Missouri Tigers: Just How Bad Were They VS. Georgia
By cmroczka
Its been three days since the Georgia Bulldogs came into Columbia and embarrassed the Missouri Tigers to regain control of the SEC East in front of 71,168 fans, the largest crowd of the season and ninth largest in Memorial Field’s history. Maybe not the best day to suffer one of the most lopsided losses in Gary Pinkel’s tenure. But oh so very Mizzou-like.
In case you stopped watching before the final seconds ticked away, the Bulldogs dominated their way to a 34-0 victory on Saturday. The effort was reminiscent of 2012 when No. 1 Alabama shut down the Tigers 42-10 on a cold, rainy day at Faurot Field, holding the Tigers to just 129 yards of total offense.
Oct 11, 2014; Columbia, MO, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Hutson Mason (14) throws a pass and is pressured by Missouri Tigers defensive lineman Shane Ray (56) during the first half at Faurot Field. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Georgia looked more dominant than that holding the Tigers to just 147 yards on 43 plays, compared to 379 yards on 87 plays for the Bulldogs. Look at any statistic from Saturday’s box score and Georgia likely held the edge and by a lot. Georgia possessed the ball for nearly 25 more minutes than Missouri and wore down the Tigers’ defense for 210 yards on 58 carries.
None of which came from suspended star running back, Todd Gurley. No, the latest running back to rush for over 100 yards against the Tigers was five-star true freshmen cannon ball, Nick Chubb.
The 5-foot-10, 220 pound bruiser was more than capable of carrying the load for the Bulldogs as he lead the way with 38 carries for 143 yards and a touchdown. Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason played his best game of the season completing 22 of 28 passes and consistently kept his offense on the field.
As for the Tigers, well there’s not much to say about their performance.
Fumble, interception, interception, punt, punt, punt, fumble, punt, interception, interception, punt, punt. That’s how the offense went for the day, three of those drives resulted in negative yards.
Mauk threw four interceptions and fumbled another possession away. Though not all blame falls on the sophomore quarterback who finished just 9-21 for 97 yards, good for a QBR of 0.9. Darius White, Mauk’s favorite receiver, was a game time scratch and Jimmie Hunt, Bud Sasser and company failed to produce much for Mauk down field.
The Tigers failed to convert a third down, 0-7 on the day to be exact. Georgia had it figured out going 12-21 on third downs and another 2-2 on fourth downs. The Tigers’ running game managed just 50 yards on 22 carries, though it’s hard to run the ball when you can’t pass to keep defensive coordinators honest.
It’s hard to say anything good about the Tigers performance, except that the defense played well enough to keep them in the game, despite the offense giving up field position like it was going out of style. The average starting position for Georgia on all 12 possessions was their own 41-yard line. For Missouri? Their own 22-yard line.
Fumble, interception, interception, punt, punt, punt, fumble, punt, interception, interception, punt, punt.That’s how the offense went for the day, three of those drives resulted in negative yards.
Am I missing anything? Anything worth remembering from this game? Wesley Leftwich dropped a long touchdown on Mauk’s best pass of the day, though it wouldn’t have mattered thanks to an offensive holding penalty. It was just that kind of frustrating day. I mean even defensive end Shane Ray didn’t record a sack for the first time all season.
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It’s best to just forget about this one, move on. That was Pinkel and the rest of the coaches’ message to the media and fans this week. But that won’t be an easy thing to do. Missouri had a chance to cement itself atop the east, instead they got embarrassed in a prime time CBS-SEC game against a divisional foe. For a program still struggling to earn national respect the Tigers took a step back last Saturday, but within that temporary setback lies the beauty of college football — every week is a chance at redemption.
The Tigers (4-2, 1-1 SEC) now travel to The Swamp next Saturday to take on the Florida Gators in another tight matchup with divisional implications. Fans still wonder which team is going to show up each week for a team lacking any sort of consistency.
They’re hopeful it’s not the version they’re trying to now forget exists.