FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) – Stetson Bennett threw two touchdown passes in the third quarter, and No. 4 Georgia rallied to beat Arkansas 37-10 on Saturday in the season opener for each school.
Bennett replaced D’Wan Mathis in the second quarter and finished 20 for 29 for 211 yards. Bennett put the Bulldogs ahead to stay when he tossed a 19-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens and ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 13-10 with 6 minutes left in the third.
Recommended Videos
Zamir White rushed for 71 yards on 13 carries, including a 6-yard TD that gave the Bulldogs a 34-10 lead in the final period.
Feleipe Franks was 19 for 36 for 200 yards and a touchdown in his first start for Arkansas (0-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference), but the Florida transfer also tossed two interceptions.
Franks found Treylon Burks for a 49-yard touchdown play in the first quarter, and A.J. Reed kicked a 25-yard field goal with 8:23 left in the third to give the Razorbacks a 10-5 lead.
But the Bulldogs (1-0, 1-0) dominated from there.
Bennett’s pass to Pickens got the lead for Georgia, and he made it 20-10 when he found John FitzPatrick for a 7-yard TD. Eric Stokes then picked off a Franks pass and returned it 30 yards for another score.
Georgia’s defense also recorded a safety in the first half.
THE TAKEAWAY
Georgia: The Bulldogs struggled offensively for much of the first half. They figured it out in time to roll past the Razorbacks, but they are going to need more consistency to contend in the SEC this season.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks haven’t won an SEC game in almost three years, so a halftime lead against the Bulldogs is a positive step.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Even with their uneven play, the Bulldogs could move up in the AP poll after No. 3 Oklahoma lost to Kansas State.
UP NEXT
Georgia open its home schedule against No. 8 Auburn next Saturday.
Arkansas travels to Mississippi State for its first road game of the season.