The Arkansas Razorback football team heads to Athens to take on the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs in a game that has huge College Football Playoff implications.
Not many thought Arkansas Head Coach Sam Pittman would have the Hogs competing this well this soon, but here we are. They face their biggest test of the season against arguably the best team in college football.
Pittman, who served under Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart from 2016-2019, knows it’s going to be a hostile environment in Athens. The Hogs prepared for it by pumping in loud, simulated crowd noise on the practice field. according to Matt Jones of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
“With the crowd noise, you can’t coach,” Pittman said in comments captured by WholeHogSports. “The last two periods of practice today we went crowd noise,” he said. Adding,
I’d had about all the crowd noise I want.”
Arkansas is ready for the loud crowd at Sanford Stadium, but crowd noise is just the beginning of what the Hogs will need to overcome in this exciting matchup.
For the Razorbacks to upset Georgia this week, they’ll need to play their best game of the season. Here are three keys to upsetting the Bulldogs in Week 5 of college football.
3. QB KJ Jefferson must have a near perfect game for the Arkansas Razorbacks
KJ Jefferson is not known for his accurate passing, but against Georgia, he can afford virtually no mistakes. Against Texas A&M, Jefferson only completed 46.7% of his passes. Against Georgia Southern, he completed 56.5% of his passes. In the opener against Rice, he completed 57.1% of his passes. That won’t cut it against one of the best defenses in the country.
Jefferson has to be on top of his game against the Bulldogs. If Jefferson makes a wild throw or mistimes his receiver, Georgia’s defense will make him pay. So, expect Offensive Coordinator Kendal Briles to use a lot of play action and run packages in an attempt to freeze the Georgia defenders just long enough for Jefferson to zoom past them with designed quarterback scrambles.
The 6’3″, 245lb sophomore QB is averaging just over 7 yards per carry this season and has two rushing touchdowns. If Jefferson has one of his best games as a Razorback, this Arkansas football team will be in great position to get a win over one of the best teams in the country.