10 Things to Know – Georgia

No. 8 Arkansas looks to build on its historic start when it takes its 4-0 (1-0 SEC) record to Athens, Ga. for a top-10 matchup against No. 2 Georgia (4-0, 2-0 SEC) at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Oct. 2.

10 Things to Know Before Kickoff

1. – Arkansas racked up 443 yards of total offense while limiting then-No. 7 Texas A&M to 272 yards in last weekend’s 20-10 victory at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, which snapped a nine-game losing skid against the Aggies. Arkansas won a game when completing 10 or fewer passes for the first time since Nov. 14, 2015, a 31-14 win at LSU. The Hogs’ defensive was instrumental in the win and recorded nine tackles for loss, led by defensive lineman Tre Williams and linebacker Hayden Henry’s 2.0 tackles for loss each. The unit has already produced two games with nine or more stops for loss in 2021 (10 TFL against Texas), which is the first time Arkansas has posted multiple games of at least nine tackles for loss in the same season since 2012 (four games).

2. – For the third consecutive week and 420th time in program history, the Razorbacks are ranked in the AP Poll, this time at No. 8, the best mark since Week 2 of 2012. Arkansas is making its 199th appearance inside the AP Top 10.

3. – The Razorbacks have opened the season 4-0 for the 23rd time in program history and the first time since 2003. This year marks the first time Arkansas won the season’s first four games by double digits since 1986. Arkansas is perfect through four games for the third time since 1990, after going 4-0 14 times from 1959-89. The Razorbacks have not gone 5-0 since 1998, Houston Nutt’s first year as head coach, and have reached that mark 13 times in program history. The last time Arkansas was unbeaten after its fourth game and playing another unbeaten team was in 1977, when the No. 9 Hogs suffered their only loss of the year to No. 2 Texas, 13-9.

4. – The Arkansas rushing attack is one of the best in the country this season, averaging 261 yards per game on the ground to rank eighth-best nationally and third in the SEC. Last week the Hogs narrowly missed out on the 200-yard mark against Texas A&M, running for 197 yards on 49 carries. Seven different players ran the ball, with running back Trelon Smith posting a team-best 82 yards on 17 attempts. Arkansas has totaled 1,044 rushing yards this season, the most over the season’s first four games since 2014 (1,298 yards).

5. – Quarterback KJ Jefferson is a dual threat with his arm and his legs and is the only SEC signal caller with over 800 passing and 200 rushing yards this season. Against the Aggies, Jefferson was 7-of-15 for 212 yards with two touchdowns, eclipsing the 200-yard mark for the second straight game. Jefferson became one of four FBS quarterbacks since 2000 to throw for at least 210 yards on seven or fewer completions. His 18.4 yards per completion this season are tops nationally.

6. – Wide receiver Treylon Burks had his best showing of the season, totaling 167 receiving yards on six catches, while scoring his second touchdown of the season. An 85-yard scoring grab was the second-longest of his career, behind a 91-yard score the prior week against Georgia Southern. Burks has totaled 19 receptions this season for 373 yards, catching 38.8% of passes thrown by Arkansas quarterbacks, the third-most of any receiver in the country behind Colorado State tight end Trey McBride (45.0%) and North Carolina wideout Josh Downs (40.5%). Just one catch away from 100 career receptions, Burks would be the fastest Hog to reach the plateau (since 1997), doing so in his 25th game.

7. – Defensive end Tre Williams is tied for 15th nationally recording 4.0 sacks this year, the most by a Razorback over a season’s first four games since Taiwan Johnson in 2014. The Razorbacks average 8.0 tackles for loss this year, the 13th best mark nationally.

8. – Defensively, Arkansas has held three of its four opponents under 300 total yards of offense, logging an average of 265.2 yards allowed per game, the 12th-best mark nationally. The unit’s 14.5 points per game allowed ranks 11th nationally and third in the SEC in scoring defense. Third downs have been especially important for the Hogs this season, as Arkansas is surrendering just a 27.9% conversion rate, 10th best in the country and tops in the SEC. Arkansas and Auburn are the only two teams in the FBS to rank inside the top 20 in both total offense (480.0) and total defense (265.2).

9. – Second-year head coach Sam Pittman has led Arkansas on its first four-game winning streak since 2015-16, bringing his record over two seasons to 7-7 (4-7 SEC). Pittman has guided the squad to three wins over ranked opponents in his first 14 games as head coach, being the first Head Hog to accomplish the feat since Lou Holtz in 1977-78. Pittman’s 7-7 start to a career is the program’s best over a coach’s first 14 games since Houston Nutt went 11-3 in 1998-99.

10. – Arkansas is making its first trip to Athens since Sept. 18, 2010, when the Razorbacks walked away with a 31-24 victory. Georgia leads the all-time series, 11-4, and have gone 8-2 since Arkansas joined the SEC. The Bulldogs won the last meeting in Fayetteville last season 37-10 in Pittman’s first game as head coach.