Columbia, Mo. – Georgia clearly isn’t the best team in the country. It can’t be in a game where they only took the lead at 4:03 in the fourth quarter.
However, the Bulldogs were able to break Missouri’s lead and walk away with a 26-22 win. Georgia is moving 5-0 in the season and 2-0 in the SEC game.
The end result shows how tough it was for the Bulldogs. They were behind most of the game, had multiple turnovers, and didn’t score a touchdown until the middle of the fourth quarter.
Georgia’s overwhelming talent lead proved crucial for the Bulldogs as Missouri clearly ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. Georgia’s offensive line finally got some pressure and salted the game thanks to a strong late performance from Daijun Edwards. He racked up several first downs on Georgia’s final drive and scored the game-winning touchdown with 4:03 minutes remaining.
A team that once seemed unbeatable was seriously considering danger. The Missouri defensive line was under a lot of pressure throughout the evening and Georgia couldn’t avoid each other until the fourth quarter.
It was by far the worst performance of the season for Georgia after looking like a world champion in the first four games of the season.
Red zone, offensive line disaster
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Georgia couldn’t move the ball into the red zone. The fights were there against Samford. Georgia threw three field goals in the red zone against Kent State last week.
So also on Saturday against Missouri. But unlike the Kent State game, Georgia couldn’t hit the explosive plays and didn’t score its first touchdown until the fourth quarter. And even that required a fourth down conversion after the Bulldogs got stoned on the third down.
Let this game be proof of why explosive plays matter. And why it’s time to worry about Georgia’s offensive line.
Kirby Smart made it clear when he came into play that the Tigers had a strong defensive front. But you would have thought the Bulldogs were playing against the 2016 Alabama defensive line the way things were going.
Stetson Bennett was fired twice and probably should have been fired more. Bennett’s passing numbers weren’t great as he finished 24 of 44 for 312 yards. He also dropped a submission with Daijun Edwards, giving Missouri a great field position. The Heisman campaign, which Bennett was on just a week ago, appears to have come to an abrupt halt.
The Bulldogs ended up on the ground for 170 yards, with some explosive runs from Kendall Milton and Kenny McIntosh boosting those numbers significantly. A 35-yard run for Milton ended in a fumble on Georgia’s second drive of the game. It should be very revealing that Georgia turned to Edwards to push the game late.
The Bulldogs have rotated on the offensive line throughout the season. Smart has praised their depth. When Georgia needed a drive late, the Bulldogs rolled with Broderick Jones, Xavier Truss, Sedrick Van Pran, Tate Ratledge and Warren McClendon. We’ll see if the Bulldogs continue to play in musical chairs with this group, especially after some less than encouraging results.
Georgia found some things late in the game, scoring touchdowns on back-to-back drives in the fourth quarter. Daijun Edwards’ one-yard touchdown run gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the night with 4:03 minutes left.
Harrison Mevis is money for Missouri
It feels strange to say that a kicker was the best player on the field. Even less one who missed a chip-shot field goal last week that would have seen Missouri win their game against Auburn.
But Mevis was money for the Tigers all night. He scored all five of his field goals, including a 56-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers were able to pull off several explosive plays, but the Bulldogs gave up just one touchdown in the afternoon that came in the second quarter. The Bulldogs gave up just two field goals in the second half. By night, Missouri had just 294 yards of offense.
It was the first game of the season that Georgia didn’t force a turnover, but the defense held its own, largely because Jalen Carter was out for most of the night. The star defense tackle left the game in the second quarter after a knee hit and was ruled out for the game.
Georgia recorded two sacks in the win, with Nolan Smith picking up his second of the season.
It was a subpar performance for Kelee Ringo, who was boxed out on a 46-yard reception by Missouri’s Mookie Cooper. He also had a defensive pass interference penalty on a third and 17 that gave the Tigers a first down.
Lousy first half
There was no midday kickoff that was responsible for Georgia sleepwalking for the first 30 minutes of that game. The Bulldogs only played a bad 30 minutes of football.
Georgia fumbled twice, gifting Missouri six points in the half. The Bulldogs also gave up a 63-yard streak, the longest game the Georgia defense had conceded of the season. It twice opted for field goals after driving deep into Missouri’s side of the field.
All the problems that arose against Kent State became apparent again for the Bulldogs on Saturday night against the Tigers.
“They knock us off the ball, they whip us forward,” Smart told Cole Cubelic during his halftime interview. “You can’t win at the SEC if you can’t win at the line of scrimmage.”
Things could and should have been worse. The Bulldogs fired a false field goal to extend their final drive of the half. Bennett picked up the first down as he ran through the line untouched.
Malaki Starks also ran down Missouri and ran back from behind Cody Schrader on the 63-yard run to attack him just before the end zone. Missouri immediately followed up with a false start and ultimately opted for a field goal. This game proved crucial in the four-point win over Missouri.
Not only was the first half well below Georgia standards. It was absolutely bad football. The Bulldogs clearly deserved to be behind at halftime.
Georgia Football News and Notes
Javon Bullard did not travel to Missouri after his arrest last Sunday. Tykee Smith started in his place at the star position.
Kenny McIntosh, Arian Smith, AD Mitchell and Nyland Green all traveled for Georgia, with all four struggling with injuries before the game. Mitchell and Green didn’t play while Smith made his season debut, catching a pass for seven yards
Arik Gilbert was with the team but he didn’t dress up for the game.
Jalen Carter left the game in the first half after a low knee hit. The junior defensive tackle would not return to the game after being ruled out with a knee injury. Carter was involved in a pregame dust sample with several Missouri players on the field before the game.
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