Georgia Bulldogs flex muscle on offense, defense in blowout win over Missouri
It might not be as high as the team envisioned before the season, but it appears Georgia is reaching its peak.
That certainly seemed the case Saturday afternoon at Missouri’s Faurot Field, as the No. 9 Bulldogs survived a rough second quarter and pulled away from the Tigers for a 49-14 victory.
“We still haven’t reached our potential,” Kirby Smart said afterward. “I don’t know if it was a ‘statement game.’ I know our players responded. Our two biggest games we played we didn’t play our best.”
After one quarter, it looked as if the Bulldogs (7-2) should thrive instead of survive. On the second play of the game, junior corner Eric Stokes’ fourth interception of the year set Georgia up with a short field that turned into a touchdown run from sophomore Kenny McIntosh.
On the next Bulldog possession, a 37-yard toss from redshirt sophomore quarterback J.T. Daniels to junior running back James Cook put Georgia on top 14-0. At that point Georgia had outgained Missouri 112 yards to 27 and looked as if it might run away with the game.
But the Tigers (5-4) answered well with a 75-yard touchdown drive to halve the lead. A strong pass rush and run defense from Missouri stifled Georgia’s offense, and a blocked Georgia punt set up a one-yard plunge from Missouri running back Larry Rountree to tie the game late in the half.
Facing a third-and-10 on the following possession, Daniels found redshirt sophomore Kearis Jackson for a first down. After two more completions, Daniels connected with sophomore George Pickens on an acrobatic catch in the end zone. The sensational grab sent the Bulldogs to the locker room with a 21-14 halftime lead.
That strong finish carried over into the second half. The Bulldogs rolled in the third quarter, scoring three touchdowns on offense and allowing the Tigers to gain just one first down in the period.
The Bulldogs coasted from there, amassing 615 yards of offense and notching their seventh straight win over Missouri.
3 stars of the game
George Pickens — Pickens had undoubtedly the best game of his sophomore season. He hauled in five receptions for 126 yards and two touchdowns, repeatedly soaring up, over and around Tiger defenders to haul in passes. Daniels just had to throw it up in his direction; Pickens did the rest.
J.T. Daniels — Daniels started somewhat slow, completing just six of his first 13 passes for 92 yards and a score against a strong Missouri pass rush. Then, late in the first half, offensive coordinator Todd Monken dialed up a designed rollout for his quarterback, who found Jackson for a crucial third-down conversion. That seemed to settle Daniels down, as he completed the next three passes on that drive for 63 yards and a score. For the game, he ended with 299 yards on 16-of-27 passing and three more touchdown tosses. The majority of that damage came in the second half, when he appeared to be in a much better rhythm than in the first 30 minutes.
James Cook — After a career game Nov. 28 against South Carolina, Cook followed up with another strong game today. He first hauled in a 37-yard catch and run touchdown in the first quarter, and then followed that with a nine-yard score off a jet sweep in the third. He’s carving out more and more of a role in Monken’s offense, a development that could take this offense to another level in 2021.
Next Georgia football game
The Bulldogs are scheduled to wrap up their regular season next Saturday when they host Vanderbilt in Athens. The game was postponed from last Saturday after COVID-19 issues with the Commodores.
Georgia-Missouri stats, scoring
First Quarter
UGA—McIntosh 2 run (Podlesny kick), 11:56.
UGA—J.Cook 37 pass from Daniels (Podlesny kick), 2:40.
Second Quarter
MIZ—Bazelak 2 run (Mevis kick), 13:59.
MIZ—Rountree 1 run (Mevis kick), 1:20.
UGA—Pickens 36 pass from Daniels (Podlesny kick), :37.
Third Quarter
UGA—Pickens 31 pass from Daniels (Podlesny kick), 12:49.
UGA—Z.White 43 run (Podlesny kick), 8:35.
UGA—J.Cook 9 run (Podlesny kick), 5:54.
Fourth Quarter
UGA—D.Edwards 6 run (Podlesny kick), 14:46.
- First downs: Georgia 28-11
- Passing yards: Georgia 299-178
- Rushing yards: Georgia 316-22
- Time of possession: Georgia 33:43 to 26:17
RUSHING—Georgia, Z.White 12-126, D.Edwards 11-103, McIntosh 11-58, J.Cook 6-44, Hudson 2-6, Je.Johnson 1-(minus 9), Daniels 2-(minus 12). Missouri, Rountree 14-16, Young 3-9, Bazelak 3-8, Knox 1-(minus 1), B.Cook 1-(minus 10).
PASSING—Georgia, Daniels 16-27-0-299, Bennett 0-1-0-0. Missouri, Chism 1-1-0-29, B.Cook 2-3-0-10, Bazelak 17-28-1-139.
RECEIVING—Georgia, Pickens 5-126, Burton 5-38, Washington 2-61, J.Cook 1-37, McIntosh 1-17, K.Jackson 1-12, Robertson 1-8. Missouri, Rountree 4-35, Knox 3-25, Chism 3-25, Hazelton 2-42, Banister 2-13, Badie 2-0, Swinson 1-29, Dove 1-9, D.Smith 1-1, Parker 1-(minus 1).
MISSED FIELD GOALS—Georgia, Podlesny 43.
This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 3:14 PM with the headline "Georgia Bulldogs flex muscle on offense, defense in blowout win over Missouri."