(25)GEORGIA 38, ARKANSAS 7 -- Final

<b>Georgia (1-1) at Arkansas (3-1)</b><br>FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) _ Jermaine Henderson's 35-yard interception return for a touchdown on Arkansas' first play set the tone and No. 25 Georgia ended

Friday, September 29th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Georgia (1-1) at Arkansas (3-1)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) _ Jermaine Henderson's 35-yard interception return for a touchdown on Arkansas' first play set the tone and No. 25 Georgia ended the Razorbacks' in-state mystique with a 38-7 victory on Saturday.

The Bulldogs (3-1, 1-1 SEC) did it with a defense that held Arkansas (3-1, 1-1) to one first down during the first 28 minutes and a running game that pounded the Razorbacks up front.

Georgia quarterback Quincy Carter made a well-timed pitch on Bruce Thornton's 21-yard touchdown run that increased the lead to 24-0 at the half and completed some important passes, but he also missed some open receivers.

The loss was the first for Arkansas inside the state borders since Houston Nutt took over as coach _ a string of 15 games. The Razorbacks were without their top two tailbacks, Cedric Cobbs and Fred Talley, who were hurt last week against Alabama. Alvin Ray, a third teamer last week, gained 1 yard on five first-half carries.

The Bulldogs made 13 first downs in the first half and held the ball almost 18 1/2 minutes. Arkansas managed five first downs and 105 yards in the first three quarters and trailed 38-0 at that point.

Georgia scored 10 points during a 17-second span in the first quarter.

Billy Bennett ended the Bulldogs' first possession with a 39-yard field goal. The Razorbacks went without a huddle on their first play, splitting two receivers to the left and leaving Ray alone behind the quarterback. Robby Hampton backed up a couple of steps and look to the left sideline for Boo Williams. Henderson intercepted cleanly in front of Williams and scored easily.

Georgia drove 54 yards for its second touchdown after Richard Smith made a fair catch of a punt at the Arkansas 7 and the Razorbacks couldn't get out of the hole.

Sanks and Thornton ran for two first downs and Carter fooled Arkansas with a first-down play fake and a pass to Randy McMichael for a 7-yard gain. Sanks and Thornton carried once each for a first down at the 10 before a penalty moved the ball back to the 15. Damien Gary made a sliding catch at the 2. Sanks was hit in the backfield, but he spun, kept his balance and crawled over a couple of players to the end zone.

Carter started the Bulldogs' third touchdown drive with a short pass that Brett Millican turned into a 20-yard gain. On third-and-2 from the Arkansas 21, Carter started left on the option. He waited until Derrick Johnson committed and then pitched to Thornton who cut inside a defender on his way to the end zone.

The Razorbacks couldn't make a first down on their first two possessions of the second half and the Bulldogs only had to cover 44 yards for a 31-0 lead. The defense reacted to Carter rolling left and Gary worked open in the middle. Corey Harris missed a tackle, Gary got to the right sideline and Jevaris Johnson screened the final defender.

Quarter	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Arkansas	0	0	0	7	7
Georgia	10	14	14	0	38
Final

Team	Score Time	Summary	Running Score
Georgia	9:51 1stQ	Chris Kirouac 31 yd FG	Georgia 3-0
Georgia	9:28 1stQ	Ronald Henderson 35 yd Int Ret(kick good)	Georgia 10-0
Georgia	8:52 2ndQ	Jasper Sanks 2 yd run(kick good)	Georgia 17-0
Georgia	2:04 2ndQ	Bruce Thornton 21 yd run(kick good)	Georgia 24-0
Georgia	8:52 3rdQ	Damien Gary 44 yd TD rec from Carter(kick good)	Georgia 31-0
Georgia	4:52 3rdQ	Sanks 14 yd run(kick good)	Georgia 38-0
Arkansas	4:37 4thQ	Micah Snowden 6 yd TD rec from Robby Hampton(kick good)	Georgia 38-7

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING_Georgia, Sanks 12-56, Thornton 14-54, Bailey 3-32, Haynes 2-15, Green 3-7, Smith 3-4, Carter 6-3, T.Edwards 1-2, Millican 2-2. Arkansas, Holmes 11-46, Pearson 4-8, Ray 8-4, Daily 1-3, Hampton 2-(minus 9).

PASSING_Georgia, Carter, 13-22-0-168, Phillips 0-2-0-0, T.Edwards 0-1-0-0. Arkansas, Hampton 19-37-2-162, McBride 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING_Georgia, Thornton, 3-14, Gary 2-58, Mitchell 2-26, McMichael 2-17, Millican 1-21, Green 1-16, T.Edwards 1-10, Rader 1-6. Arkansas, Smith 5-27, Hamilton 4-54, Williams 3-31, Snowden 3-23, Breeden 1-14, Ray 1-9, Howard 1-4, Holmes 1-0.