DeCori Birmingham and David Carlton’s 35-yard extra point, following a celebration penalty, lifted the Razorbacks to the victory and a spot in the SEC Championship Game.

Alabama’s 14-year winning streak is the longest by an Arkansas opponent in consecutive years. Texas has the second-longest streak. The Longhorns beat the Razorbacks 12 years in a row from 1939-50.

Alabama tied Texas for the longest winning streak ever against Arkansas, but the Longhorns’ 14 consecutive victories were spread out from 1894 through 1932 before the Razorbacks snapped the streak with a 20-6 victory in 1933 in Austin, Texas.

Arkansas’ last victory against Alabama was 24-23 in double overtime in 2006 in Fayetteville.

Bishop to CB1

Sophomore LaDarrius Bishop made his first start of the season at cornerback on Saturday, pairing with Montaric Brown to give the Razorbacks an all-Ashdown set of corners.

Bishop’s move was part of a general shake-up in the secondary, where he had been backup nickel back to sophomore Greg Brooks Jr. Freshman Nick Turner started at nickel with Brooks not in the starting lineup. Both Bishop and Turner finished with 7 tackles, fourth on the day behind linebacker Bumper Pool (13), safety Jalen Catalon (10) and safety Myles Mason (8).

“They played great,” Catalon said of Bishop and Turner. “There were a couple of moments where it showed [Turner] was a freshman. Overall, he didn’t back down from anybody.

“There was a couple of times he guarded DeVonta Smith, who is arguably the best college football receiver there is. He guarded him with no hesitation whatsoever. He was ready.”

Coach Sam Pittman was asked about Bishop’s play.

“Obviously he’s one of the fastest guys on our team, so we wanted to move him out there,” Pittman said. “I’m not positive how he played. I’d have to look at the [tape]. I know he played hard. He came running by me a couple of times and made some good hits. I know he played awful hard.”

Bishop was credited with Arkansas’ only tackle for loss on the day, when he rocked Thaiu JonesBell for a 2-yard loss on a bubble screen.

Pick pocketed

Jalen Catalon’s thirdquarter interception, which would have been his fourth pick of the season and most for a Razorback since Tramain Thomas notched five in 2011, was wiped out due to a targeting penalty on linebacker Hayden Henry.

The hit on a falling Mac Jones came just after he released the illadvised pass in the end zone. Catalon returned the interception 43 yards, and nearly broke it for a wouldbe touchdown.

“I knew he was scrambling, so I just used my scrambling rules and I followed him in,” Catalon said. “He threw it and I just jumped it.

“I saw the [Henry] hit. They said it was targeting. It is what it is. I wish it would have stood, but that’s football, and you’ve just got to keep playing.”

Defending Jones

Arkansas employed largely zone coverage schemes that were intended to keep superfast receivers DaVonta Smith and John Metchie from beating them deep and making quarterback Mac Jones beat them with underneath throws.

Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian called several deep-shot plays but only completed a couple, none to Smith, and Jones successfully operated the attack with check downs and underneath throws.

Jones completed 24 of 29 passes for 208 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions, and a long gain of 23 yards to Metchie.

“The back end I thought played very well,” linebacker Bumper Pool said. “I don’t think Mac got super hot. Testament to our DBs, who really just put in the work this week.

“I talked to y’all last week, saying that we’ve got to get back to work, and that’s what we did this week. And I’m very proud of them, and all the guys that contributed.”

Bax gripe

Arkansas tight end Nathan Bax drew some criticism on the ESPN broadcast and social media on Saturday for his special teams stop against Alabama wideout and return man DaVonta Smith, who scored the first touchdown of the game on an 84-yard punt return.

Smith took exception to Bax’s “gator roll” after he and Deon Edwards tackled Smith near midfield late in the first quarter on his next punt return.

After the quarter break, ESPN showed a replay of the tackle and Smith’s heated reaction, with analyst Dan Orlovsky saying, “I’m not going to accuse, but it certainly looks like there’s some intent on the twist and roll.”

Smith appeared to come up a little gimpy, but he stayed in the game and caught a bubble screen two plays later. He finished with three catches for 22 yards.

A cold one

The 36-degree temperature at kickoff made Saturday’s contest the seventh-coldest game for Arkansas since weather records started being recorded in 1990.

The coldest kickoff time since then was the 29 degrees at kickoff for two games, including the Razorbacks’ 20-17 Liberty Bowl victory over East Carolina on Jan. 2, 2010, in Memphis. It was also 29 degrees for a home game against Baylor on Nov. 2, 1991.

The kickoff temperature at Reynolds Razorback Stadium was 31 degrees for three games: vs. LSU in 1992, vs. Auburn in 1993, and vs. Southwestern Louisiana in 1995.

On Nov. 15, 2014, the day Arkansas snapped a 17-game SEC losing streak with a 17-0 win over No. 17 LSU, the temperature at kickoff was 33 degrees.

52 again

Alabama scored 52 points against the Razorbacks for the third time in the 31-game history of the series with Saturday’s 52-3 romp.

The Crimson Tide, ranked No. 1 both seasons, walloped Arkansas 52-0 in 2012 and 2013, the first of those on a rainy day under interim Arkansas Coach John L. Smith at Reynolds Razorback Stadium, and the second with Bret Bielema at the Razorback helm.

Against No. 1

Arkansas fell to 4-22 against No. 1 teams, including 0-9 against Alabama, with eight losses to the Tide since 2010. The Razorbacks’ last five losses to Alabama came with the Crimson Tide ranked No. 1.

Arkansas’ last victory over a No. 1 team came in a 50-48 triple overtime thriller at LSU in 2007, a game for which former All-American running back Darren McFadden famously declared “I got that wood!” while holding a mini baseball bat after the game.

That also was Coach Houston Nutt’s final game at Arkansas.

Since then, the Razorbacks have lost 10 consecutive games against No. 1 teams.

In addition to beating LSU, the Razorbacks have victories over No. 1 Texas in 1964, 1965 and 1981.

The Razorbacks’ current losing streak to No. 1 teams started in 2009 when Florida beat Arkansas 23-20 in the Swamp.

Extra points

■ Alabama won its 98th consecutive game against an unranked team. The streak started with a 30-24 victory over Colorado in the Independence Bowl in the Tide’s final game in 2007. Louisiana-Monroe was the last unranked team to beat Alabama, 21-14, on Nov. 17, 2007.

■ Arkansas fell to 8-24 against Alabama, including 4-10 in Fayetteville.