FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The #20 Razorbacks knocked off Georgia Southern, 45-10. For the first time since 2016, Arkansas has started a season 3-0.
The Arkansas defense got things started on the right foot by forcing a 3-and-out on the games opening drive, punctuated by a good tackle by Montaric Brown is the open field on 3rd and long.
On the ensuing drive, the Hogs marched right down the field on their opening possession. KJ Jefferson hit a wide open Tyson Morris on the first play for 47 yards. Then Trelon Smith punctuated the four play drive with a 22-yard scamper up the middle to make it 7-0 after the PAT.
After forcing another Eagles punt, the next drive for the Hogs started inside their own 10-yard line. Penalties on Georgia Southern aided Arkansas’ march down the field. An offside on 4th and 4 helped give Arkansas a new set of downs. Then another first down came via a roughing the passer the call.
All told, it ended up being a 15 play, 96 yard drive that ended with an 11 yard run by Dominique Johnson off tackle to the right. That gave Arkansas the 14-0 lead with 3:31 left in the first quarter.
The Hogs offense continued to roll in the 2nd quarter. Arkansas sprung another big run to the outside with a 48 yard run from Johnson to get them into the red zone. On the next play, Jefferson fired over the middle to Morris for a 14 yard TD that ballooned the lead to 21-0 less than 16 minutes into the game.
The Eagles finally got on the board on their next possession, and did so in an explosive fashion.
On 3rd and 11 from their own 24, QB Justin Tomlin kept it himself, got a good block from his receiver down the right sideline, and out-sprinted the Hogs defense for a 76-yard TD run up the right hash marks. The successful PAT cut the deficit to 21-7.
Two drives later for the Hogs, the ground game produced another chunk gain. An end around to De’Vion Warren to left side entrance for 44 yards and took Arkansas to the GASO 36. Jefferson then hit Burks and Blake Kern for gains of 12 and 21. However, the drive stalled in the red zone due a flag for an illegible man downfield and a sack, forcing Arkansas to settle for three points. Cam Little’s 25 yard field goal made it a 24-7 ballgame.
Jefferson would open the third quarter with a 60 yard touchdown pass to Warren Thompson to put Arkansas up 31-10.
On the next drive Jefferson would hit Treylon Burks for a 91 yard touchdown reception. Jefferson hit a career high in yards on his third touchdown pass of the game.
But the Hogs weren't done yet.
2nd-string QB Malik Hornsby came in to lead the offense in the 4th quarter, and helped lead Arkansas down the field in a drive that ended with a 6-yd TD run by Hornsby to push the lead to 45-10 with just over eight minutes left. With the run, that moved Arkansas to the 220 rushing yard mark for the game, and they finished with just over 250. For the game, the Hogs totaled over 620 yards of total offense.
Next, the Hogs will travel to Arlington, Texas to take on Texas A&M in the Southwest Classic.
