Arkansas puts two streaks on line against Georgia

photo A 15th consecutive SEC loss by the Arkansas Razorbacks was sealed last Saturday night when Alabama safety Landon Collins intercepted a fourth-quarter pass intended for Jonathan Williams.

The Arkansas Razorbacks will have two sizable streaks on the line Saturday afternoon when they host No. 10 Georgia in Little Rock.

One streak is a source of pride. The other one not so much.

Arkansas has done its part this season to enhance the powerful reputation of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division. The SEC West is 26-0 so far against opposition from outside the West, with the Razorbacks contributing with wins over Nicholls State, Texas Tech and Northern Illinois.

The SEC West improved to 26-0 last Saturday night when LSU clipped Florida 30-27 in the Swamp.

"We have a lot of pride in being in the SEC and in the SEC West," Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said. "That is a really, really special deal, and whether or not we can continue that this Saturday, it has already been mentioned. To be honest, Georgia has been really good for a long time, and I've been a big fan of Mark Richt for a long time.

"Hopefully we'll be able to do it."

The SEC West has not lost to an outside foe since Auburn fell 34-31 to Florida State in January's final BCS championship game. A West team has not lost to an SEC East team since Missouri beat Texas A&M 28-21 last November.

This season, West teams are 4-0 against the East, with Texas A&M blistering South Carolina, Ole Miss routing Vanderbilt and Alabama whipping Florida before LSU's close win last weekend.

"I don't know how important comparing the East and the West is," Richt said. "I don't think it's important. There is only one game that matters the most, and that's when the Eastern Division champion plays the Western Division champion. Whoever wins that game has won the SEC, so I don't know if it's really that important to compare."

The past five SEC champions have hailed from the West, with Auburn and Alabama each taking two titles and LSU one.

Arkansas also has lost 15 consecutive SEC games, a skid that began when John L. Smith was in his one season as interim coach due to the awkward dismissal of Bobby Petrino. The 14th and 15th losses have been especially painful for the Razorbacks, who fell 35-28 in overtime to Texas A&M on Sept. 27 and 14-13 last Saturday to Alabama.

Bielema fought back tears after the loss to the Crimson Tide, knowing his players are vastly improved from a year ago but have yet to experience the reward.

"They're frustrated, disappointed and sad," Bielema said. "I think we have a team that cares, and what they do see is a team that sees itself getting closer and closer. They know they are getting respect for a 3-3 team, because people know how close they have been. It's rewarding in one aspect and disheartening in another."

Said Richt: "They are on the verge of doing some big things. We're just trying to keep it from being at our expense."

Arkansas and Georgia are ranked 1-2 in rushing offense among SEC teams, and their statistics are nearly identical. The Razorbacks have 268 rushes for 1,672 yards (6.2 per carry) and 21 touchdowns for an average of 278.7 yards a game, while the Bulldogs have 264 for 1,654 (6.3) and 21 scores for a 275.7 average.

Georgia was more committed to the run last week, when Nick Chubb and Brendan Douglas combined on 51 carries for 208 yards and two touchdowns in the 34-0 win at Missouri.

"I don't think anybody is trying to confuse anybody on either side of the ball," Richt said. "It's just a matter of let's go hook up and see who's tougher."

Richt caused a stir after Wednesday's practice when he said Todd Gurley's availiability likely would be known by the time the Bulldogs boarded their team flight today. He backtracked on that Thursday morning, posting on Twitter that he did not expect Gurley's status to change this week.

The Bulldogs easily overcame Gurley's absence last weekend, but now they venture to a state that has the SEC team hungriest for a league win.

"We're well in line with what I thought we could accomplish this year," Bielema said. "I knew we would be a much-improved football team this year, but I didn't know how many wins that would equate to. To be a 3-3 team that left 11 points on the field against Alabama and probably 14 on the field against A&M -- those were both very winnable ballgames.

"The bottom line is we've got to do things better in the fourth quarter, but there is no one in this entire football family who isn't counting down the minutes to playing Georgia on Saturday."

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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