The Morning After: What I Liked, Didn't Like From Arkansas' 45-17 Loss To Georgia

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield talked about this being a day his Razorbacks team could build off despite being blown out at home 45-17 by the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs.

"Nobody's going to want to hear this, [but] maybe took a little bit of a step today," Silverfield said on Saturday. "All I know is to work harder at it, find ways to be more efficient, and find ways to go out there and have success. Like I said here, am I pissed? Absolutely. I am straight up pissed off. But guess what? We'll get this fixed. I've got great, great faith in the football team."

Georgia certainly looked every bit of the No. 2 ranked team they were supposed to be by thumping Arkansas in total offense, 464-300 and limited the Razorbacks rushing attack to a season-low 17 yards.

Arkansas Razorbacks linebacker Ja'Quavion Smith celebrates after making a tackle for loss against Georga Bulldogs inside Razorback Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. | Nilsen Roman, Hogs on SI

Liked: Defensive Pressure Kept UGA Off Balance Early

The Razorbacks' defense had their best outing of the season, although that's not saying much in terms of success rate. Arkansas did notch six tackles for loss and three sacks against Georgia, which is much improved compared to Week Two at Utah.

Arkansas' veteran trio of Khmori House, Ben Bogle and Ja'Quavion Smith led the way with a combined 26 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack.

Defensive coordinator Ron Roberts reportedly simplified some of his scheme in the lead up to the Georgia game due to confusion on the back end. It apparently helped some, although they still allowed 254 yards on the ground and four scores.

“I feel like we’re a very good defense and when everybody’s doing their job, the whole 11 on the same page, I don’t feel like nobody can do anything on us,” Smith said. “That’s what it’s going to come down to, discipline.”

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton shredded the Arkansas defense on the ground with seven carries for 97 yards on the ground.

Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart looks at the field during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Razorback Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. | Nilsen Roman, Hogs on SI images

Didn't Like: FBS Losing Streak

The Razorbacks have now lost 12 consecutive games to FBS opponents, and another 12-game losing streak to SEC opponents. Arkansas' last win against a conference opponent came on the road against Mississippi State by a score of 55-24 during the 2024 season.

The program's losing streak to FBS opponents is the second-longest streak in the country behind Charlotte, a team that has now lost 13 straight games to FBS teams.

Next up for Arkansas is Tulsa, a team that's already recorded a victory at home over Oklahoma State, a team that previously lost 21 straight before defeating No. 6 Oregon at home 39-31.

Golden Hurricane coach Tre Lamb has been the spark needed to turn the program around following four straight losing seasons. Tulsa sits 3-0 going into what will be a huge inflection point for both them and Arkansas.

A win by Tulsa would be its second over a Power Conference team, and elevate Lamb's candidacy for a bigger job this offseason. While Arkansas can get in the win column one more time before an eight-game stretch against SEC teams begins.

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jackson attempts pass against Georgia Bulldogs at Razorback Stadium on Sept. 19, 2026. | Nilsen Roman, Hogs on SI Images

Didn't Like: Stop With The QB Rotation

AJ Hill might have the prettier deep ball and has protected the football better than starting quarterback KJ Jackson. However, he just isn't quite ready for the bright lights of SEC football at this point in his career.

“Get KJ two series, regardless of how those went, and then AJ the next two series and then make a decision from there,” the Head Hog said postgame. “I don’t want to play the quarterback carousel game, but if alternating quarterbacks gives us the best option to win football games, we will do so.”

Jackson still operates the offense more efficiently, and can get in a rhythm much easier in certain moments of the game. The junior quarterback finished 20-of-27 passes for 212 yards and one touchdown against Georgia, which was arguably his best statistical performance of the season.

He did commit a turnover in the third quarter on a strip sack that led to a Bulldogs touchdown, increasing the Razorbacks' deficit to 31-3. Finding ways to get force-feed leading receiver Chris Marshall will be key to getting the Arkansas offense out of its funk.

Hill finished the day completing 8-of-14 passes for 75 yards.

Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver Chris Marshall celebrates after a big catch against the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. | Nilsen Roman, Hogs on SI Images

Liked: Marshall Is A Dude

The former 5-star receiver in the 2022 recruiting cycle is in a league of his own when it comes to football talent. If Arkansas can figure things out and continue making strides in terms of competitiveness, then there's a chance Marshall could be the catalyst that turns this season around.

He caught seven passes for 104 yards with 49 yards gained after catch, and had a pair of one-handed snags with a 10 in the degree of difficulty. The 6-foot-3, 215 pound wideout sits at No. 23 nationally by catching 19 passes for 278 yards through the first three weeks of the regular season.

Arkansas' inability to establish any semblance of a running game has gone from concerning to downright alarming.

Arkansas Razorbacks running back Sutton Smith looks for running room against No. 2 Georgia on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. | Nilsen Roman, Hogs on SI Images

Didn't Like: Rushing Attack Gone M.I.A.

The Razorbacks finished with just 17 rushing yards against Georgia, averaging less than a yard per carry. At one point midway through the third quarter, Arkansas had just one net rushing yard before slightly improving that number late in the game.

Some of that can be attributed to sacks being counted against the team rushing total, but that doesn't explain away what has become a major problem for an offense that was expected to lean on its backfield.

Arkansas consistently found itself behind the chains against Georgia, putting even more pressure on KJ Jackson and AJ Hill to generate offense through the air. That's not a sustainable formula with SEC play about to consume the remainder of the schedule after Tulsa.

The running back room was expected to be a major strength for this team, along with the offensive line, but through three weeks that certainly hasn't been the case. Of course, major improvement wasn't expected against a vaunted Bulldogs defense, but Arkansas can hardly muster much on the ground at all ranking No. 135 nationally (out of 138 FBS teams) with just 75.38 yards per game.

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