I expected more out of Arkansas. I thought this was going to be a closer game. I was surprisingly wrong. The Dawgs look good. Arkansas could have played better. Sam Pittman was frustrated at his post-game press conference because of the Hogs’ 13 penalties that resulted in a loss of 101 yards. The Razorbacks were digging themselves out of a deficit all game. When discussing penalties, Pittman said, “It’s hard enough to get 10 yards on Georgia, let alone 15.”

The Dawgs held the Razorbacks to zero points. The statistics show that Georgia dominated, utilizing their elite defense and their elite rushing game. The rushing attack has been a point of contention among the Georgia fans. The Dawgs have had so much success passing that ball that the fans wondered when the running game was going to be more prominent. Against Arkansas, the run game was the offense.

56

There was a total of 56 rushing attempts compared to only 11 passing attempts from Georgia’s offense. In this game, Georgia’s receivers were barely utilized. There were just three targets to Ladd McConkey, and a single target to seven other receivers, including running back Kenny McIntosh. Zamir White had a great performance, 16 rushing attempts for 68 yards, two rushing TDs and a TD on a blocked punt. James Cook had 12 rushing attempts for 87 yards. Kenny McIntosh had 10 rushing attempts for 60 yards, and one reception on one target for 27 yards. Kendall Milton had 12 rushing attempts for 49 yards and one TD. Georgia has a running back by committee. Either one of Georgia’s talented running backs can be a threat to defenses around the SEC.

273

Georgia had 273 net yards rushing. Watching Arkansas versus Texas A&M last week, I was very impressed with the three-man defensive line and edge rushing of Arkansas. Against Georgia’s offensive line, Arkansas struggled. Against Texas A&M, Arkansas had three sacks and held the Aggies to 121 yards rushing. Against Georgia, Arkansas did not register a single sack. Cook, White, Milton, and McIntosh each averaged over 4.0 yards per carry. Cook had the highest average yards per carry at 7.2. The Dawgs had explosive run plays over 10 and 15 yards. This is the hallmark of an elite offensive lines, no sacks and explosive run plays.

36:42

The time of possession for Georgia was 36:42 compared to the Razorback’s 23:18. Georgia’s defense kept the Razorback’s offense off the field. Arkansas only gained nine first downs compared to Georgia’s 22 first downs. In tandem with keeping the ball out of the Razorback offense’s hands, Georgia maintained possession and managed the clock by successfully running the ball on the majority of their plays. Georgia only had to punt twice compared to eight times for Arkansas. Georgia kept their defense well rested and effective.

162

162 total offensive yards from the Razorbacks. Georgia held them to only 75 yards rushing and 87 yards passing. The average gain per Razorback offensive play was only 3.6 yards. Arkansas could not get a run game going against Georgia’s elite front seven. Devonte Wyatt had a particularly well played performance. He had six total tackles, and 1.5 sacks for a loss of nine yards. Adam Anderson and Nakobe Dean both contributed with a combined nine tackles, 3.5 sacks for a loss of 16 yards. Kelee Ringo struggled against Clemson but has steadily improved since then. Derion Kendrick has lived up to the high expectations. Georgia has so many high-quality players on defense it is difficult to praise the performances of some over others. Georgia has an elite defense with depth.