Keys to victory against Arkansas
Gameday is finally here. In a few short hours, Georgia football begins the 2020 season against SEC West foe Arkansas. The Bulldogs are favored by 27.5 points despite all of the changes to the offense that they weren't able to work on in the spring.
Here are three things Georgia must do to ensure victory in Fayetville.
Get the running game going early
Two, if not three quarterbacks will play meaningful minutes Saturday and each of them will be playing their first games as Georgia Bulldogs. It's important that they get comfortable early, and the best way to do so is to establish the running game.
Arkansas is going to do whatever it takes to make Georgia throw the football. The Bulldogs' rebuilt offensive line has to prove it’s ahead of schedule and dominate Arkansas's front seven. Zamir White and James Cook are leaders in the backfield now and they need to own that role from the opening kickoff.
Establish the secondary and tertiary targets
Not only will Arkansas focus on stopping the run, but it's also going to focus on keeping the ball away from George Pickens. As shown by his Sugar Bowl performance, if a defense doesn't cover him well enough, he will dominate. Arkansas will double-team Pickens a lot so it's important that Georgia finds ways to dish the ball out to other players.
Georgia's quarterbacks need to find senior Demetris Robertson and redshirt sophomore Kearis Jackson early and make Arkansas's defense pay for neglecting them. True freshmen Jermaine Burton and Darnell Washington are other players Georgia should target until Arkansas stops double-teaming Pickens.
Defense, have at it
Georgia's defense was outstanding in 2019 and there's little evidence to suggest it won't be better in 2020. The Bulldog defense was the backbone of last year's team, keeping opponents out of the end zone despite its own offense struggling to string-together first downs.
Arkansas's offense is underrated with solid skill players and Feleipe Franks quarterbacking the group, but it's still not better than some of the offenses Georgia dominated in 2019. The defense just needs to be itself. The defensive line needs to overpower the Razorbacks' front. Edge rushers need to cause havoc in the backfield. Linebackers need to fly around the field and defensive backs need to stick to receivers like glue. Basically, everything they're already known for.
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