No. 14 Arkansas Vs. Georgia Final: 31-24, Razorbacks

Athens, GA (Sports Network) – Ryan Mallett threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Greg Childs with 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, as 12th-ranked Arkansas opened SEC play with a thrilling 31-24 victory over Georgia at Sanford Stadium.

Mallett finished 21-of-33 for 380 yards with three touchdowns for the Razorbacks (3-0, 1-0 SEC), who snapped a six-game losing streak to the Bulldogs. Arkansas hadn’t won in this series since a 20-10 road triumph on October 2, 1993.

Georgia (1-2, 0-2) rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game on Washaun Ealey’s three-yard touchdown run with 3:55 left.

The Bulldogs trailed 24-10 after Mallett found an uncovered Ronnie Wingo Jr. streaking down the right sideline for a 22-yard TD with eight seconds to play in the third quarter.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Aaron Murray led Georgia on consecutive scoring drives sandwiched around an Arkansas punt.

Murray hit Tavarres King in the middle of the field and he broke a couple of tackles before leaping into the end zone for a 10-yard score.

Forced to punt from his own goal line, Dylan Breeding’s kick was downed at the Georgia 48-yard line. Murray completed a 35-yard pass to Kris Durham on first down, and Ealey capped the drive four plays later.

After an exchange of punts, Arkansas got the ball back with under a minute remaining and Mallett moved the Razorbacks 73 yards on three plays.

Mallett completed passes of 18 and 15 yards to D.J. Williams to put the ball at the Georgia 40. He then threw a strike to Childs, who sidestepped one defender and rumbled down the left sideline for the decisive score.

Brandon Boykin returned the ensuing kickoff to the Georgia 36, and the Razorbacks prevailed when Murray’s long toss was knocked down in the end zone.

“It was a hard football game,” said Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino. “They came back in the second half. We were able to execute our two-minute offense and score to win the game.”

Murray was 15-of-27 for 253 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for a score.

“We got better today, but we just didn’t finish,” said Georgia head coach Mark Richt. “We got back into it, the crowd got into it. We had all we could hope for with time offensively, but we didn’t get any points on the board. We had a chance to stop them, but we didn’t. We punted them down and they had a long way to go, but they got it done and we didn’t.”

Arkansas wasted no time early, driving 79 yards in six plays on the game’s opening series. Mallett’s 15-yard completion to Childs moved the chains on 3rd-and-12 from the Razorbacks’ 19-yard line. Following an incompletion by Mallett on first down, Broderick Green ran for a modest gain before an offsides penalty set up a 3rd-and-1. Mallett finished the drive by hooking up with Chris Gragg for a 57-yard touchdown.

The Bulldogs responded on their first offensive sequence, tying the game on Murray’s one-yard score.

Knile Davis burrowed his way into the end zone from a yard out to put Arkansas up 14-7 early in the second quarter, and Zach Hocker extended the lead to 10 with a 48-yard field goal in the waning moments of the first half.

Blair Walsh drilled a 43-yard field goal to trim Georgia’s deficit to 17-10 with 2:44 left in the third quarter.

Arkansas has won eight of its last nine games dating back to last season…Joe Adams had 130 yards on six receptions for the Razorbacks…Ealey ran for 87 yards on 18 carries…Durham caught five passes for 101 yards…Arkansas improved to 10-9 in SEC openers…The Bulldogs still hold a 9-4 edge in the series with the Razorbacks.

Ryan Mallett pulled off another Madden drive as time wound down to put Arkansas up by 7.

Georgia launched a hail mary as time expired, with players from both teams batting it around before it struck the dirt.

Georgia is now 0-2 in the SEC for the first time since 1993, and has lost to Arkansas for the first time since 1993.

More to come.

Bobby Petrino’s always had a passer, but now he’s got a pass rush.

Ryan Mallet has thrown for 300 yards and two touchdowns, while Aaron Murray has only had time to attempt 14 passes. Several of his attempts have involved shots to the throat from Razorback defenders.

