Just eight days ago, Missouri’s season had a world of possibilities open to it.
A lot can change in eight days.
Georgia hammered that lesson into the Tigers Saturday in Athens, slamming the door shut on any greater ambitions MU had left for this year in a 48-21 final.
That door shut fast in a game that started ugly and only got worse for Mizzou.
Raylen Wilson picked off the very first play from scrimmage — one of Austin Simmons’ worst passes all season — and returned it 30 yards to set the Bulldogs up
with first-and-goal. Nate Frazier put Georgia on the board two plays later, just 61 seconds into the action.
A quick punt followed by an eight-yard score by Gunnar Stockton on an option play made it 14-0 for UGA less than five minutes into the opening quarter.
But the moment that underlined the long day to follow came on the Tigers’ third drive.
Jamal Roberts ran for a gain of 11 on 3rd-and-long, making it 4th-and-2 at MU’s own 46. The Tigers opted to punt, trying to play the field position game.
The Bulldogs had other plans. They responded with an 11-play, 87-yard drive culminating in another Frazier touchdown to go up by three scores, effectively putting the game to bed before the first quarter ended.
By the time Austin Simmons found Naeshaun Montgomery for Mizzou’s first score, a 15-yard touchdown in the minutes before the half, the Tigers were already trailing 31-0.
The box score paints a vivid picture of the thorough shellacking received by MU.
Georgia outgained the Tigers 468-286 overall and held a more than seven-minute advantage in time of possession heading into the half. The Bulldogs were especially dominant on the ground, where they racked up 182 total yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry.
Nate Frazier led the way for UGA’s rushing attack, scoring a trio of touchdowns on the way to a 72-yard performance.
It didn’t match up with the numbers put up by the Dawgs, but the ground game was about the only reliable way Mizzou found to move the ball forward.
Jamal Roberts led the Tigers with 62 yards on 19 carries. Ahmad Hardy also had an efficient day on a limited number of touches, running for 33 yards with a robust average of 4.7 yards per carry.
But MU followed the lead set nationwide earlier in the weekend and failed to achieve liftoff through the air.
Austin Simmons had a few bright moments but largely failed to connect with either efficiency or explosiveness. He completed 17 of 25 passes for 175 yards with three touchdowns alongside the early pick.
Mizzou largely kept pace with the Bulldogs after the first quarter but never made a serious challenge for control of the contest.
That allowed Kirby Smart to put in his second string offense at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Georgia promptly found the end zone again, adding some late salt in an already gaping wound.
And a missed chip shot from 29 yards out by Blake Craig in the final minutes was a fitting bookend to pair with the Simmons interception at the beginning of the day.
The loss drops the Tigers to 6-4 on the season and 3-4 in SEC play. Mizzou returns home next Saturday for a matchup against Kentucky under the lights.
