After two close SEC losses in which they held late leads, Arkansas entered a matchup against Georgia in which many believed this would be the week Bret Bielema’s team would get over the hump. Instead, the Razorbacks folded and were dominated by the Georgia Bulldogs.

Here are the five biggest takeaways from Georgia’s rout of the Hogs yesterday.

Better, but not good enough: Since the loss to Texas A&M in Dallas and the loss to Alabama in Fayetteville, the talk was of Arkansas being close. They just needed to learn how to close out games. I participated in that discussion (see here). You have to begin to wonder if the close losses took a toll on the Hogs; after a opening-drive touchdown on which they had a lot success running the football, Arkansas melted down after a big pass play by Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason to begin the Bulldogs’ ensuing drive. The rout was on from there. Yes, the Razorbacks have improved; but they’re not good enough to be the top teams of the league. The key to Arkansas’ growth and maturity will be its ability to not let this bad loss snowball into a downward spiral.

Offensive line got worked: The strength of Arkansas’ team got manhandled on Saturday afternoon. The Razorbacks had no answer for Georgia’s athleticism and speed in its front seven. Georgia defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt had a lot of success in his blitz packages with stunts up front, confusing Arkansas’ mammoth offensive line. After dominating the line of scrimmage on its first drive, Arkansas’ problems were in pass protection.

Time to start talking about Bret Bielema’s job security?: Yes, Arkansas is improved. But the Hogs have two crucial conference games ahead: Nov. 15 versus LSU ad Nov. 29 at Missouri. Based on yesterday’s performance, that team would not beat either team, and another winless record in SEC play wouldn’t fare well in Fayetteville. I’m not advocating Bielema’s dismissal; he’s done a great job rebuilding a program that was depleted, and he’ll absolutely get a third year. But Arkansas desperately needs to beat either LSU or Missouri, and if they don’t, then what?

Despite turnovers, Brandon Allen performed: Take away his two interceptions and Arkansas signal caller Brandon Allen had a really nice game. He finished 28 of 45 for 296 yards and three scores. Offensive coordinator Jim Cheney had a pass-happy game plan. Allen was knocked out of the game briefly in the first half after back-to-back sacks, when the Hogs offensive line could not slow the Georgia pass rush. All in all, Allen had a nice game.

You can’t spot teams points: The Hogs three turnovers resulted in 21 points off turnovers for Georgia on Saturday afternoon. Arkansas is not good enough to spot a more talented team 21 points and win. After two SEC games in which it had late leads, Arkansas was never really in this one after its opening drive resulted in a touchdown, and giving the ball away didn’t help.