Mallett finished the quarter with a 22-yard toss to Ronnie Wingo. He also attempted a surprise pooch punt that dribbled into the end zone after traveling 43 yards, or about six Mallett leg-lengths.

Arkansas has outgained Georgia by almost 130 yards.

The only score since our last result, which was one Georgia Tech field goal drive ago, involved Ryan Mallett doing the video game thing when faced with a mile of yardage and under a minute to go: keep slingin’.

Mallett put the Razorbacks in position for a successful 48-yard field goal as time ticked away.

Arkansas’ defense is the surprise of the day: Georgia only has 135 total yards after posting approximately 1,350 in last year’s showdown. Sloppy play, including seven penalties, has further limited the Dawgs.

Nine of Georgia’s 22 rushes were by Aaron Murray, as a solid pass rush has allowed him time to attempt only six throws.

Ryan Mallett completed a 57-yarder on Arkansas’ opening drive. Georgia responded with a one-yard score by quarterback Aaron Murray.

The Razorbacks have just completed a seven-play, 71-yard touchdown drive on a one-yard run by Knile Davis.

Mallett is nine of 11 for 160 yards. Georgia receiver Tavarres King caught a 47-yard pass, one of Murray’s two completions.

More from Seth Emerson:

“Our concentration is the same as the last two weeks which is preparing for the next game,” head coach Mark Richt said in a statement. “We’ll look forward to A.J.’s return for the Colorado game on Oct. 2.”

…

Richt said the team built most of its gameplan this week assuming it would not have Green.

Seth Emerson updates us:

How late do NCAA offices stay open on Friday nights?

From this year’s SEC Media Days, Mark Richt breaks down the three things you need to know about Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett:

1. “He’s a giant. He’s a huge man.”
2. “I read a comment in one of the magazines saying he’s having too much fun. I like his attitude. He should enjoy it.”
3. “He shoulda gone pro last year, quite frankly. That’d have been nice. He’s a big-time player.”

(Sports Network) – The 12th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks open up SEC play this weekend, as they travel to Athens to battle the Georgia Bulldogs.

Bobby Petrino’s Razorbacks have begun the season with a pair of lopsided victories, making light work of Tennessee Tech (44-3) and UL-Monroe (31-7). Arkansas is regarded as a real contender in the SEC West and has now won seven of its last eight games dating back to last season.

Mark Richt’s Bulldogs are seeking a quick turnaround, after faltering in their SEC opener last weekend in Columbia, dropping a 17-6 decision to South Carolina. The loss followed a 55-7 drubbing of Louisiana in the season-opener.

Georgia holds a 9-3 edge in the series with Arkansas and has won the last six meetings, including a thrilling 52-41 shootout last season.

After two games, Arkansas boasts of the SEC’s top offense, averaging a hefty 509.0 yards. A significant portion of that has come from the arm of standout QB Ryan Mallett, who engineers a passing attack that is posting 361.5 yards per game (first in the SEC and fifth nationally). Regarded as one of the top signal-callers in the country, the 6-6 Mallett has completed a hefty 73.1 percent of his passes thus far, for over 700 yards with six TDs. Greg Childs has been the go-to-guy downfield and leads the team with 16 receptions, for 172 yards and two TDs. Joe Adams has been explosive as well, averaging 23.8 yards on his nine receptions (214 yards), with two more scores. The ground game takes second-fiddle in this offense, although both Knile Davis (7.8 ypc) and Dennis Johnson (9.2 ypc) are electrifying at times.

While Arkansas has been solid offensively, Petrino knows the unit can be even better.

“We do feel like we need to be a lot more consistent. We need to stay away from negative plays so we don’t get behind the sticks and stay away from penalties, take care of the ball better, and run the ball better. Those are the things we’re really going to work at.”

The Arkansas defense has been equally impressive in the early going and currently leads the SEC and ranks fourth nationally in total defense (187.5 ypg), while ranking second in the league and fourth nationally in scoring defense (5.0 ppg). With 19 TFLs and five sacks on the year, the Razorbacks have certainly made some plays upfield. Junior middle linebacker Jerry Franklin leads the team in tackles with 15, including three TFLs. Senior LB Anthony Leon (13 tackles, 4.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks) and sophomore LB Ross Radner (10 tackles, 5.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks) have really been disruptive forces in the oppositions’ backfield and complete a solid LB corps for Arkansas.

