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Arkansas is rebuilding in a hurry, and Georgia gets the first SEC look

By: Greg Poole

Arkansas did not exactly tiptoe into the Ryan Silverfield era. The Razorbacks swapped out much of the coaching staff, overhauled the roster, and started the season with 81 newcomers. That is less a renovation and more like changing the locks and handing out new keys to almost everyone. After two games, the results have been uneven, which helps explain the challenge Georgia faces this week.

Arkansas opened with a 31-14 win over North Alabama, then traveled to Utah and lost 43-10. The Razorbacks gave up 442 yards, managed just 61 rushing yards, and did not find the end zone until the fourth quarter, by which point Utah had already built a 43-3 lead. Georgia doesn’t need to look for reasons to worry about this matchup, but it does need to figure out which version of Arkansas will show up.

Silverfield brought Tim Cramsey with him from Memphis, where Cramsey’s offenses averaged 36.3 points per game over four seasons and finished in the top 25 nationally in scoring each year. The plan is straightforward: build an offense that can run the ball, avoid bad down-and-distance situations, and force defenses to defend more than one thing at a time. After two weeks, Arkansas is still working toward that goal, so Georgia is preparing for an offense that is very much a work in progress.

Quarterback KJ Jackson completed 14 of 34 passes for 139 yards with an interception against Utah. He did lead Arkansas in rushing with 34 yards, which says as much about the Razorbacks’ problems on the ground as it does about Jackson’s mobility. Backup AJ Hill eventually entered and led the only touchdown drive. Silverfield now has to decide whether the answer is better execution from the same pieces, different personnel or some combination of both.

That leaves Georgia with a bit of a preparation puzzle. The Bulldogs aren’t facing a finished product, but an offense still figuring out what it wants to be. That could mean new personnel, different quarterback looks, or wrinkles that have not shown up on much film yet. Georgia’s main job is to make Arkansas as predictable as possible.

If the Bulldogs control the run on early downs, Arkansas will have to ask its quarterbacks and rebuilt offensive line to survive obvious passing situations against Georgia’s front. If Georgia tackles well on the perimeter, the Razorbacks will have fewer easy throws available to settle the offense. If Georgia avoids giving Arkansas short fields, it can force a struggling offense to string together long drives instead of living off momentum and field position.

Arkansas does have one thing going for it that was missing in Utah: this game is in Fayetteville, it is the SEC opener, and Georgia will be kicking off at 11 AM local time against a team that has spent the week hearing about how rough it looked. That can give Arkansas a little extra energy, but it does not solve the bigger issues.

The Razorbacks will likely improve as Silverfield gets more time with this group. Georgia’s job is to make sure that Saturday comes too soon for any big leap forward to matter. A team with championship goals should not be looking to escape this game. The goal is to make Arkansas play on Georgia’s terms and keep it that way.

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