Fresh off upsetting A&M, the Arkansas Razorbacks travel to Athens for a top-10 SEC clash with the Georgia Bulldogs.
Whenever people looked at the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2021 season, the prevailing thought was that, if they beat Clemson in Week 1, their only true test would be the rivalry matchup in Jacksonville. The Arkansas Razorbacks had other plans for that.
Already notching emphatic wins over Texas and Texas A&M, Sam Pittman’s team has been one of the biggest and fastest risers of the first four weeks. They’re now ranked No. 8 in the AP Top 25 as they head to Athens for a matchup with the Dawgs.
Pittman, as you’d expect, has his team playing monstrously in the trenches. But quarterback KJ Jefferson has been a revelation in a dynamic offense and the defense is clearly well-coached with the way they fly to the ball.
Georgia, however, is a different beast than they’ve faced. This is the best defense in college football that has also seemingly found long-lacked explosiveness on offense with JT Daniels and a host of weapons. And, unfortunately for the Razorbacks, Jefferson and star wide receiver Treylon Burks are banged up as they come to face this team.
So what happens between the hedges on Saturday in Week 5 when the Dawgs and Hogs go to war? We have some predictions.
Bold prediction No. 3: Georgia holds Arkansas under 100 rushing yards
Part of what has made the Razorbacks’ offense so difficult to stop so far this season is the ways they can attack on the ground. Their offensive line is playing extremely well and they not only have Trelon Smith and a host of running backs but Jefferson is averaging 7.2 yards per carry and is the team’s second-leading rusher for the year.
Unfortunately for Arkansas, they just haven’t played a team with the front seven that Georgia has. It’s not an exaggeration to say that they have a legitimate NFL-caliber group in the box on a given play and, for as good as the Hogs have been in the trenches, they don’t have the horses to match up with that.
When you then factor in Jefferson dealing with a knee injury that could limit his mobility, this team averaging 261.0 rushing yards per game is going to be held under 100 on Saturday.
Bold prediction No. 2: Adonai Mitchell catches 2 touchdown passes
Credit to the Arkansas defense last week for finding one answer after another to limiting and stopping the Texas A&M offense. However, at least from what we’ve seen, they’ve got a whole other animal on deck and the Dawgs present a substantial challenge.
The truth about the Aggies is that they have lacked an explosive element on offense for some time. It appeared that they might find some of it with Haynes King but, with Zach Calzada, it’s nowhere to be found. Thus, that makes life a bit easier for the Razorbacks’ defense. But Georgia has been explosive all over the field and, frankly, I’m not sure they have the depth to contend with that.
Perhaps the most explosive weapon is freshman Adonai Mitchell as the wide receiver has been used sparingly but is averaging 17.4 yards per reception. His elite speed will be a problem for the Hogs and Daniels will find him for two long scores to help set the tone and get Arkansas’ defense on its heels.
Bold prediction No. 1: Georgia beats Arkansas, 35-10
For as good as the Hogs have looked to this point, they haven’t played a team that presents the challenges Georgia does. Not only do they have more offensive talent and balance than Texas but their defense has simply played better than Texas A&M has. This team is loaded at every spot and looks like a viable National Championship contender.
Under normal circumstances, I might give the Razorbacks a plausible chance to keep it close. But with Jefferson and Treylon Burks, arguably the two best offensive weapons on the roster, either possibly not playing or out there at less than 100 percent, the Bulldogs defense is going to eat all day long. They’ll dominate a top-10 team and truly make their bid to be the top-ranked team in college football.
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