Petrino is pleased with his defense.

“I’ve been very excited and pleased with the way that our defense has been playing. The knowledge of the schemes; the speed we have been playing with; how fast we’re getting to the football and the effort we have been playing with.”

The Bulldogs will be without the nation’s top wide receiver for four games and the loss of A.J. Green last week against South Carolina really hampered the offense’s effectiveness. Redshirt freshman QB Aaron Murray has played to mixed reviews this far. After erupting for four TDs (three passing) against Louisiana, Murray was just 14-of-21 against South Carolina, for 192 yards with no TDs. In all, Georgia managed just 253 yards of total offense and was held to its lowest scoring output against USC since 1904. Without Green on the outside for a couple more games, Murray will need to rely even more on Kris Dunham (eight receptions, for 159 yards, one TD).

Richt knows the key to the offense is better balance.

“The more balanced we can be in our offensive game the better we will be. We need to block and run better and work on getting more yards after contact. We also have to learn our personnel better and continue to improve up front.”

The Bulldogs dropped their SEC-opener because they were unable to stop South Carolina’s ground attack, namely freshman Marcus Lattimore. The young Gamecock abused the Georgia defense for 182 yards and two TDs, more than enough to earn USC the victory. Junior LB Justin Houston had a huge game, finishing with 10 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble. Redshirt sophomore safety Baccari Rambo led all tacklers with 12 stops in the game and he currently leads the team with 18 stops on the year. Tightening things up is a must, although it will be Arkansas’ passing attack that Georgia needs to be concerned with this week.

Georgia gets this game at home, but stopping Mallett won’t be easy. The Razorbacks can play a wide-open style or batten down the hatches and play stingy defense. Either way, if Arkansas is to take the next step in terms of SEC legitimacy, it must wins games like this one.

You may have heard that Georgia's defense had some problems against South Carolina last weekend. You may have also heard that Arkansas packs one of the most potent offensive punches in the entire country, much less the SEC. Can the Dawgs get up off the mat in time to corral them?

ARKANSAS' OFFENSE, BY THE NUMBERS
Passing: 295.5 yards per game in 2009 (10th nationally); averaging 361.5 in games against Tennessee Tech and UL-Monroe this season, fifth in the nation.
Rushing: 131.8 yards per game in 2009 (81st); averaging 147.5 per game so far this season, 74th in the country.

REASONS TO BE EXCITED
OK, yes, Ryan Mallett is a beast of a quarterback. He was the seventh most efficient passer in the country last year and is on the same kind of pace this year, and will be on pretty much everyone's Heisman shortlist until he really, really tanks one. But here's the thing: Mallett did tank more than a few on the road last season. Inside the state of Arkansas, Mallett completed 157 of 232 passes for 2,557 yards, 25 touchdowns, and only five picks; outside Arkansas, though, he was just 68-of-171 for 1,067 yards and a 5/2 TD/INT ratio. QB rating at home, 191.5; on the road, 99.5. With Mallett arguably the least mobile of the quarterbacks Georgia has faced so far this season, Georgia linebacker Justin Houston -- the unequivocal star of the defense last week with three sacks on Stephen Garcia -- could have a big game and key the effort to goad Mallett into another subpar performance.

If Mallett has a bad game, it's unlikely that the rest of the offense picks up the slack, because the running game, to put it politely, doesn't seem to have been much of a priority for Bobby Petrino in his time at Arkansas. The Razorback RBs have a veteran offensive line to run behind, but their depth took a big hit when junior Dennis Johnson was taken out of the lineup with a very unpleasant-sounding "bowel injury" last week. Of the other three tailbacks the Hogs have at their disposal, Knile Davis and Ronnie Wingo have looked impressive so far this season, but neither have received more than a handful of carries in each game. The most experienced of the three, junior Broderick Green, has only averaged 3.2 yards per carry -- not a particularly impressive stat when your first two opponents were Tennessee Tech and UL-Monroe.

