The question as to whether or not the Georgia Bulldogs can survive without star running back Todd Gurley has been answered in the form of a 34-0 woodshedding of the Missouri Tigers.
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Nick Chubb carried the load for the Bulldogs, rushing for 143 yards on 38 carries (surpassing his high of 35 carries in high school), and added 31 receiving yards out of the backfield.
Brendan Douglas added some nice runs of his own, including a spectacular diving touchdown.
The big story, however, was the Georgia defense, who pitched their second shutout of the season, and their first against a Power-5 opponent since November of 2012 against Auburn.
Betsided
Missouri turned the ball over to the Dawgs five times, including four interceptions from quarterback Maty Mauk (two of them by Quincy Mauger). The Missouri offense was just never able to get into a rhythm against Georgia, and shot themselves in the foot when things started to move.
The Georgia pass rush was also relentless, not giving Mauk any time to get rid of the ball, and sacking him three times during the game.
Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason found much more success, and seemed to finally look a little more comfortable. Mason threw for 156 yards and one touchdown on 22 of 28 attempts. There were was still little in the way of longer, downfield looks from Mason though.
Oct 11, 2014; Columbia, MO, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Hutson Mason (14) warms up before the game against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The Bulldogs may have lost some explosive big-play ability without Gurley in the game, but what they showed is that their offensive line and other backs are still capable of grinding out a game and wearing down an opposing defense.
This they did to perfection today.
The Bulldog Nation should be happy with the win, but not overconfident.
This was not a good Missouri team, and their wins this season have come against token competition. A much bigger challenge will come next week when the Bulldogs remain on the road to face the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The possibility still exists that Georgia will have Todd Gurley back next week, but if they don’t, there will be much less panic about what the Dawgs can do without him.