Georgia Football: The 3 Biggest X-Factors for Georgia vs. Arkansas

The Georgia Bulldogs have had better and bigger wins in their history, but the 34-0 win against Missouri this past week was a statement game. It showed the world they are not out of the SEC and national title pictures despite the suspension of Todd Gurley.

With that said, they will have another tough road contest on Saturday when they square off against an Arkansas team that suffered a heartbreaking loss to Alabama.

So it will be another tough task for the Bulldogs, but at the same time, they have a ton of momentum going into Little Rock. So here are the three biggest X-factors for the Bulldogs vs. the Razorbacks.

Stop the Run

The first thing the Bulldogs need to do is play solid run defense, because the Razorbacks are the best rushing team in the SEC. Believe it or not, the Bulldogs have the second-best rushing defense in the conference, trailing only Alabama.

The Bulldogs are coming off a performance where they limited Missouri to 50 rushing yards on 22 carries. But the Razorbacks running game is on top of the conference because they have three backs who can start anywhere in the country. Alex Collins, Johnathan Williams and Korliss Marshall are the three guys manning the backfield for the Razorbacks and have been dangerous all year.

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This is where Amarlo Herrera and Ramik Wilson come in. The two inside linebackers for Georgia will be key players in the game against Arkansas when it comes to stopping the run. They are the two leading tacklers for Georgia, and both do a great job not missing tackles and making sure the front seven has the right responsibilities and knows its assignments.

Air It out

It seems like quarterback Hutson Mason is an X-factor in every game this season. But seeing as how the Razorbacks pass defense ranks 12th in the SEC, this could be the game where he really makes some noise.

Mason has yet to take over a game, but he really hasn’t needed to because of the running game. With Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley back in the lineup, Mason has a chance to have a game where he can throw for 275 yards and three touchdowns.

But that’s only if the running game goes south. If that happens, Mason needs to win the game with his arm. Last week against Missouri, Mason was accurate, made good decisions and had great pocket presence. He should be able to do that against the Razorbacks, who do not possess a very intimidating unit on defense.

Keep Running It

But the bread and butter of the Bulldogs offense is the run game, and the duo of Nick Chubb and Brendan Douglass will need to be on top of their game once again on Saturday.

Chubb was a workhorse for the Bulldogs last week, rushing for 143 rushing yards on 38 carries. Douglas also was productive, as he rushed for 65 yards on 13 carries.

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Neither player is of the caliber of someone like Gurley, who was the Heisman leader before the suspension, but both are talented backs who can wear down defenses, which is exactly what they can do against Missouri.

One other thing to watch for is the return of Keith Marshall. Head coach Mark Richt told the media this week, per College Football Talk, that there's a slight chance Marshall, who's looking to get back to where he was in 2012, could return this week. Marshall is a speedy back who would change the pace of the game when he’s in the rotation with Chubb and Douglas.

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Keith Marshall seen practicing today for the first time since the Troy game. Richt said he doesn't think he'll play this week, however #UGA

— Logan Booker (@LoganBooker_BI) October 14, 2014"

It’s clear that the Bulldogs are employing a run-oriented offense this season. Despite not having Gurley, they will have to use Chubb, Douglas and possibly Marshall to wear down the Razorbacks the same way they did last week against Missouri and the same way Gurley did against the rest of the SEC the first half of the season.

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