On special teams, the Hogs were solid in the kick- and punt-return game, but the kickers and punters themselves left something to be desired. Punter Dylan Breeding averaged fewer than 40 yards a kick on the season, and placekicker Alex Tejada 7-of-13 on field goals longer than 30 yards.

REASONS TO WORRY
His home/road stat splits aside, there's no denying that Ryan Mallett is really, really good. He set a school record scorching the Bulldogs for 408 yards and five TDs in Fayetteville a year ago, and all of the receivers who caught touchdown passes in that game are back this year; that includes their top three wideouts from 2009 (Greg Childs, Jarius Wright and Joe Adams), all of whom had at least 500 yards and 5 TDs on the season. Georgia's secondary has shown some improvement relative to a string of lackluster efforts that brought an end to the Willie Martinez era in Athens, but they've also let a couple big passes get by them despite facing a pair of relatively lo-cal passing games in their first two outings. Even an improved unit may struggle just to contain the Razorback passing attack if the front seven can't get consistent pressure, as "shutting down" just doesn't look like a likely option.

Getting that kind of pressure won't be a cakewalk, either -- last year's Hog O-line was only so-so in pass protection, finishing eighth in the SEC in sacks allowed, but appears to have improved in 2010, with four returning starters having given up only three sacks in two games thus far. Mallett may not be a mobile target, but at 6'7", 238, he's definitely an imposing one; between tight end D.J. Williams and a wealth of usable pass-catchers in the backfield, Mallett will have plenty of short dump-off options if the pocket collapses, so Justin Houston and the Georgia pass rush will have to get to him early.

And don't just assume that Petrino's going to ignore the ground game, either. While the run is highly unlikely to be the centerpiece of his offensive game plan, he no doubt saw plenty that he liked as he watched film of South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore leaving cleat prints on the Georgia front seven for three solid hours. DeAngelo Tyson, who played the entire game at nose tackle, didn't make much of a dent in the Gamecock offensive front, which was a big part of why Lattimore was able to run so well, but there don't appear to be many other options for the Dawgs at that position, with Justin Anderson deemed "doubtful" for this weekend's game due to turf toe. A greater emphasis on contact in this week's practices should result in a more aggressive defensive effort from the Dawgs on Saturday, but it's clear from the Carolina game that they've got a ways to go.

MATCHUP TO WATCH
Georgia FS Bacarri Rambo vs. Arkansas WR Greg Childs. Rambo was a fan favorite off the bench last season, and not just because he has an awesome name: He sparked an otherwise subpar Georgia secondary with big plays like the game-saving hit in the waning minutes against Auburn that put him in the hospital with a concussion. Yet he's looked suspiciously gun-shy at times this season (partly because of that big hit against the Tigers, perhaps), to the point where he publicly berated himself for a lack of effort against South Carolina earlier this week. Against arguably the most imposing passing attack the Dawgs will face all year, this unit needs a leader, and Rambo will have to step up big again. His primary target will be Childs, the biggest receiver on Arkansas' roster and also their most productive in terms of yards and TDs in 2009.

HEY MARK RICHT, A.J. Green’s appeal is on Friday. You're a busy man! It may be wise to have someone set your email to send you an automatic alert 15 minutes prior, so that when you are asked Friday afternoon you can say, “yes, that happened. I knew about it in advance,” instead of, “who’s A.J. Green?”

Also, Chris Hawkins — clothier, NFL manager-but-not-agent, and social media guru — was arrested in 2009 in Georgia for cocaine trafficking and marijuana possession. He has a court date on Oct. 18.

Somebody over there in Butts-Mehre needs to get Mark Richt a Palm Pilot or something, because my goodness.

How is that possible? Sure, planning for Petrino’s offense would drive any coach to ignore things like eating or sleeping, but … whatever, man.

Some clips from Chris Hawkins’ interview with 790 the Zone:

I get a lot of Facebook messages, a lot of Facebook threats over something that happened to me: the A.J. Green thing.

