Georgia vs. Arkansas: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More
Traditional, impose-the-will ground games take center stage in Saturday's colossal SEC showdown between the No. 10 Georgia Bulldogs and Arkansas Razorbacks.
Try not to dwell on the fact Arkansas is unranked—or the past. This is a new Razorbacks program forged in the fire that is Bret Bielema's recruiting trails and philosophies, which resulted in near upsets of two Top 10 SEC teams in each of the past two weeks.
Georgia is no slouch and easily the best team in the SEC East, but Mark Richt may once again need to lean on backups at running back to get the job done in the manner he prefers. Recent wins have been of the dominant variety, but the credibility of the opposition is certainly worth questioning.
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Expect a grisly affair and a welcome break from the spread-it-out passing attacks when these two meet.
Brute Force Measures
Georgia lost Heisman front-runner Todd Gurley to suspension before last week's critical SEC East encounter with Missouri.
As ESPN.com's Edward Aschoff reports, Richt is not sure if he will have Gurley back for Saturday, and the same applies to other talented backs Keith Marshall and Sony Michel.
"I just don't have any answer for that," Richt said, per Aschoff. "I don't know. If there's something worthy of reporting, we'll report it. Other than that, we're focusing on things that we can control."
It sounds crazy, but it is still difficult to panic, at least at face value.
The Bulldogs have by far the deepest backfield in the nation. Against the Tigers, Richt and his staff turned to freshman Nick Chubb, who bruised his way to 143 yards and a score on 38 totes to keep his team ranked 12th in the nation at an average of 275.7 rushing yards per game.
Wildly enough, it still pales in comparison to what the Razorbacks are able to do, as Bielema's team is the only roster in the nation that touts two backs with more than 500 rushing yards apiece:
| Alex Collins | 92 | 634 | 6.9 | 84 (TD) |
| Jonathan Williams | 86 | 569 | 6.6 | 90 (TD) |
| Korliss Marshall | 24 | 116 | 4.8 | 27 (TD) |
| Keon Hatcher | 3 | 98 | 32.7 | 82 (TD) |
The team totals against top-tier competition are staggering. Against Auburn, the Razorbacks ran wild for 153 yards and a score on a 5.3 average. The totals were 285 and three on 6.1 against Texas A&M. A total of 89 yards and a score on a 2.3 average against Alabama is hard to complain about, too, given the numbers are diluted thanks to scrambles from quarterback Brandon Allen.
It is worth noting, as Radi Nabulsi of UGASports.com does, that the Bulldogs do well against the run:
This is a different kind of test for Georgia, though, and if the defense does not come prepared for war, Richt's team might get steamrolled.
Don't Forget the Defense
What gets lost in the hype of Arkansas' stout rushing attack is a defense that does not surrender a ton of points against the heavyweights, or at least is able to keep the game relatively close as of late.
The exception is the 45 points allowed in Auburn to start the season. Since then, the Razorbacks defense has been a problem for each team that has stepped on the field with it.
In a 35-28 overtime loss to then-ranked No. 6 Texas A&M, the Razorbacks held the potent Aggies offense to a 4-of-13 mark on third downs and forced Kenny Hill to go 21-of-41, although it did total 386 yards and four touchdowns to one interception.
A week later then-ranked No. 7 Alabama came to town. The Arkansas defense once again stood strong and forced a 4-of-15 mark on third downs, held quarterback Blake Sims to just 161 yards and two scores and stuffed the Crimson Tide rushing attack for just 66 yards on a 2.1 average.
Derek Ruscin of ESPN 96.3 put it best:
Clearly, Arkansas is wildly under the radar as a team that is well-rounded. This is a major concern for a Bulldogs team using backups at a major area of strength, so another outburst from Chubb is not a guarantee.
When: Saturday, Oct. 18, 4 p.m. ET
Where: War Memorial Stadium (AR), Little Rock, Arkansas
Television: SEC Network
Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):
- Over/Under: 58.5
- Spread: Georgia (-4)
Team Injury Reports
| Chris Conley | WR | 10/13/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Arkansas | Questionable | knee |
| Sheldon Dawson | S | 10/01/2014 | has left the team | Out | personal |
| Shattle Fenteng | DB | 09/25/2014 | is expected to miss the remainder of the season | Out | shoulder |
| Todd Gurley | RB | 10/09/2014 | is suspended indefinitely | Suspended | disciplinary |
| Merritt Hall | FB | 08/14/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | concussion |
| Rico Johnson | CB | 10/02/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | illness |
| Shaq Jones | CB | 10/06/2014 | was dismissed from the team | Out | disciplinary |
| Keith Marshall | RB | 10/14/2014 | is doubtful for Saturday's game against Arkansas | Doubtful | ankle/knee |
| Sony Michel | RB | 09/29/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | shoulder |
| Jonathan Rumph | WR | 10/12/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Arkansas | Questionable | hamstring |
| Justin Scott-Wesley | WR | 10/13/2014 | is probable for Saturday's game against Arkansas | Probable | knee |
| Jon Taylor | DT | 07/23/2014 | was dismissed from the team | Out | disciplinary |
| Books Ellis | LB | 10/14/2014 | is doubtful for Saturday's game against Georgia | Doubtful | knee |
| Korliss Marshall | RB | 10/12/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Georgia | Questionable | undisclosed |
| Darius Philon | DT | 10/12/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Georgia | Questionable | leg |
| JoJo Robinson | WR | 09/18/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | foot |
Injury reports per Sports Network, via USA Today.
Prediction
This has trap game written all over it.
Arkansas is a very good team that can play with any in the nation thanks to a ball-control offense and a sound defense that recently has stepped it up a notch.
The problem for Georgia is that if Chubb gets stuffed, the offense needs to turn to Hutson Mason for offensive production. Mason is no Hill or even Sims at this point, having just 843 yards and eight touchdowns to three interceptions on the year.
Saturday, expect Arkansas to trot out at home and impose its will for the program's first SEC victory in its last 16 tries.
Prediction: Razorbacks 27, Bulldogs 24
Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.
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