FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas sophomore Treylon Burks gained 866 yards receiving, rushing and returning kickoffs and punts in 11 games last season, but he never got in the end zone.
Burks finally got his first touchdown as a Razorback on Saturday when No. 4 Georgia beat Arkansas 37-10 at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Senior quarterback Feleipe Franks connected with Burks for a 49-yard touchdown pass to give Arkansas a 7-0 lead with 8:48 left in the first quarter.
It was part of a big game for Burks, who had seven catches for 102 yards.
“He’s a really good player,” Razorbacks Coach Sam Pittman said. “We certainly have to continue to try to get the ball to him more.
“He can win contested catches and he’s a special player, special kid, special person. We have to continue to run him a little bit more and get the ball to him more.
“The touchdown grab he made and scored on was an exceptional play. I think that’ll be things to come, but we’ve got to target him more.”
Trick plays
Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles called two trick plays.
Neither worked.
The first one resulted in a safety when T.J. Hammonds fumbled the ball on a double reverse, lost 14 yards and was tackled in the end zone as Georgia cut Arkansas’ lead to 7-2 in the second quarter.
Then receiver Treylon Burks threw an interception on a double pass in the third quarter.
“I think they weren’t very good,” Razorbacks Coach Sam Pittman said when asked about his thoughts of the play calls. “I mean, one of them went for a safety and one of them was a pick.
“We’re going to call trick plays. They didn’t work. We practiced them. We thought they were going to work, but they didn’t work.
“Our offensive coordinator felt like it was time to call them and that’s what he did, and they just didn’t work out. I don’t have a problem with how he called the game or when he called them.”
For starters
Arkansas players who made their first college starts on Saturday were redshirt freshman guards Beaux Limmer and Brady Latham; senior defensive tackle Jonathan Marshall; junior defensive tackle Isaiah Nichols; junior defensive end Julius Coates; redshirt freshman safety Jalen Catalon; and sophomore safety Simeon Blair.
Quarterback Feleipe Franks, a senior graduate transfer from Florida, made his first start as a Razorback. He made 24 starts for the Gators.
Cornerback Jerry Jacobs, a senior graduate transfer from Arkansas State University, made his first start for Arkansas.
Redshirt sophomore Noah Gatlin started at right tackle for the Razorbacks after missing all of last season with a knee injury. He started two games in 2018.
Arkansas senior defensive end Dorian Gerald started after missing the final 11 games last season after he suffered a neck injury.
Pregame meeting
The Arkansas and Georgia players and coaches met on the field before warmups with each team locking arms in a sign of unity that was agreed upon by Razorbacks Coach Sam Pittman and Bulldogs Coach Kirby Smart.
“Togetherness is something that is very important to our program,” Pittman said in a statement posted on the Arkansas football team Twitter account.
“We approach everything together. Coach Smart and I talked last week about doing something with our teams prior to the game to promote that togetherness. On the field in the SEC, we are competitors. But we all have an opportunity together to help promote unity and equality in our communities and our country.”
The pregame meeting also gave Pittman a chance to greet some of his former players at Georgia, where he was the offensive line coach the previous four seasons.
Seen and unseen
The Razorbacks had a number of missing players — some due to covid-19 testing as Coach Sam Pittman indicated on Thursday — and jersey number changes in the season opener.
Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek said he didn’t anticipate releasing the department’s coronavirus testing numbers any time soon, but he added a comment.
“The department has had a great 10 days of testing,” Yurachek said.
Wide receiver Koilan Jackson; defensive backs Myles Mason, Micahh Smith and Malik Chavis; running back Josh Oglesby; and offensive linemen Jalen St. John and Austin Nix were on the field for warmups but not in pads, seemingly indicating they were out due to injury.
Also spotted during the game, but not playing, were defensive back Jacorrei Turner; defensive lineman David Porter; offensive linemen Dylan Rathcke and Ray Curry; and linebacker J.T. Towers.
Defensive backs Jarques McClellion and Devin Bush; defensive end Mataio Soli; and punter Reid Bauer were not spotted during the game.
The Razorbacks also announced these jersey number changes: receiver Koilan Jackson now in 4 (had been 3), linebacker Deon Edwards now in 32 (22), defensive back Khari Johnson now in 20 (19), linebacker J.T. Towers now in 52 (17), punter Sam Loy now in 43 (42) and long snapper John Oehrlein now in 53 (52).
Top 10 woes
The Razorbacks fell to 9-45 against top 10-ranked teams since 2000 after losing to the No. 4 Bulldogs.
Arkansas’ last victory over a top 10 team was 31-14 at No. 9 LSU in 2015.
Georgia series
Georgia improved to 11-4 all-time against Arkansas, including 9-2 since the Razorbacks joined the SEC.
The Bulldogs are 6-0 in road games against the Razorbacks – 5-0 in Fayetteville and 1-0 in Little Rock.
Arkansas’ two SEC victories over the Bulldogs were at Athens 20-10 in 1993 and 31-24 in 2010.
The Razorbacks also beat the Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl to cap the 1968 season and in the Cotton Bowl to cap the 1975 season.
Democrat-Gazette staff writer Tom Murphy contributed to this report