The NCAA thinks I’m an agent, which I’m not. Never worked for one, never been paid by one. I like A.J.‘s game; I like football. I just wanted his jersey. Talked to him bout it, bought it, and didn’t think that much of it. I guess once they investigated him on the Miami trip, they saw I got a 305 number [so they thought I was related].

I asked [Green]: “should [you] talk to some people [about the legality of the jersey sale]?”

I went out to UNC and spoke to the NCAA on behalf of the UNC guys. They try to make it seem like because those guys look up to me, that I was an agent.

I work with my friend [Redskins running back] Willie Parker, dealing with agents. I’m more like a manager for him.

On returning the NCAA’s calls:

They said I wouldnt talk to him. I spoke to the NCAA guy, Chance Miller. He called me from UGA with UGA lawyer. I was busy, told him I would call back. He gave me an extension to call back on, I called five times, it didn’t work. He called me the next day. Set up another time for a conference call. At that time I was busy. I don’t work for the NCAA. I speak with them when I can. I don’t drop everything. I try my best to help everybody out.

I called Amy from compliance at UNC and told her to leave Chance the message that I called.

That [claim that I didn’t return their calls] was definitely not true. If I was hiding from the NCAA — I actually met them in-person, face-to-face, to cooperate.

On his role in Green’s appeal:

Nah, nobody’s contacted me. I would do anything I could do.

On how often he talked to Green:

We really never contacted each other like that. I probably talked to him about four times. I knew a couple girls he knows. Only thing I ever really talked to him about after I got the jersey [wasn’t about football].

I really wasn’t thinking it was that big of a deal. I didn’t think about it enough to even think it would get him in trouble. I was only thinking of it as me having a jersey.

I think they really hit him with that because they’ve been trying to associate me with the Carolina thing and the Miami party. By their definition — I don’t know what kind of definition, because I never got paid by an agent. I know agents, I played sports — if that was the case, I would’ve put him on with people I know.

He sort of defined himself as an NFL player’s manager; did you catch that? If you’re the NCAA and you’ve made the choice to set yourself at AGENT THREAT LEVEL: FIRE TRUCK RED TRUCK ON FIRE RED, that does look suspect.

More to come on Green’s appeal soon.

After tying the lowest point total the Dawgs have scored under Mark Richt, it's a gross understatement to say that Georgia needs a big offensive game this weekend against Arkansas. Fortunately, Arkansas just happens to be the team that Georgia was able to unload 52 points on early last season. Let's see if there's a similar breakout in store on Saturday.

ARKANSAS' DEFENSE, BY THE NUMBERS
Against the pass: 248.5 yards allowed per game in 2009 (99th nationally); has allowed a total of only 180 in games against Tennessee Tech and UL-Monroe this season.
Against the run: 152.7 yards per game in 2009 (73rd); allowing an average of 97.5 per game so far this year.

REASONS TO BE EXCITED
Well, if you so much as skimmed the above statistics, you already know the first reason. Not only were the Hogs dead last in the SEC in total defense last year, they were dead last despite returning every defensive starter but one. They're putting a reasonably experienced unit on the field in 2010, but for obvious reasons, any improvement on the part of the Razorback D is an "I'll believe it when I see it" prospect at best -- lockdown performances against a pair of tomato cans in their first two games notwithstanding.

It helps that Georgia will be at full strength in terms of offensive personnel -- in the running game, at least. This Saturday marks the first time this season that Washaun Ealey and Caleb King will both be ready for action, meaning that the Dawgs stand to make substantial improvement on their lackluster rushing numbers (last in the SEC with only 122.5 yards per game). They'll be going up against a big but inexperienced Razorback front four that will be playing only one guy who started more than three games last year (DE Jake Bequette); the middle of that line will likely consist of two sophomores, Alfred Davis and DeQuinta Jones.

