Mizzou football has to start its backup quarterback, and the Tigers couldn’t move the football against Georgia.
Mizzou football stood a chance, but it wasn’t a very big one. The only shot the Tigers had Saturday was to get some big plays from their passing game and to cause some turnovers. Mizzou didn’t do either of those.
No. 6 Georgia pounded the Tigers for a 27-0 shutout victory Saturday in Athens.
The Tigers decided against starting quarterback Kelly Bryant, who was a game-time decision. They gave him another week of rest with a hamstring injury he suffered two weeks ago against Kentucky. He should be ready to go when Missouri returns home to play ranked Florida.
With backup QB Taylor Powell in the game, Mizzou couldn’t move the football.
Georgia plugged the box and stopped Mizzou’s rushing attack. Mizzou was going side to side and didn’t take many chances downfield. Finally, when it did, Powell tossed the ball to Albert Okwuegbunam but the ball was too high, throwing it to Georgia safety Richard LeCounte for the interception. He flipped the field, taking the ball 71 yards to set the Bulldogs up inside their 20. Instead of a 10-3 or 10-7 game, Georgia went up 13-0.
Mizzou got out of the half down two scores, but it couldn’t move the football on offense. The score turned to a three-score game, and that pretty much ended the night for Mizzou.
The offense moved late in the game when freshman quarterback Connor Bazelak replaced Powell. But the Tigers stalled out inside the 5-yard line to remain scoreless. Powell was 10 of 22 for 84 yards in a little more than three quarters. Bazelak was 8 of 12 for 64 yards on one drive and two plays.
Mizzou’s defense played solid for most of the night. But it had to be on the field too long, and the Tigers couldn’t get that big turnover it needed assist the offense even more. The Tigers will want to play with that same intensity on defense, and hope for more success on offense against Florida.
Saturday’s loss ended Mizzou’s November win streak of nine games in a row, which lasted two seasons. It also knocks the Tigers down to fourth in the SEC East.
The Tigers return home next week where they are undefeated. For now, Mizzou is 0-4 on the road.