Georgia tried to avoid this daunting hole by rallying from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to tie the game 24-24 with about four minutes to play, but the Dogs' defense, which twice earlier had allowed easy touchdowns on blown coverages, committed another gaffe at the end as Arkansas clinched a 31-24 victory.

From the Georgia 40-yard line, Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett hit wide-open receiver Greg Childs, who then faked out UGA safety Shawn Williams at the 25 and went the rest of the way untouched to score the winning touchdown with 15 seconds on the clock.

The loss left Georgia in sole possession of last place in the SEC East -- behind even Vanderbilt, which beat Ole Miss on Saturday.

Georgia starts each season with the goal of winning the division, and that appears implausible, if not impossible, from the perch of an 0-2 league record (1-2 overall).

"People might be able to say some long-term goals are out of [reach] now," linebacker Christian Robinson said, "but I think we still can do some great things."

Things could not have gone much worse so far, on the field or off.

Georgia's best player, wide receiver A.J. Green, has not played this season because of an NCAA suspension for selling a jersey for $1,000. Four other starters missed Saturday's game with injuries: fullback Shaun Chapas (ankle), tailback Caleb King (ankle), offensive guard Chris Davis (knee and hip) and cornerback-punt returner Branden Smith (concussion-like symptoms).

Before this season, the Bulldogs had won four consecutive games at South Carolina, dating to 2000, and six consecutive games against Arkansas, dating to 1993. But one week after losing at South Carolina because they could not stop the Gamecocks' running game, the Dogs lost to Arkansas in large part because they could not stop the Razorbacks' passing game.

Mallett completed 21 of 33 passes for 380 yards, and each of his three touchdown passes befuddled the Dogs' defense. On the first two -- a 57-yarder to tight end Chris Gragg early in the first quarter and a 22-yarder to running back Ronnie Wingo Jr. late in the third -- the Razorbacks' receiver was preposterously wide open.

"I thought we'd play good at times, then give up an explosive play, then play good again, then come back and give up another explosive play," Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. "When you give up an explosive play, you negate everything you've done well."

What Georgia did best Saturday was rally from a 24-10 deficit in the fourth quarter.

"At the beginning of the quarter, Coach [Mark] Richt told us we needed to play with all of our heart and leave it all on the field," wide receiver Kris Durham said.

A stirring effort by Tavarres King on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Murray got the Bulldogs within one score, and a 3-yard touchdown run by Washaun Ealey produced a tie with 3:55 to play. A long pass from Murray to Durham fueled each of the fourth-quarter scoring drives.

After the third Arkansas punt of the period, Georgia got the ball back with just over two minutes left and a chance to win the game. But a jarring sack of Murray on third-and-four from midfield forced a punt that gave the Razorbacks the ball on their 27-yard line with 47 seconds to play.

Mallett quickly completed three passes -- 18 yards to D.J. Williams, 15 yards to Williams, 40 yards to Childs.

"This is a really surreal feeling," Mallett said afterward. "This has got to be one of the greatest moments I've felt since I've played the game of football. It so rarely comes down to the wire like this."

"To fight the way we did after getting behind, I was very impressed with them and proud of them," Richt said of his players. He said they showed improvement from the week before, "but we didn't finish."

"I really feel like this is a team that will get better and better as we go," Richt said. "As of right now, our focus needs to be on trying to win a conference game."

Georgia plays at Mississippi State on Saturday, trying to avoid its first 0-3 SEC start since ... 1993.