And while the passing game doesn't quite have the established track record that the Ealey/King combo has, Aaron Murray definitely proved his mettle with a valiant performance in Columbia last week, standing tall in the pocket and avoiding momentum-killing mistakes even against a fast, experienced South Carolina secondary. He'll face an Arkansas secondary that should be better this season than it was last, but they've got a long way to go -- even in the midst of what nobody would call a Heisman season, Joe Cox was able to ring up 375 yards and a Georgia-record-tying five TDs on them in Fayetteville last September.

REASONS TO WORRY
The game of "Will A.J. Play?" is becoming a weekly tradition in Dawg-affiliated circles, but last week we saw a vivid depiction of just how important A.J. Green is to this offense. Granted, the coaches hamstrung themselves to some extent by not taking the restrictor plate off of Murray until the second half, but knowing they wouldn't have to account for Green in the passing game allowed South Carolina's defense to stack the box and solidly corral Washaun Ealey. Arkansas doesn't have quite the same luxury, but they do have quite a bit of speed in the secondary, and the return of Isaac Madison at cornerback will give them a dimension that last year's defense didn't have (Madison, who started 11 games in 2008, missed all of '09 with a torn ACL). Mark Richt, to his credit, has fessed up to being overly conservative with Murray against South Carolina and has indicated they'll open up the playbook for him this weekend, but that shouldn't allow anyone to get overconfident, despite the Razorback pass defense's recent struggles.

Keeping Murray upright is also a priority, which the Georgia offensive line has done a good job of so far -- Murray's jersey stayed clean against Louisiana-Lafayette, and while he did get taken down three times against South Carolina, two of those were coverage sacks that occurred while the Dawgs were going pass-heavy late in the game to try and make up an 11-point deficit. While the Arkansas defensive front got paved by the better ground games it faced last year, it did mount a reasonably effective pass rush, one that should still keep Murray on his toes with Bequette (5.5 sacks last year) coming back. The Hogs also had some success corralling mobile QBs: Tim Tebow and Chris Relf were able to ring up nearly 70 yards apiece on Arkansas, but Jerrod Johnson, Stephen Garcia, Levi Brown, and Jordan Jefferson combined for just 43 yards on 30 carries.

MATCHUP TO WATCH
Georgia WR Kris Durham vs. Arkansas CB Ramon Broadway. The Georgia receiving corps needed to step up last week in A.J. Green's absence but didn't get it done, dropping more than a few easy passes and not giving the coaching staff much incentive to put the game in Aaron Murray's hands. The one real bright spot was Durham's 55-yard reception in the third quarter (of a ball that was thrown a little behind him, no less). If Georgia's appeal of Green's NCAA suspension isn't approved in time for the Arkansas game, Durham will likely be called upon to step up again; here's hoping he spends most of his time picking on Broadway. Broadway is the most talkative player on the Razorback defense -- he engaged in some highly ill-advised trash talk leading up to last year's game, and has already spouted off this week about how he hopes A.J. Green is in the game this weekend. But Durham has 20 pounds and a good eight inches on Broadway, and could have a big day if he's called upon to step up again.

(Tomorrow: The Georgia D versus Arkansas' offense. You might have heard that they're kind of good.)

Seth Emerson writes:

Head coach Mark Richt told radio station WSB in Atlanta on Monday that he now understood the appeal would be heard Wednesday morning.

This doesn’t mean the yay-or-nay will come tomorrow. With the NCAA involved, it doesn’t mean anything beyond the exact words you’ve read.

Also by Emerson:

Meantime, the NCAA disputed the account of Chris Hawkins, who purchased Green’s jersey for $1,000, leading to the suspension. Hawkins told The Telegraph last Friday that he never spoke to the NCAA, and “they never really came to me.”
But Stacey Osburn, an NCAA spokesman, said Monday that the organization contacted Hawkins on “several occasions.”
“However, he was not responsive or cooperative,” Osburn said. “He did not return the four different phone calls attempting to gather information. He also cancelled a conference call with the NCAA and a member institution and failed to join the conference call when it was rescheduled.”

Hawkins vs. the NCAA: it’s hard to feel good about taking either side there.

Stop by Dawg Sports for more Georgia football discussion.