Georgia moving backmost Kenny McIntosh (6) celebrates with the fans aft defeating Arkansas successful an NCAA assemblage shot crippled Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, successful Athens, Ga.. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Georgia’s determination to triumph its top-10 matchup against Arkansas connected the crushed had thing to bash with which backmost started for the Bulldogs.
Instead, it was each astir taking what the Arkansas defence gave Georgia — and the Bulldogs conscionable kept taking and taking. And that made it adjacent easier for the Georgia defence to dominate.
Zamir White rushed for 2 touchdowns and recovered a blocked punt for different score, and No. 2 Georgia pounded No. 8 Arkansas 37-0 connected Saturday successful the Bulldogs’ 2nd consecutive shutout.
Georgia (5-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) raced to a 21-0 pb successful the archetypal 4th contempt playing without backmost JT Daniels, who was held retired with a close lat injury.
Stetson Bennett filled successful for Daniels and passed for lone 72 yards arsenic the Bulldogs relied connected their moving crippled and top-rated defence to bushed Arkansas (4-1, 1-1).
“They were fundamentally challenging us, could we tally the ball,” Bennett said. “They said we couldn’t but we said we could today.”
The Bulldogs rushed for 273 yards and wore down the Arkansas defense, holding the shot for 36 minutes.
The matchup of top-10 SEC teams turned into a connection crippled for Georgia.
“I deliberation we cognize however bully we are,” Bennett said. “I deliberation we cognize what it takes to beryllium that bully each week.”
Georgia, starring the federation successful full defence and scoring defence aft past week’s 62-0 triumph astatine Vanderbilt, held Arkansas to 10 archetypal downs and 156 yards. Linebacker Nakobe Dean and antiaircraft tackle Devonte Wyatt each had 1 1/2 sacks.
The past clip Georgia recorded back-to-back shutouts successful SEC games was successful 1980, its past nationalist title season.
Georgia manager Kirby Smart said helium understood the value of the consecutive league shutouts.
“It’s 1980 rare,” Smart said.
It was a sobering acquisition for Arkansas second-year manager Sam Pittman, the erstwhile Georgia violative enactment coach.
“I don’t privation to simplify this, but they conscionable whipped america physically,” Pittman said. “We couldn’t artifact them and we couldn’t get disconnected blocks for overmuch of the day.”
Georgia stuck to the tally arsenic Arkansas aligned its defence with other antiaircraft backs.
Georgia stretched its pb to 21-0 erstwhile walk-on antiaircraft backmost Dan Jackson blocked Reid Bauer’s punt and White fell connected the ball successful the extremity zone.
Arkansas besides had backmost questions aft KJ Jefferson missed astir of the 2nd fractional of past week’s triumph implicit Texas A&M with a bruised near knee. Jefferson completed 8 of 13 passes for 65 yards. Malik Hornsby replaced Jefferson successful the last quarter.
Arkansas linebacker Grant Morgan said the Razorbacks would retrieve from the lopsided loss.
“That’s what bully shot teams do, and we’re a bully shot team,” Morgan said.
Jack Podlesny kicked tract goals of 46, 30 and 37 yards. Cam Little was wide close from 37 yards successful the 2nd 4th for the Razorbacks.
THE TAKEAWAY
Arkansas: The Razorbacks failed to lucifer the top-10 standards acceptable by Georgia. They wounded themselves with 13 penalties for 100 yards, including 2 false-start flags earlier they could tally a play. Pressure caused by Georgia’s defence and the assemblage noise, particularly astatine the commencement of the game, was overwhelming.
Georgia: The Bulldogs showed awesome extent erstwhile forced to play without their starting quarterback. Bennett managed the game, completing a fewer aboriginal passes and past leaning heavy connected the Bulldogs’ agelong database of moving backs. The defence showed it deserves its apical ranking, making the squad look similar a superior contender for the aforesaid honor.
RUNNING BACK COMMITTEE
The Bulldogs continued their committee attack astatine moving back. James Cook had 87 yards connected 12 carries. Kenny McIntosh had 57 yards. Kendall Milton ran for 48 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown.
White had scoring runs of 3 and 15 yards. He finished with 68 yards connected 16 carries.
DANIELS’ FRUSTRATIONS
Daniels was successful uniform, but helium missed his 2nd crippled of the play aft investigating the wounded successful pregame warmups. Smart said earlier the crippled Daniels’ presumption was based connected the pregame work. After the game, determination seemed to beryllium little certainty that the inferior was adjacent to playing.
“We deliberation we’re going to beryllium capable to get him backmost but we don’t cognize when,” Smart said, adding “JT is frustrated. He wants to play backmost and helium doesn’t get to erstwhile helium has an injury.”
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Arkansas: The Razorbacks’ defence recovered aft Georgia’s 21-0 first-quarter lead, allowing lone 2 tract goals successful the adjacent 2 quarters. It was excessively precocious to prevention Arkansas from a probable driblet successful the Top 25. Despite fading successful the last quarter, Arkansas whitethorn not autumn acold successful the poll, acknowledgment to wins implicit Top 25 teams Texas and Texas A&M.
Georgia: The Bulldogs solidified their No. 2 ranking. Another ascendant antiaircraft showing implicit an Arkansas squad that was averaging 35.8 points could gain Georgia much first-place votes.
UP NEXT
Arkansas visits No. 12 Mississippi connected Saturday.
Georgia visits No. 22 Auburn connected Saturday. Georgia has a four-game triumph streak successful the series, including a 27-6 triumph past play successful Athens.
English (US) ·