After slow start and 2 QBs, No. 4 Georgia roars back to take down Arkansas in opener

Complete football teams are solid in all three phases of the game. When one unit struggles, the other two lift it up.

That formula worked for No. 4 Georgia on Saturday. The Bulldogs (1-0) used their defense and special teams to overcome early offensive struggles en route to a 37-10 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville.

Early on, Arkansas took advantage of the difficulties Georgia faced. Quarterback Feleipe Franks found Treylon Burks for a 49-yard touchdown in the first quarter, a play senior safety Richard LeCounte attributed to a mix-up in communication. That miscue staked Arkansas to a 7-0 lead.

Offensively, Georgia starting quarterback D’Wan Mathis got the early hook after completing 6-of-14 passes for 37 yards and an interception in just over a quarter of play. He was replaced by junior Stetson Bennett, who paired a late field goal drive with a defensive safety to cut the deficit to 7-5 at halftime.

In addition to the offensive struggles and defensive mistake, the Bulldogs committed 11 penalties for 98 yards in the opening 30 minutes.

“I thought we were very stagnant and just undisciplined penalties,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “Every time we had something going, we’d shoot ourself in the foot. It was either a 15-yard penalty, 10-yard penalty or a turnover. You can’t win football games doing those things.”

In the third quarter, the defense and special teams provided a big boost. A kickoff return from sophomore running back Kenny McIntosh set up a 57-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a 19-yard pass from Bennett to sophomore George Pickens.

A blocked punt set up another touchdown, and junior cornerback Eric Stokes delivered a 30-yard interception return for a score to push the lead to 27-10 at the end of the third period.

Georgia cruised from there, coasting through the fourth quarter to improve to 1-0 with the 37-10 win.

3 GEORGIA FOOTBALL STARS VS. ARKANSAS

• Stetson Bennett IV: Bennett waited a long time for his chance at Georgia. When he got it, he didn’t disappoint. The junior finished the day 20-for-29 with 211 yards and two touchdowns. He led a field goal drive to steal the momentum at the end of the first half, and on the first two touchdown drives of the second half he completed 5-of-6 passes for 61 yards and a pair of touchdowns. “The first half, I mean, it was pretty poor,” Bennett said. “Second half was better, but a few times I checked to a protection that I shouldn’t have. On that two-point conversion it worked out, but maybe it won’t next time. Stuff like that I’ve got to fix.”
• Richard LeCounte: The preseason All-SEC selection lived up to the hype in the first game of his senior season. He picked off a pass in the first half and returned it to the Arkansas 15-yard line. In the third quarter, the senior hauled in an impressive one-handed interception to snuff out any chance of an Arkansas rally. “Our linebackers, our D-line, they’re getting after the quarterback, getting that rush, being able to make the quarterback react faster and make throws that put the ball in the air and able to make those 50-50 balls,” LeCounte said. “As a defensive back, you’ve got to be able to go take it.”
• Eric Stokes: The junior corner dealt the death blow to Arkansas with his 30-yard pick-six in the third quarter to extend Georgia’s lead to 27-10. Stokes also played a key role in a secondary that limited the Arkansas aerial attack for much of the game.

UGA-Arkansas: How they scored, team stats

First Quarter

ARK—Burks 49 pass from Franks (Reed kick), 8:48.

Second Quarter

UGA—safety, 14:30.

UGA—FG Podlesny 38, :00.

Third Quarter

ARK—FG Reed 25, 8:23.

UGA—Pickens 19 pass from Bennett (Bennett run), 6:00.

UGA—FitzPatrick 7 pass from Bennett (Podlesny kick), 3:20.

UGA—Stokes 30 interception return (Podlesny kick), 2:53.

Fourth Quarter

UGA—Z.White 6 run (Podlesny kick), 11:15.

UGA—FG Podlesny 38, 1:23.

TEAM STATS

RUSHING—Georgia, Z.White 13-71, Cook 7-26, Bennett 5-20, McIntosh 3-6, Da.Edwards 1-4, Milton 1-4, Mathis 10-4, (Team) 2-(minus 14). Arkansas, T.Smith 6-38, Boyd 11-21, Jefferson 4-16, Franks 5-13, Burks 1-3, Hammonds 1-(minus 14).

PASSING—Georgia, Bennett 20-29-0-211, Mathis 8-17-1-55, (Team) 0-1-0-0. Arkansas, Burks 0-1-1-0, Jefferson 1-2-0-3, Franks 19-36-2-200.

RECEIVING—Georgia, Ke.Jackson 6-62, Pickens 4-47, Robertson 4-29, Landers 2-27, FitzPatrick 2-19, Rosemy-Jacksaint 2-12, Cook 2-10, Z.White 2-9, Washington 1-26, Burton 1-13, Seither 1-12, McIntosh 1-0. Arkansas, Burks 7-102, Boyd 4-8, Woods 3-40, T.Smith 3-13, Warren 1-28, Kern 1-9, Knox 1-3.

MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.

Next week: Georgia vs. Auburn

Where: Sanford Stadium in Athens

When: 7:30 pm Saturday, Oct. 3

TV: ESPN

This story was originally published September 26, 2020 at 7:46 PM with the headline "After slow start and 2 QBs, No. 4 Georgia roars back to take down Arkansas in opener."