Nick Saban on what he's seen from Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson

Alabama has to win just one of their two remaining regular season games to clinch a spot in the SEC Championship Game, and they can end the uncertainty this weekend against Arkansas. 

One of the nation’s most improved teams, Arkansas has a dynamic playmaker under center in quarterback KJ Jefferson. 

Alabama head coach Nick Saban discussed the third-year player’s strengths on Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference. 

“I think as a starter, they’ve been able to feature the things that he can do really well,” Saban said. “I think he’s made tremendous progress as a passer, knowledge of the offense and his ability to execute the things they need him to do to be effective in terms of distributing the ball, run or pass.”

Jefferson has completed 147 of his 226 passes (65%) this season with 1,990 yards, 17 passing touchdowns and three interceptions. As the season progresses, Jefferson is getting more accurate. Last week, he completed 72% of his throws against a solid, albeit depleted, LSU defense, and he boasted a completion percentage of 82.6% against Mississippi State two weeks ago.

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound quarterback has a passer rating of 161.2, the fourth-best in the SEC behind Georgia’s Stetson Bennett, Alabama’s Bryce Young and Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker. 

“The guy’s a big, strong guy,” Saban added. “He’s hard to sack. He has extended plays and made plays running and throwing. He’s a very challenging guy to defend.”

Jefferson has 474 yards and five scores on the ground this year.

Prior to this season, the redshirt sophomore played in eight games with three touchdowns and no interceptions. 

Inconsistent offenses meet consistent defenses

Both Arkansas and Alabama have looked shaky at times on offense this season, and they will face good defenses on Saturday. The two teams rank in the top 15 in the nation in getting third down stops, and getting the opposing offense off the field will be a key to winning this game.

Each defense will each face a dynamic receiver, as Alabama’s Jameson Williams and Arkansas’ Treylon Burks are two of the conference’s top-three pass catchers in terms of receiving yards and touchdown receptions.

Arkansas, who is 7-3 on the year, has been a team of streaks this season. The Razorbacks started 4-0 before dropping three straight contests in early October. They are seeking their fourth consecutive win for the second time this season.

Arkansas-Alabama kicks off at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS. Alabama is a 20.5-point favorite.