Georgia vs. Arkansas: Game Grades, Analysis for Bulldogs and Razorbacks

The Arkansas Razorbacks struck first and fought valiantly late but ultimately proved to be no match for the Georgia Bulldogs. As a result, both teams are clearly headed in two very different directions.

After Saturday's 45-32 victory, Georgia has two straight decisive road wins in conference play to its credit and has seized control of the SEC East.  Meanwhile, Arkansas remains winless in conference play.

Here are first- and second-half game grades for both teams as well as analysis for each position group.   

Position Unit	First-Half Grade	Second-Half Grade
Passing Offense	B+	B-
Rushing Offense	A+	A+
Pass Defense	A+	C
Run Defense	B	B
Special Teams	B-	A
Coaching	A	A

Georgia Bulldogs Grade Analysis

Passing Offense: Surprisingly, Georgia relied heavily on the passing game early, and quarterback Hutson Mason was more than ready to perform.  His 127 passing yards in the first half helped Georgia run away from Arkansas.  Establishing the pass was never a huge priority for Georgia in the second half, but Mason's consistency declined a bit as the game wore on.

Rushing Offense: Georgia has still not run into an opponent capable of stopping its ground attack.  In the first half alone, Nick Chubb ran for 127 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries.  He didn't let up in the second half, either.  A strong finish propelled Chubb above the 200-yard mark for the night, as Georgia continues to dominate on the ground.

Pass Defense: Georgia likely wasn't terrified of Arkansas' passing game coming in, but the Dawgs did more than enough to make a statement in the first half.  Quarterback Brandon Allen completed fewer than half of his pass attempts and was consistently under pressure.  In the second half, Georgia's defense looked gassed across the board, but the fatigue and disinterest were most obvious against the pass.

Run Defense: Arkansas had relative success on the ground (compared to the passing attack) in the first half, but the Razorbacks still managed just 80 yards on 27 carries.  Alex Collins was held to 19 yards on eight carries over the first two quarters.  All in all, it's hard to be upset about holding a potent Arkansas ground attack to less than 130 rushing yards on the day.

Special Teams: Outside of a failed (and aggressive) onside kick attempt, Georgia's special teams were stellar.  Kicks were made, and returns were handled prudently.

Coaching: For the second week in a row, Georgia went on the road and asserted its dominance in the SEC without its best player, running back Todd Gurley.  A lot of credit is due to the coaching staff.  On the offensive side of the ball, coordinator Mike Bobo did a much better job this week of turning turnovers into points.  Defensively, Jeremy Pruitt's unit continued to take steps forward.

Position Unit	First-Half Grade	Second-Half Grade
Passing Offense	C-	B
Rushing Offense	C	C
Pass Defense	D	C
Run Defense	D	D
Special Teams	D	C
Coaching	C	C

Arkansas Razorbacks Grade Analysis

Passing Offense: Allen struggled in the first half, primarily because he was constantly under duress.  He lost the ball to an interception and fumbled twice (one fumble was recovered for a Georgia touchdown).  Ironically, he played very well once the game was out of hand.  His 296 passing yards may have been the high point for the Razorbacks on the day.

Rushing Offense: Arkansas remained committed to the running game, but for the most part the team's greatest strength was negated by a large Georgia lead.  Collins struggled to get going, and although Williams played well, the Razorbacks couldn't break enough big gains on the ground.

Pass Defense: Arkansas' pass defense improved when it got pressure on Mason, but early on he had a field day completing passes to very open receivers.  In some ways, however, it's hard to grade the Razorbacks' efforts here, as a large Georgia lead kept the Dawgs from airing the ball out with any regularity.

Run Defense: Arkansas' run defense was practically nonexistent as Chubb ran wild in the first half.  He consistently picked up positive yardage while remaining a home run threat throughout the contest.  Unfortunately for the home team, things weren't much better in the final two quarters.  When all was said and done, Georgia racked up more than 200 yards on the ground.

Special Teams: For the second week in a row, Arkansas had an extra point blocked, which may have been an omen for what was to come.  That miss gave way to several failed two-point conversion attempts and ultimately kept points off the board.

Coaching: Bret Bielema's squad was thoroughly outmatched on Saturday.  All of that blame doesn't fall on the coaching staff, but the truth of the matter is the Razorbacks had no answers.  Arkansas seemed close last week in a narrow loss to Alabama; this week the team seemed lost.

All stats courtesy of NCAA.com.