If you listen to the pundits, Arkansas has no chance Saturday at Georgia. Vegas is piling on. The Razorbacks opened as an 18-point underdog.

Should the Hogs just stay home, forget the hassle of travel, and rest up for Ole Miss the following week?

Nah, there are still some of us who give the Hogs a fighting chance to pull off a second consecutive upset away from Fayetteville. But in order for that to happen there has to be a few things go Arkansas’ way. Here are 5 things the Hogs have to do to have a chance against Georgia on Saturday.

1. Keep Jefferson clean

The Arkansas offensive line has done an admirable job of keeping quarterback KJ Jefferson upright and his uniform clean. The Hogs rank 5th in the SEC in sacks allowed, giving up just 4 in 4 games.

Of course, Jefferson’s speed, quickness, power and escapability has something to do with it as well. The Hogs’ 2nd-leading rusher with 230 yards on 32 carries, Jefferson is their catalyst. As he goes, so go the Razorbacks, as was no more evident than last Saturday when he left the game with a bruised knee. The offense sputtered without him until his return in the fourth quarter.

They’ll need him at full speed and fully recovered from that injury because Georgia will certainly be coming after him. The Dawgs are 2nd in the SEC with 14.0 sacks. So, keeping Jefferson out of harm’s way will be crucial to Arkansas’ ability to move the football and keep it out of the hands of the Bulldogs’ offense.

2. Find a way to pressure JT Daniels

It won’t be as easy as rushing 3 against a beleaguered Texas A&M offensive line. Still, in order for Arkansas to keep Georgia’s offense in check, it must make quarterback JT Daniels uncomfortable.

Georgia leads the SEC and ranks 5th nationally in sacks allowed, giving up just 2 this season. That’s going to make things tough for Tre Williams and Co. Williams leads the team and is tied for 2nd in the conference in sacks with 4. Half of those came last week when he had his way with the Aggies’ offensive line.

It won’t be as easy for Williams this Saturday against one of the best, if not the best, offensive lines in the SEC. It will be up to defensive coordinator Barry Odom to devise a scheme that will work against one of Georgia’s main strengths.

3. Continue to run the ball effectively

The Arkansas offensive line isn’t exactly chopped liver, either. The Hogs up front have paved the way for the 3rd-leading rushing offense in the conference. Only Florida and Ole Miss average more rushing yards per game.

The Hogs have pounded out 200-plus yards on the ground in every game except the most recent one, a 197-yard performance against Texas A&M. They piled up 333 rushing yards on Texas in an earlier victory and will need another big game from senior RB Trelon Smith, who is averaging just over 5 yards per touch.

Again, that’s easier said than done against the top rushing defense in the SEC. Only UAB has been able this season to collectively rush for more than 100 yards. Conversely, the Dawgs held Clemson to a grand total of 2 rushing yards. So, the Arkansas offensive line has its work cut out.

4. Chunk yardage

Big plays have been a hallmark of Arkansas’ success this season. Tied for the conference lead with 13 plays of 30-or-more yards, the Razorbacks are tied for 2nd in the SEC with 24 plays of 20-or-more yards.

Again, it won’t be so easy ripping off those big gains against a Georgia defense that leads the SEC and has given up the fewest chunk plays of any team in the nation that has played 4 games this season. Tthe Dawgs have allowed just 22 plays of 10 yards or more. Arkansas’ defense is 2nd-best, behind the Dawgs, yielding only 33 plays of 10-or-more yards.

So, while big plays have been the lifeblood of the Razorbacks’ offense, accomplishing them against the Georgia defense will be a big key in the game.

5. 3rd-down conversions

The Razorbacks simply have to be better on 3rd down than they’ve been so far this season. Either that or don’t get to 3rd down. Because among SEC teams, only Vanderbilt is worse at converting 3rd downs than the Hogs, who have been successful just 35.3% of the time (18-for-51).

That won’t get it done Saturday. To make matters worse, Georgia’s defense leads the conference, allowing opponents to convert just 28.1% (16-for-57) on 3rd down.

This is where Jefferson must be at his best if the Razorbacks are to continue this incredible and most improbable journey through the 2021 season.