FAYETTEVILLE — After the first few games of the season, everyone wanted to know when Arkansas would recover a fumble, catch an interception and force its first turnover the season.

This was in 2006.

Finally, after three games and plenty of questions about the drought, Arkansas strong safety Randy Kelly scooped up a fumble by Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown in a 24-23 double-overtime win.

Now fast forward two years.

The Razorbacks have a new defensive scheme and a new set of coaches and players. But again, they’re being asked about their lack of turnovers as they head into another home game against Alabama.

“We’ve forced fumbles and we’ve had pass breakups. We’ve just not been able to secure them,” Arkansas defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard said last week. “Like we’ll force a fumble, but (the opposing offenses) will get them right back.”

Despite several opportunities, Arkansas (2-0) has failed to force a turnover in comeback wins over Western Illinois and Louisiana-Monroe.

In those two games, Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino has watched his defensive backs drop four possible interceptions and his defense as a whole come up empty on six fumbles.

The loose balls didn’t bounce their way.

As a result, the Razorbacks join Rutgers as the only major teams in the nation without a forced turnover after the first three weeks of the college football season.

Of course, Arkansas wouldn’t mind ending that drought, as it did in 2006, when it hosts No. 9 Alabama at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

“You get turnovers by getting everyone to the football. We’re working hard on stripping and getting the ball out,” Petrino said. “... A lot of times turnovers come in bunches. I’m being positive.

“They’re going to start coming our way.”

Turnovers sometimes happen by accident. A quarterback bobbles a snap. A running back drops an exchange. Or a punt returner loses his focus and lets a football go through his hands.

And then there are other times when a defense does the small things needed to create turnovers.

The defensive line forces a quarterback to make a mistake. A linebacker strips the football from a running back. Or a cornerback catches a pass mistakenly thrown his way.

Over the first two games of the season, Arkansas’ defense has had several opportunities to take advantage of someone else’s mistake. But the Razorbacks have come up short each time, whether it’s because of a lucky bounce or a drop by a cornerback.

Western Illinois fumbled the football four times in a 28-24 loss at Arkansas in the season opener, but the Leathernecks managed to recover all of them. Louisiana-Monroe, meanwhile, got both of its fumbles back a week later in a 28-27 loss.

Meanwhile, during Western Illinois’ final offensive drive, Arkansas free safety Elton Ford and cornerback Jamar Love let possible interceptions slip through their hands on back-to-back plays.

“We want to see (forced turnovers) every week. I mean, that’s what we strive for. We drill it, we stress it and thing about it, it’s feast or famine,” Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said last week. “This might be the week (when) all of a sudden we get a bunch of them. If that’s the case, let’s keep rolling with it.”

The Razorbacks returned to practice Sunday night after having the past two days off. They had hoped to get their first turnover of the season last Saturday at No. 7 Texas, but Hurricane Ike caused the much-anticipated game to be postponed until Sept. 27.

Instead, Arkansas went another Saturday without forcing a turnover. And the Razorbacks might have a difficult time getting one against Alabama, which has committed only three turnovers like Arkansas this season.

“It’s just the luck of the draw. We’ve been working on getting turnovers, we practice it, but that’s something we haven’t been able to accomplish,” Sheppard said. “But as a defense, we definitely want to force turnovers and help the offense out with field position.”