Georgia football will head to Columbia, MO, this weekend for its second SEC East matchup of the season against the Missouri Tigers. The Dawgs are coming off a sloppy win that likely lit a fire under their tails to demoralize the next target.
This week the Dawgs will remind everyone what they saw in the first three weeks of the season because last week was a one-time thing. Georgia will be on a mission to destroy Missouri, especially since it’s an away game.
The Dawgs are No.1 in the country, and now it’s time for them to remind people of that. Who cares what happened against Kent State? It’s time to focus on Missouri. Georgia’s offense should have a field day against this Missouri defense because, to put it blatantly— they are not good.
Before we break into what Georgia needs to do offensively to beat Missouri, let’s compare the two offenses to the other SEC offenses.
Missouri ranks No.11 in scoring offense with 28 points a game, while Georgia is No. 3 at 42.3 points. The Tigers have the No.7 rushing offense at 185 yards a game, while Georgia is No. 8 at 181. However, look for that average to change a good bit once they take on the Dawgs.
Georgia has the No.3 passing offense averaging 350.5 yards a game and 9.6 yards an attempt. Missouri has the No.10 one, averaging 209.8 yards and 7.2 yards an attempt. Overall offense goes to Georgia as they are No. 2 behind Tennesse, averaging 531.5 yards a game and 7.62 yards a play. Missouri is No.9 in the SEC, averaging 394.8 yards and 5.62 yards a play.
This offense should have a hay day, and it could be another historical game for starting quarterback Stetson Bennett and company. Here are the three things we think the Dawgs will accomplish on offense when they defeat Missouri.
1. Georgia football exposes Missouris’ defense through the air
The Dawgs will utilize their passing game to expose the Tigers’ secondary. Right now in the SEC, Missouri ranks No. 6 in passing defense, giving up 192.8 yards a game. Georgia averages 350.5 yards through the air, so Missouri will have to buckle down, or it could get ugly quickly. Bennett should be able to get the ball to all-world tight end Brock Bowers but also use his receivers as threats too.
Ladd McConkey should have a redemption game, but it would also be great to see the Dawgs use Dominick Blaylock and Kearis Jackson some more too. Arian Smith could be back and who knows, AD Mitchell could see the field against Missouri as well, so the Dawgs will be fully loaded, ready to expose just how bad Missouris’ defense is.
2. Third downs will be key for Georgia football
Georgia needs to have a high third down conversion rate against the Tigers because that is one thing Missouri has done well on defense. In the SEC, the Tigers are No.3, giving up just 26.67% of third-down conversions. However, Georgia is No.1 in third-down conversions at 59.09% on offense.
The Dawgs will have to continue to win that third down battle because those sustain drives and keep them alive. When drives last a long time, it prevents opposing offenses from having more time to score on Georgia’s young defense.
3. Georgia football is explosive in the air and on the ground
Georgia could be more explosive on offense, which is slowly coming together. Bowers’ 75-yard run against Kent State was huge! Bennett has made some explosive plays through the air, but making them this week against Missouri will be a defining stat. After the Dawgs looked sloppy, why not come out wide open and make Missouri look silly?
The Dawgs lead the SEC in 20-plus yard passing plays with 21. Missouri only has 11. On the ground, Georgia hasn’t been as successful with explosive plays. Georgia only has three 20-plus yard runs, but they do have longer ones — just not a ton.
If Georgia can put together these three things, the Dawgs should be extremely successful against Missouri. The Dawgs should have no issues getting their second SEC road victory of the season as they will play mad against Missouri. Good luck, Missouri, because this is hell week for the Dawgs, and Missouri is the next target.