If this game between the Missouri Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs had been played on its previously scheduled date – November 14 – Missouri might have had an especially good chance of winning.
By Matt Zemek
Georgia was just coming off its loss to Florida in the Cocktail Party, not knowing what to do at the quarterback position. Stetson Bennett had been benched against Florida due to prolonged struggles. D’Wan Mathis replaced him and didn’t look very good at all. The COVID-19 postponement of Georgia-Missouri gave UGA head coach Kirby Smart some extra time to think about what he wanted to do. He used the off week to reconsider his position and tab USC transfer J.T. Daniels as his starter for a home game against Mississippi State. Daniels performed very well against MSU and even better in a following game against South Carolina. Georgia now has the balanced offense and competent quarterback play it needs to perform at a higher level. This makes Missouri’s task on Saturday much tougher. Yet, Mizzou beat LSU early this season when few thought the Tigers had a chance. Missouri has overachieved this year, so let’s see what Eli Drinkwitz’s team can do against Georgia.
1 – Red zone defense
Georgia has very good offensive players, but not great offensive players. We have seen this year in the SEC that Alabama and Florida – the teams which will meet in the conference championship game in just over a week – have elite playmakers. That’s why they’re headed to Atlanta. Georgia could not match the firepower of either the Tide or the Gators. Though J.T. Daniels has certainly improved the Georgia offense, this is not a juggernaut. Missouri is going to give up yards and completions – that’s not really a debatable point – but the Tigers can certainly prevent the home-run throws over the top of the defense and give up much shorter completions. Georgia is not that likely to score on 50- or 60-yard plays. As long as Georgia steadily and methodically works the ball into the red zone, Missouri can then buck up and create stops which force field goals. That’s a central pillar of a winning performance for Mizzou.
2 – Third and fourth down
LSU hasn’t been very good this season, but Missouri outscored the Tigers in part because it completed 50 percent of third downs. Missouri has played LSU, Alabama, and Florida this season, and it learned what it was like to face offenses which put a lot of pressure on opposing defenses. Georgia’s offense was mediocre for much of October, but it is now a noticeably better unit with J.T. Daniels at quarterback. Missouri has to be able to significantly outplay Georgia on third and fourth downs, offense and defense. It’s not just about holding down Georgia’s offense; Missouri will have to take a few chances in this game which it might not take against more manageable opponents. Drinkwitz needs to coach aggressively in this game and make sure his players know they will be asked to make high-leverage plays under pressure.
3 – Attack mode
Georgia’s defense has been vulnerable to the big play this year. Yes, Alabama and Florida – the two teams which defeated Georgia – have better players than Missouri does. Nevertheless, the Tigers have shown (most recently against Arkansas) that they are capable of lighting up the scoreboard and, more to the point, scoring quickly with vertical strikes. It is less likely that Missouri can win with 12-play, 80-yard drives. It is more likely that Mizzou can upset Georgia with long pass plays. The Tigers need to shoot their shots and hit enough of them to make the defining difference.
Saturday‘s game kicks off at 11:00 AM CT (12:00 PM ET). You can watch this Missouri football game on the SEC Network.
Be the first to comment