– The Associated Press

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Trailing on the road against one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, No. 1 Alabama escaped by doing what it does best: making big plays on defense and giving the ball to Mark Ingram.

The Heisman Trophy winner ran for 157 yards and scored on a 1-yard run with 3:18 to play, and two first-year starters in the ‘Bama secondary made late interceptions to help the top-ranked Crimson Tide rally from a 13-point deficit and beat No. 10 Arkansas 24-20 on Saturday.

Robert Lester set up the winning score with his second interception of the day against Ryan Mallett, and Dre Kirkpatrick’s pick put the Tide (4-0, 1-0 SEC) in position to run out the clock on their 18th straight victory.

“We just had our focus on going out there and executing, and we played with a lot of heart and a lot of intensity and determination,” Ingram said. “It’s big for this team to have a situation like that and persevere like that.”

The young secondary, with Mark Barron as the only returning starter from last season’s national title team, had been surrounded by question marks leading up to a showdown with Mallett, the nation’s leading passer.

Mallett put up 357 yards on 25 for 38 passing but it was the Tide’s defense — as usual — that came up with the big plays down the stretch.

Lester returned his second interception 33 yards to the Arkansas 12, and Nick Saban gave the ball to his Heisman-winning running back on three straight plays to get the go-ahead score.

“We’re going to finish,” said Lester, who has four interceptions. “We’re never going to lay down and just let them beat us. We’re always going to play until that final whistle blows.”

The Crimson Tide was able to run out the final 1:48 after Mallett threw his third interception, which came when Kirkpatrick kept his feet inbounds while reaching to catch Mallett’s attempted throw-away on the right sideline. Alabama faced fourth-and-inches in its own territory, but Greg McElroy picked it up with a sneak with 54 seconds.

“We came out and competed extremely hard,” Razorbacks Coach Bobby Petrino said. “We did a good job in the first half of getting the lead and getting turnovers, and then we just couldn’t find a way to win it in the fourth quarter. We certainly had our chances.”

For a while, it looked like all those students who set up an expansive tent city outside the stadium and the fans crowded onto a hill overlooking Razorback Stadium would have something to celebrate.

It had been since 1979 that two top 10 teams met in Fayetteville, and since 1996 that the No. 1 team paid a visit.