Big game tonight for the Dawgs. Fortunately, Mark Richt has been money on the road at SEC West opponents. Of course, he was money against non-conference foes, but has lost two of his last three in that area.
One of the biggest storylines entering this game is how Arkansas will respond to its first big game of the year. The Hogs beat Missouri State 48-10 in Week One and had last week off. They will obviously be well-rested heading into this game. But how long will it take for the Razorbacks to catch up to the intensity and fervor of a big SEC game?
That is one advantage UGA has in this game. The Dawgs were more than tested in the two previous weeks against Oklahoma State and South Carolina. The question with Georgia is how they will respond to their second long-distance road trip within a three week span. Another worry is how fatigued the team is after two consecutive hard-fought games with another one looming tonight.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Branden Smith getting the ball in several different ways. Despite his fumble last week and his being waved out of the end zone by up man Shaun Chapas on kickoff returns, Smith will continue to get the ball on offense and special teams. His freakish speed was evident last week on his 61-yard burst against the Gamecocks.
Arkansas trying to get the ball to their All-SEC candidate at tight end, DJ Williams. The Georgia defense will need to be aware of where he is when Ryan Mallett drops back to pass. The Hogs also have a bevy of weapons at wide receiver, to make covering Williams more difficult for the Dawgs. Receiver Joe Adams was coveted by both Georgia and Southern Cal coming out of high school in Arkansas, so you know he can play. And Jarius Wright is no slouch either. Bobby Petrino is an offensive guru (in more ways than one) and his offense should move the ball on everyone this year.
UGA needs to give its defense a fighting chance. Cut out the turnovers and special teams’ mistakes. Focus on field position. Even good offense struggle to go 80 yards. Blair Walsh’s kickoffs were a bastion of hope for Georgia fans last week when he kicked two balls into the end zone for touchbacks. Carolina started seven of their eight drives after UGA kickoffs on the 25 or less.
Get the ball to AJ Green. The sophomore wideout is already being labeled as UGA’s best ever and made two spectacular plays last weekend. Joe Cox needs to look in his direction early and often as the Arkansas secondary is more than suspect.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
A lot of college football fans think that games are all about matchups and player stats and scientific details such as those. While I value such data, I also like to delve into historical stats and how teams fair in certain situations over time. Plus, it is easier to read and understand (point-laziness).
Anyway here are some stats I found interesting about the Georgia-Arkansas matchup:
UGA has won five in a row over the Razorbacks, but this span goes back to 2000. The teams did not play in 2003, 2006, 2007 or 2008. Going back further, UGA has lost to Arkansas once since 1976 in nine meetings. The lone loss was in Athens in 1993.
One interesting note in this series is that the first six meetings of this series were played in different locations. The first four were bowl games played in New Orleans, Dallas, Memphis, and Shreveport, while the last two were played on each team’s home campuses. When the two teams played in Fayetteville in 2000, it was the first time that UGA and Arkansas had played in the same location twice. In fact, the 11 meetings between the two have been played in seven different sites.
Georgia is a perfect 3-0 in Fayetteville.
Richt’s teams have won six in a row on the road against the SEC West and are 10-2 in his tenure.
INJURY SITUATION
Justin Houston will return from his two game suspension along with Caleb King and linebacker Nick Williams. The Dawgs can certainly use all three tonight.
Kiante Tripp, Darius Dewberry, and Quintin Banks are out.
Arkansas wide receivers London Crawford and Lucas Miller are out.
Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com.
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