Georgia head coach Mark Richt gestures toward the crowd after defeating Troy 66-0 in Athens, Ga.The Georgia Bulldogs play Arkansas in Little Rock this Saturday, but which Razorbacks team will they face?
Will it be the team that averaged 316.6 rushing yards a game entering last Saturday’s contest against Alabama? Or will it be the team that attempted 40 passes in the 14-13 loss to the Crimson Tide?
“Any time you can run the ball like they do, it’s going to open up some opportunities throwing the ball,” Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said. “They’re very capable of throwing it, no doubt, but I don’t think they’re going to get away from wanting to play that physical brand of football. When you get people so concerned about that, then you almost have to throw the ball from time to time to take advantage of the one-on-ones out there.”
The Razorbacks quickly established themselves as a run-oriented team last year in Bret Bielema’s first season as coach, and they took that to the extreme last month in a 49-28 win at Texas Tech. They rushed 68 times for 438 yards (6.4 per carry) against the Red Raiders and ran the ball on their final 30 snaps, which resulted in Texas Tech having a scant six minutes and five seconds of second-half possession time.
Arkansas junior quarterback Brandon Allen completed 6 of 12 passes for 61 yards against Texas Tech, but he was 21-of-40 for 246 yards Saturday night against Alabama as the Razorbacks were held to 89 yards on 39 carries.