After an abysmal first half where Georgia found itself down 7-2 at one point, the Bulldogs were able to find some rhythm and came back to beat Arkansas 37-10.
The resurgence was due, in part, to junior quarterback Stetson Bennett, who got the call when redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis was pulled after just five drives.
Hear what former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray had to say about the Dawgs’ quarterback play here:
Let’s break down the good versus the bad from UGA’s win in Fayetteville.
Which players stood out?
QB Stetson Bennett
The junior quarterback used his championship run experience at Jones County Junior College in 2018 to lead the Bulldogs to the win. He threw for 211 yards on 20/29 passing with two touchdowns and added a two-point conversion run.
WR Kearis Jackson
The redshirt sophomore receiver showed some explosiveness, caught six passes for 62 yards and returned two punts for 34 yards.
WR George Pickens
Sophomore star receiver Pickens didn’t put up 175 yards like he did in the 2020 Sugar Bowl, but he did catch the first Georgia touchdown pass of the season with a good grab in the second quarter. He totaled four receptions for 47 yards.
RB Zamir White
The Bulldogs issues in the first half were evident on the offensive line, and sophomore running back Zamir ‘Zeus’ White had nowhere to go. When the line gelled in the second-half, White was able to get some space and we finally got to see his explosiveness. He finished with 71 yards on 13 carries and added a touchdown.
OLB Nolan Smith
Sophmore linebacker Nolan Smith’s motor is amazing to watch. He is always running to the ball and was no different versus the Razorbacks. He racked up six tackles and 1.5 sacks.
CB Eric Stokes
Junior corner Eric Stokes is a 2021 NFL Draft hopeful and he helped his case Saturday with a pick-six off of Razorbacks quarterback Feleipe Franks in the third quarter.
S Richard LeCounte
Georgia’s only preseason All-American, Richard LeCounte, led the Bulldogs secondary with two interceptions, one with just one hand. He also added two tackles and a pass defended to make his case as the best defensive back in the nation.
What does the team need to do better?
The bad of last week’s game:
Offensive line
Yes, the unit started to move the Razorbacks defensive front in the second half, but the struggles early were nasty. Preseason second-team All SEC center Trey Hill had issues with snaps, which forced Georgia to rotate sophomore Warren Ericson in to the center spot and Hill to left guard.
Run game
With the offensive line struggles comes a lack of a running game and Georgia had nothing going for most of the game. White was able to burst a few runs in the second half, but the backfield as a whole didn’t show out like we had hoped. Junior back James Cook lost a fumble and the backs did not contribute in the passing game with only five catches for 19 yards total.
Penalties
A large part of the Bulldogs struggles were due to first-half penalties. Georgia was flagged 11 times for 98 yards for things like horse-collar tackle, running into the punter, pass interference, holding, facemask etc. We might have seen a completely different half if Georgia could have refrained from shooting itself in the foot.
