Georgia Bulldogs vs. Arkansas Razorbacks: Game Day Preview

When the Razorbacks visit Sanford Stadium on Saturday, they’ll face a Georgia team hungry to redeem their first conference loss. Arkansas, on the other hand, is seeking a win in their SEC opener. It’s a big game for both teams.

Georgia dropped out of the Associated Press (AP) poll from No. 22 following an uninspired performance against South Carolina last week. It’s the first time since 2001, Mark Richt’s first year, that the Dawgs have been unranked this early in the season. A victory against No. 12 Arkansas would give Georgia a much needed boost.

Arkansas wants to reverse last year’s winless SEC road record—three of the four loses were to highly-ranked teams (Alabama, Florida, and LSU). Georgia handed the Hogs their only home loss, a high-scoring 52-41 shootout.

Here’s how both teams compare in 2010.

ARKANSAS OFFENSE

Passing

The success of the Arkansas' offense lies largely in the hands of Heisman prospect Ryan Mallet. He already has 706 yards passing and six TDs on the season. Arkansas is currently No. 4 in the nation in passing yards.

Mallet’s early stats are impressive, but historically his strength is on home turf. In 2009, his completion percentage was just over 71 percent in home games versus 43.71 percent on the road. Worse yet, his rate was just 39.4 percent in SEC road games.

Mallet’s best numbers last year, including highest yards passing, most touchdowns, most pass completions, and longest pass, were all recorded in home games.

Receiving

Mallet’s primary targets will be a trio of accomplished wide receivers.

Greg Childs, the Razorbacks’ leading receiver, led the nation last year in yards against Top 25 opponents with 402. This season, he has 16 catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns.

Joe Adams finished ninth in the SEC in average receiving yards per game (56.8) and tied Greg Childs for most touchdowns with seven. He has nine catches for 214 yards and two touchdowns in 2010.

Jarius Wright was 12th in the SEC in receiving yards last season. This year, Wright has four catches for 87 yards. His longest is 40 yards

Tight end D.J. Williams is the Razorbacks’ active leader in career receptions (98) and receiving yards (1,228). This year, he has eight receptions for 112 yards.

Rushing

Rushing has been a weak spot in the Arkansas offense. In 2009, they ranked 77th in the nation and ninth in the SEC in total rushing yards. With two games played this year, the Hogs are No. 71 in the country with 295 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Dennis Johnson, a leading rusher, will be sidelined with an injury against Georgia. Johnson led the Razorbacks in kickoff returns last year with 1,936 yards.

Arkansas will likely have a rushing game by committee with Johnson out. They are expected to alternate Kniles Davis, Broderick Green, and Ronnie Wingo.

Offensive Line

Arkansas has an experienced line, including four senior starters.

Behind their blocking in 2009, the Razorbacks led the SEC in scoring (36.0) and passing (295.5 yards). Nationally, they were 10th in passing and 20th in total offense.

Their Achilles' heel is protecting the ground game.

GEORGIA OFFENSE

Passing

Georgia’s young QB Aaron Murray has shown a lot of promise early on. He’s thrown for 352 yards with three TDs and just one interception.

Murray energized the offense during the Louisiana-Lafayette game, but conservative play-calling inhibited his performance against South Carolina.

There seems to be confusion among the coaches on how much freedom to give Murray. 

After the South Carolina game, Mark Richt said, “I thought [Aaron] Murray played pretty good actually. I think that we just have to allow him to play ball and treat him more like a veteran.”

Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo appeared unsure, saying, “I don’t really have the answers on how you’re gonna open it up with him. Just allowing him to make more plays, I guess, would be the answer.”

Richt and Bobo need to get in sync if Murray is to play a greater role against Arkansas.

Receiving

Georgia is struggling without star receiver A.J. Green, who continues to serve a four-game suspension. Georgia has appealed to the NCAA, which is expected to hear the case on Friday. It’s uncertain whether they will issue a ruling at that time.

UPDATE (9/17/10, 7:00pm): Late Friday afternoon, the NCAA denied Georgia's appeal and upheld the four-game suspension of A.J. Green. The earliest Green will be available to play is October 2 v. Colorado.

