7:31 p.m. 45-32 Georgia, final — Georgia ran out the last 5 minutes of the game, and Nick Chubb topped 202 yards rushing in helping the Bulldogs do that. Amazingly, there was a buzz on the field among the faithful who were left that maybe if Arkansas stopped the Dawgs, scored and got an onside kick, the Hogs might actually pull it out. Such is the life of an Arkansas fan, encouraged by fan-sports talk hosts out there who postulate such nonsense.
Fact is, 38-6 at the half was a mountain that wasn’t going to be overcome. When Arkansas began slightly closing the gap, Georgia got interested again, scoring one touchdown and, with the final five minutes, pounding away and running out the clock.
The million-dollar questions that came out of the game were (one) what happened either with Georgia’s defense or Arkansas’ offense after the Hogs’ nearly 8 minute opening drive in which the Hogs ran nine plays, eight of which were either awful or little success and (two) what the heck got into some of the Razorbacks’ minds in which they lost their cool. Tevin Mitchel drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty away from the play on a third-down incompletion that would have gotten Arkansas off the field trailing 10-6. Instead, Georgia used that extension of the drive to pound ahead 17-6. Then 24-6. Then the Hogs completely self-destructed with an Alex Collins fumble inside his own 10 and a Brandon Allen fumble on a fourth-down sack that turned into a 54-yard touchdown and a 38-6 halftime score.
The cheap answer from these cheap seats would be this: Georgia’s better talent suddenly became highly motivated and destroyed Arkansas up front, blowing up blocks and causing all kinds of disruption to the Razorback offense for a stretch. Alabama may be as physically difficult TO MOVE as Georgia’s linemen are, but Georgia is much quicker on defense. The Bulldogs played safety Damian Swann everywhere he could make a difference in the first half. He had an All-SEC day, to be sure.
Credit Arkansas for not quitting. Last year at this point, the Hogs would quit. Remember the 52-7 shellacking by South Carolina on homecoming. This year, they fought, yet nary a single Razorback seemed to take solace in that cosmetic effort to make it a 13-point difference at the end.
So, it’s back home to heal a lot of bruises and take care of business against Alabama-Birmingham for homecoming at 11 a.m. There are still better matchups for the Hogs in SEC games on the horizon: well, at least two, at home vs. LSU and at Missouri, to finally end this miserable 16-game losing streak in conference games. Ole Miss also comes to Fayetteville, though the Rebels will be riding high. Arkansas will face a similar team in Georgia when it travels to Starkville to play Mississippi State, as unlikely a win as any on the remaining schedule.
Yes, three weeks ago, I was like very so-called expert was today in thinking Arkansas would break through against Georgia. But anyone with eyes could see the way Georgia played at Missouri that the Bulldogs had figured a lot out, including how to steamroll opponents without Todd Gurley. We saw what Georgia should be, which is the SEC East champ, during the first half Saturday at War Memorial Stadium.
6:17 p.m. 45-32 Georgia — This game gets cosmetically better looking by the minute for Arkansas, as Alex Collins carries 3 yards on a draw play and the Hogs cover 90 yards in nine plays. More big passes to Hunter Henry and A.J. Derby to make it happen.
Brandon Allen is denied on the run up the middle for two points, however.
6:08 p.m. 45-26 Georgia — Arkansas failed on an onside kick attempt off the foot of John Henson, but the Hogs did the next best thing and got Georgia off the field with 7:36 left in the game. Arkansas starts on its own 10, though.
6:03 p.m. — Not that it matters in the score, but Arkansas has outgained Georgia for the game, 372 yards to 326. Brandon Allen has some nice passing statistics, particularly for the second half, connecting on 23 of 37 for the contest for 252 yards.
5:59 p.m. 45-26 Georgia — A Kendrick Edwards sighting, and at 6-6 he’s easy to spot when he’s finally put in the lineup, and he gives Brandon Allen a pretty sure handed target based on the two passes thrown his way this season.
There was Edwards to outplay the Georgia left corner and catch a fade route pass for 4 yards in the right corner of the end zone, with just enough room to get his feet down for the catch.
Arkansas answered the Georgia score with a 75-yard march in 8 plays. Hunter Henry had a 38-yard catch down the middle to get it moving into Bulldog territory, and Cody Hollister, Jared Cornelius and Drew Morgan had nice catchers to push it to the 4.
Related Posts
