Arkansas’ offense couldn’t get anything going on the ground Saturday, and the Razorbacks (1-2, 0-1 SEC) fell 45-17 to No. 2 Georgia in an SEC opener.
The Hogs kept trying, but Georgia’s defense didn’t give them any room to run. The final score tells part of the story, and the rushing totals tell the rest.
Arkansas managed only 17 rushing yards. The Razorbacks spread 20 rushing attempts across seven players, and the total stayed small.
The Razorbacks’ defense also struggled to consistently slow down the Bulldogs, especially quarterback Gunner Stockton. He averaged over 13 yards a carry going for 97 in the game with a long of 62 yards.
Sutton Smith’s six carries produced the team’s best total at 17 yards, the same figure the whole offense ended with.
You’d have to go back to 2018 and a game against LSU, when the Hogs totaled 16 yards, to find a lower mark.
Sacks were the main reason KJ Jackson and AJ Hill lost 16 yards between them. Those losses dragged the team total down.
Georgia’s Nick Frazier carried 14 times for 75 yards, more than four times what Arkansas’ whole team gained. That contrast says plenty about the day.
The Hogs leaned on the pass instead. Arkansas’ quarterbacks threw 41 passes, while Stockton threw only 13 times.
Through the air, the two quarterbacks totaled 288 yards, far more than the ground game produced.
Jackson and Hill split time at quarterback
Hill relieved Jackson after two series, and the quarterback job stayed busy from there.
Jackson came back for Arkansas’ last possession before halftime and drove the Razorbacks inside Georgia’s 20-yard line for the first time.
A grounding call cost Arkansas yardage, and the drive ended with a 41-yard field goal by Max Gilbert as the half wound down. Gilbert’s kick gave Arkansas its first points of the game.
Jackson finished 20 of 27 for 212 yards. Along the way he left the game two times and returned two times.
Hill completed 8 of 14 passes for 76 yards in relief. He threw 14 times, about half as often as Jackson’s 27 attempts.
Both Arkansas touchdowns came in the fourth quarter, once the outcome was already clear. Add Gilbert’s field goal and that’s the team’s 17 points.
Smith reached the end zone from 5 yards out with 8 1/2 minutes left in the game. It was Arkansas’ first touchdown of the day.
With 40 seconds to play, Jackson connected with Ty Lockwood from 2 yards out for the Razorbacks’ second touchdown. It was Arkansas’ only touchdown pass of the day.
Georgia’s ground game and Stockton leads way
Chauncey Bowens found the end zone three times on runs. His 11 carries covered 39 yards in all.
Frazier gave Georgia an early lead by finishing a 62-yard opening drive that took six plays.
Stockton hit on 10 of 13 throws and totaled 147 passing yards with one scoring pass.
That touchdown covered 61 yards, connecting Stockton with Craig Dandridge Jr. on the only play of the drive. It came early in the final quarter.
Those 147 yards came on 13 throws, an average of more than 11 yards per attempt. By comparison, Arkansas’ quarterbacks averaged about 7 yards per throw.
Georgia’s next opponent is No. 24 Oklahoma, a home game scheduled for next Saturday.
Arkansas will try to reset the same day, when it hosts Tulsa.
