Three Improvements Hogs' OC Saw Against UGA That Shows Offense Is Turning Corner

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — There's not a whole lot to takeaway from a 45-17 loss to a team like No. 2 Georgia last week, but the Arkansas Razorbacks are looking to manufacture some type of momentum with a second straight home game against Tulsa.

Whether it was a high-percentage completion rate from the quarterbacks, or more execution inside offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey's scheme, coaches feel like they've worked hard this week to position themselves for a return to the win column on Saturday.

One-handed grab by Arkansas’ Chris Marshall pic.twitter.com/YKR4FnZpKC
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) September 19, 2026

Marshall's First Half Snag

"Unbelievable, unbelievable, yes. That's the improvements you see," Cramsey said on Tuesday. "Nobody's happy, don't get me wrong, nobody's happy. But you need to see improvements like that, because the previous week that didn't happen. Previous week, the other guy won that battle. For him to step up and do that, that's a big thing, and that's what we're talking about.

"Those are the little things, you say little, but there are no such little things. That when we do that, we give our quarterback a chance to drive his front foot and drive his shoulder and put a ball on somebody. We give our receivers a chance to win one-on-ones, and Chris did a tremendous job of doing that on Saturday. Jamari did that a couple times on Saturday."

Marshall has been the Razorbacks' most targeted receiver through the first three games with 19 receptions for 278 yards this season. And Cramsey isn't putting him in the same boundary spot for fades and post routes, but more of a gadget type of player he can line up anywhere and have instant success.

At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Marshall can line up in the slot and be a mismatch in coverage, and even make things happen when there's nothing there. His ability to find room after the catch has helped him become one of the top receivers in the SEC after a 136-yard performance against Georgia.

Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver Jamari Hawkins runs to the sideline following a second half reception against the Georgia Bulldogs. | Nilsen Roman, Hogs on SI Images

Eight Drops

"It's more of a fluky thing, I guess you’d say. That’s the stuff that we can control, ok," Cramsey said. "I understand if Georgia is playing man coverage and locking us up and we can’t win one on ones. That’s a whole other different story, OK. But Georgia is what? They’re a Cover 4, Cover 3 type team. They’re a keep everything in front of us type of operation.

"We took a lot of those quick hits. On first down we got ourselves into some situations that when we did catch the ball, getting ourselves to second and 2, getting ourselves to third and 1, which is much more attainable than third-and-10, third-and-11 type plays. So it’s a concentration thing. It’s a making plays thing. It’s something we’ve got to focus on and it’s stuff we talk about and we continually get frustrated to talk about ourselves and us handling our business. And if we handle our business things will start taking care of themselves."

There were several key drops throughout the game, including a couple that would have extended drives and kept Georgia from playing ball control most of the game.

Whether it's bracing for hits when the ball hits a player's hands, or just trying to reel in a ball with room to rumble after the catch, their concentration is key.

With a mindset of just going out and competing against a better team, Arkansas did that Saturday against the Bulldogs. However, they can't revert back to that old way of thinking against a team like Tulsa will be looking to capitalize on mistakes defensively.

Arkansas Razorbacks center calls for protection changes against Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. | Nilsen Roman, Hogs on SI Images

Improvement in Pass Protection

"It's positive. We did a good job protecting against [Georgia]," Cramsey said. The quarterbacks had time, and when we dropped back — quick math 27 + 14 — 41 times, we dropped back and had 28 completions on that. So, we had time to throw the ball back there. We did do a good job of protecting better than we did the previous week.

"There are strides, there's development. We got to stay the course. Everyone's got to stay the course. Everyone's got to continue to get better. Okay, it's important to stay the course. It's important to show improvements. It's important to do that. But we need to get ourselves a point when at the end of the game we got more points than the other team got."

Each of the Razorbacks' offensive linemen graded above 60 overall in pass blocking situations, according to Pro Football Focus. That's got to be a positive they pride themselves on moving forward after keeping a relatively clean pocket against a Bulldogs defensive front that is capable of doing damage.

Arkansas' front gave up just six tackles for loss, three sacks and three quarterback hurries against Georgia. Through three games, the Razorbacks have still been one of the worst teams in the country at protecting their quarterbacks with 10 sacks allowed, which ranks No. 15 in the SEC and No. 131 nationally.

If Arkansas can protect its quarterbacks, eliminate the drops and continue finding ways to get Marshall favorable matchups, Cramsey might finally have something on offense he can build around.

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