The Dawgs are currently ranked No. 72 in the nation in receiving with 385 yards. The leading receiver is Kris Durham with 159 yards and one touchdown.

Rushing

Like Arkansas, Georgia’s rushing game has struggled, but they do have some good news going into Saturday’s game. Caleb King returns following an injury that sidelined him against South Carolina.

It will be the first time this season that King and Washaun Ealey will alternate carries. Last year, they combined for 10 touchdowns and more than 1,300 yards.

Fullback Shaun Chapas, a strong blocker and team leader, is questionable against the Razorbacks. He injured his ankle in the South Carolina game.

The Dawgs need to pick up the pace on the ground. They are currently ranked No. 86 in the country and last in the SEC with 122.5 yards per game.

Offensive Line

Georgia’s offensive line, which returned all five starters this season, struggled against South Carolina’s defense. Georgia only netted 61 yards rushing and averaged 2.3 yards per carry.

Tackle Josh Davis expressed his frustration in a postgame interview, saying, “When we have an experienced offensive line, we should be able to run the ball. I think that was a good learning experience, but it’s not going to happen again.”

ARKANSAS DEFENSE

Arkansas’ defense has been an area of concern. They finished 2009 ranked 89th.

The defense has allowed only 10 points this season, although they have only played against non-threatening opponents; Tennessee Tech (Ohio Valley Conference) had 187 total offensive yards and Louisiana-Monroe (Sun Belt Conference) had 188 yards.

The Razorbacks’ defense also has five sacks, one interception, and two forced fumbles.

The secondary has broken up five passes. Nineteen tackles resulted in a combined 73 yards lost.

GEORGIA DEFENSE

Georgia’s defense is on the rebound following several years of decline. During the past two seasons, the defense allowed 34 or more points 10 times. They were also one of the most penalized teams in the country.

Mark Richt cleaned house last December and the new coaching staff, led by defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, are working to instill discipline and toughness with mixed results so far.

The defense allowed only 128 yards and three of 16 third-down conversions against Louisiana-Lafayette. They also racked up three sacks for a loss of 18 yards and nine tackles for a loss of 26 yards. They held Lafayette's rushing game to just 14 yards.

Fast-forward to the South Carolina game where the defense struggled with basic tackling. They gave up 354 yards in offense, including 189 net yards rushing.

Freshman running back Marcus Lattimore proved nearly unstoppable, picking up 182 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. South Carolina converted nine of 14 third downs.

The secondary will be critical versus the big arm of Mallet. So far, the defense has allowed just 139.5 passing yards per game.

This season, Georgia has seven sacks for a loss of 44 yards, one forced fumble, and six passes broken up. Seventeen tackles have resulted in a combined loss of 58 yards.

It appears the defense has gotten their penalty issue under control. The Dawgs currently lead the SEC, and rank ninth in the country, with fewest penalty yards (nine for 55 yards). Six of the penalties were against Georgia’s offense and two were committed by special teams.

ARKANSAS SPECIAL TEAMS

Freshman Zach Hocker is 10 of 10 on extra points and has one 26-yard field goal. Dylan Breeding has three punts averaging 45.7 yards. Joe Adams is the top punt returner with an average of 14.8 yards.

Dennis Johnson has a 26-yard average on kick returns, although he won’t suit up against Georgia.

GEORGIA SPECIAL TEAMS

Drew Butler has 11 punts averaging 44.91 yards.

Blair Walsh has made all four of his field goal attempts with a long of 52 yards.

Brandon Boykin leads in kickoff returns with a 23.7-yard average.

Branden Smith has five punt returns for an 11-yard average.

SUMMARY

Arkansas seems to have the edge on offense with Ryan Mallet and multiple wide receiver options. However, if A.J. Green is allowed to play, it could change things for Georgia.

Both teams have yet to establish a strong running game.

On defense, it's a toss-up. Georgia played well in their first game, but couldn't control South Carolina's rushing game in Week 2. However, Arkansas isn't likely to be a threat on the ground.

The Arkansas defense has played well and held opponents to just 10 points, but they have yet to be tested.

Special teams edge goes to Georgia under the consistent leg strength of Drew Butler and Blair Walsh.