No. 1 Georgia clobbers No. 22 Mizzou for Tigers’ fourth loss of season
ATHENS, Ga. (KMIZ)
No. 1 Georgia wasted no time in showing Mizzou what kind of day it was in for in Athens, scoring 61 seconds in Saturday's game on the Bulldogs' way to a 48-21 victory at Sanford Stadium.
The Tigers actually got the ball first in Athens, but on the very first snap of the game quarterback Austin Simmons threw an interception to Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson, which was returned 30 yards to Mizzou's seven-yard line. And just two plays later, the Bulldogs capitalized with a Nate Frazier four-yard run into the end zone to go up 7-0 out of the gates.
The first three plays of the game set the tone for what would be a masterclass by head coach Kirby Smart and his squad.
Less than four minutes after that opening touchdown, the Bulldgos struck again. This time quarterback Gunner Stockton led his team on a four-play, 60-yard drive that ended with an eight-yard rush from Stockton into the end zone to put Mizzou down by two possessions.
After Simmons and company finished the first quarter with -4 passing yards, the offense showed some signs of life towards in of the second quarter. Down 31-0, the Tigers assembled their most efficient drive of the day, going 75 yards in less than four minutes, ending with a 15-yard touchdown toss from Simmons to receiver Naeshaun Montgomery. That made it a 24-point ball game going into halftime.
Out of the locker room, Georgia didn't take its foot off the gas.
The Bulldogs only out-scored the Tigers 17-14 in the second half, but the damage was done in the first two quarter. UGA ran through "Death Row Defense" for a total of 468 yards on the day, 182 coming on the ground.
Stockton was efficient, once again, completing 75 percent of his passes for 252 yards and one touchdown. He helped put the game so out of reach that his outing ended after the third quarter finished up.
From there, the Bulldogs continued to take it to the Tigers, as backup junior quarterback Ryan Puglisi led a 75-yard drive to open up the fourth quarter with another touchdown. That drive was highlighted by a 29-yard acrobatic catch by receiver Talyn Taylor, as the Bulldogs led 48-14.
On the other side, it was an up and down day offensively for Coach Drinkwitz's squad. Simmons ended his day with a 68 percent completion percentage, going for 175 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. That second score of the day came in the third quarter, when the MU quarterback hit receiver Donovan Olugbode for an 11-yard score to cut their team's deficit to 27. Later, in the fourth quarter, Simmons also found receiver Kenric Lanier at the back of the end zone for a touchdown, on just his third reception of the season.
Mizzou also struggled to get much production out of its ground game. Running back Jamal Roberts had 62 yards on 19 carries, while Ahmad Hardy finished with a season-high seven carries and 33 yards.
Defensively, defensive coordinator Corey Batoon's unit couldn't disrupt what Stockton and the offense had going, tallying just one sack and three tackles for loss on the day. Safety Elijah Dotson and linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr. each led the charge with nine total tackles.
With the loss, the Tigers dropped to 6-4 on the season.
Up next - No. 22 Mizzou has a clash against No. 11 Kentucky on the books for Saturday, Nov. 21. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Faurot Field.
