Georgia Bulldogs Name Captains for Pivotal Game Against No. 8 Arkansas Razorbacks
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ATHENS - The Georgia Bulldogs named their captains heading into a top-ten showdown this Saturday with No. 8 Arkansas.
RB James Cook, OL Jamaree Salyer and DB Christopher Smith were named as the Bulldogs’ captains Friday.
Series History
Georgia leads the all-time series with Arkansas by a 11-4 margin. The two programs last met in Fayetteville to open the shortened 2020 season with the Bulldogs knocking off the Razorbacks 37-10. Arkansas left Sanford Stadium with a 31-24 win during its last trip to Athens in 2010. The first four clashes in the series came in bowl games starting with the 1969 Sugar Bowl, a 16-2 Arkansas win. Also of note, Georgia captured the 2002 SEC Championship with a 30-3 victory over the Razorbacks in Atlanta.
This Saturday’s showdown marks the second matchup between Bulldog head coach Kirby Smart and Arkansas’ Sam Pittman, who spent the 2016-19 seasons at Georgia, the first three as the offensive line coach and the final year as Associate Head Coach in charge of the offensive line.
Pittman is just one of several Razorbacks on staff with Georgia connections. Former Bulldog special teams coach Scott Fountain is the Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator for the Razorbacks. Former Georgia assistant strength coaches Jamil Walker and Ed Ellis are on staff as Walker serves as the team’s head strength coach while Ellis is the senior associate director. Former Bulldog Fernando Velasco serves as the team’s Director of Player Development, while former Bulldog staffer Patrick Doherty is the Director of Football Operations.
Top 10 Foes In Smart Era
Georgia is 11-6 against top-10 teams under Kirby Smart, including 3-0 at home. Most recently, the Bulldogs started the 2021 season by edging then No. 3 Clemson 10-3 in Charlotte, N.C., during the Duke’s Mayo Classic. The Bulldogs ended last season with a 24-21 win over eighth-ranked and undefeated Cincinnati during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Georgia’s highest-ranked win under Smart was over No. 2 Oklahoma (54-48, 2OT) in a CFP Semifinal at the 2018 Rose Bowl Game.
ESPN College GameDay Is Athens Bound
This will mark the first time ESPN College GameDay will be in Athens since coming for the showdown of No. 4 Georgia versus No. 7 Auburn in 2020. The Bulldogs left the Tigers behind in that matchup 27-6. This marked the last top-10 matchup in Athens. The production was trimmed down because of the COVID-19 regulations and was set up in Sanford Stadium’s west side plaza rather than the traditional Myer’s Quad. GameDay was also in Charlotte for the top-five matchup against Clemson. This marks the sixth time that GameDay has come to Athens.
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