Observations from the Cheap Seats: Georgia Bulldogs keep on Chubb-ing

The Georgia Bulldogs won their second straight SEC road game at Arkansas, and Nick Chubb once again served as proxy for Todd Gurley.

Coming into this game, I had a few questions:

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1) Could Georgia be the first SEC East team to beat a West team this year?

2) Could Hutson Mason, Nick Chubb and the defense replicate their performances from last week?

3) Would Arkansas get their first SEC win since 2012?

Arkansas was not daunted by the shutout the Georgia defense pitched last week in Columbia. From the first snap in Little Rock, the Razorbacks were off and running. Brandon Allen even threw in a pass for good measure.

But for the second week in a row, Arkansas had a PAT blocked. Could the PAT be the difference in the game again?

Also for the second week in a row, I sat on my perch at Dantanna’s to watch the second game in the interminable road trip of 2014.

Mason made much smarter decisions, such as throwing the ball away, or taking a sack when needed (and usually not for much loss). This was a true team win: we won because of the running game, Mason’s continued improved passing game, the defense putting pressure on Brandon Allen and creating turnovers. The game could have easily gone the other way, especially when Arkansas’ defense recovered from its abysmal first half performance to keep Georgia from converting any 3rd downs in the third quarter.

The surprises of the day? Georgia’s passing game and the onside kick which the Dawgs failed to recover. The defense held Arkansas to -12 that drive and made Allen feel the pain with several nasty sacks by Leonard Floyd.

Another was Georgia decoding to go for it on 4th and 5 on the first drive of the second half. Time ran out on the play clock though, and the Dawgs had to punt.

Leonard Floyd had a great game – two sacks in the first half, and Allen probably never wants to see him again.

Chris Conley had the game we’ve been waiting to see out of him all year, ending the day with 5 catches, 128 yards and a touchdown.

I was surprised at the number of personal fouls the Razorbacks racked up. It they could play more disciplined football, they would have a better chance at winning games, even against West teams. Right after I wrote this note, of course, Georgia went on its own tear of personal fouls and pass interferences, ending the game with 9 total penalties for 101 yards.

Oct 18, 2014; Little Rock, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Bret Bielema during the first quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at War Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas remembered occasionally that we can’t defend passes up the middle, and those are the drives when they scored. They made it a lot more interesting in the second half, but in the end, the Dawgs won their fifth game in a row.

Chubb was grinding away in the fourth quarter to get 56 of his 202 yards, and the defense continued to show their takeaway dominance with 4 turnovers today. That gives them a turnover margin of +13 for the year, enough to lead the SEC and nation.

Georgia was the first East team to beat a West team in the SEC. Granted, Georgia is probably the best in the East, and Arkansas is the worst team in the West, though LSU has been fighting for that battle as well. So chalk up another conference loss for Bret Bielema.

The Razorbacks are now 0-12 in the SEC under his reign, and they still have games against LSU, Ole Miss and at Mississippi State. Before Georgia beat Arkansas, West teams were 26-0 outside of their division, but no SEC West team had played a pissed off UGA team… until Saturday, that is.

Oh, and I was spot on with my prediction: Dawgs by 13.

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