Georgia Football: what to expect from the Missouri Tigers
By Mike Stowe
Georgia football travels to Missouri this Saturday for an early game with the Tigers. Kickoff is at noon locally, but 11 a.m. in Missouri.
The no. 3 Georgia football team travels to their second Columbia of the year to play their first of three “Tigers” of the year as they face off against SEC East rival Missouri Tigers. The Dawgs are favored by 14. This doesn’t seem to be as popular of an upset pick as the South Carolina game was, but there are a few things to consider when looking at this game. Let’s take a look at this week’s opponent.
Strengths: Missouri is a really good passing team. Their quarterback Drew Lock is one of the best in the nation. Many are expecting him to be a top 10 pick in the 2019 NFL draft. He has the size and the arm to be just that.
They will absolutely test the Georgia secondary through the air Saturday. And they will have some success. I see Lock going after freshman Tyson Campbell’s side of the field and attacking him. Campbell has shown that he will be a star. But he has also played at times like exactly what he is, a freshman who is still learning the speed of the college game. If Lock can use his big receivers to make explosive downfield plays, they could keep this game interesting.
Weaknesses: pass defense. Georgia is a running team. They don’t have to get away from that Saturday to have success. But if this game turns into a shootout like Mizzou wants it too, I don’t believe the Tigers are equipped to deal with the speed and talent of Georgia’s receiving corps. This is a team that was absolutely torched by Purdue through the air last week, as the Boilermakers passed for an amazing 572 yards.
Luckily for Mizzou, Purdue’s defense couldn’t stop them either and the Tigers won by a score of 40-37. Look for Jim Chaney to pick his spots with Jake Fromm and company and try to exploit this weakness Saturday.
Players to look out for: Drew Lock is the best quarterback in the conference. As he goes, so Mizzou goes. For them to have any chance of pulling the upset, Lock needs to have the game of his life. He passed for 4 TDs against the Dawgs last year. He may need more than that this season.
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Larry Rountree, the current leading rusher for the Tigers ranks in the top 10 in the conference in yards. Lock’s day will be a lot easier if they can establish a running game.
Emanuel Hall is the guy who got the Dawgs last year in Athens. He had over 140 yards and 2 TDs in the 2017 contest. He will look to have another big day, but I’m sure Deandre Baker has other things in mind.