Should Georgia Football Be on Ambush Alert at Arkansas? Kirby Smart Warns of "Hornet's Nest Games"

Should Kirby Smart’s Georgia Football be on ambush alert?

Georgia Football coach Kirby Smart | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Georgia Football travels out to Fayetteville to play the Arkansas Razorbacks in what is the first SEC game for both teams. And there couldn’t be more one-sided thinking about this one - no one expects it to be close.

That begs this important question as the game looms: Should Kirby Smart’s Georgia Football be on ambush alert?

“This is a challenge any time you go on the road,” Georgia football coach Kirby Smart said earlier this week. “Especially with a group that you really haven't been on the road yet.”

The Bulldogs might still have trauma from their come-from-behind narrow escape a season ago at Neyland Stadium over the Tennessee Vols. Gunner Stockton connected with London Humphreys on a 4th-and-6 from the Tennessee 28-yard line to tie the game. Georgia survived a late game-winning field goal attempt to push the game into overtime, where the Dawgs won with a touchdown.

“Our first road game last year was Tennessee and, just going on the road it's a little different,” Stockton said. “Just the environment, it's loud and like we talked about earlier, you have to be able to communicate.”

But last year’s showdown with the Vols was a fight between to ranked teams. That’s not the case this year at all. Arkansas (1-1) is coming of a bruising loss at Utah. Razorback fans are extra grumpy. In addition, the Dawgs are massive 24.5-point favorites heading into the game according to FanDuel.

Everything surrounding the game leads experts to side with the Bulldogs winning in a blowout, and considering the way both teams have played in four different games this season that expectation makes sense.

But Georgia has struggled in situations like this before. A narrow 26-22 win at Missouri in 2022 was of that team’s few challenge on the way to an undefeated 15-0 national title season. In 2019, South Carolina shocked the Bulldogs with a backup quarterback and help with turnovers. Georgia ended the game with a -4 turnover margin and lost in overtime.

“Playing on the road in the SEC is - humility is always a week away,” Smart said Monday. “It's a tough environment regardless of where you play in the SEC. There are no bad environments in the SEC. There are only raucous environments in the SEC.”

Just how raucous is yet to be seen. Arkansas fans have warned of a so-called boycott of the game due to their dissatisfaction of events two games in new coach Ryan Silverfield’s tenure in the Ozarks.

“I've learned a lot about our teams in the past from going and playing in SEC environments when maybe we haven't played our best,” Smart added. “Or you get in one of those hornet nest games, and you got to fight your way out of it.”