Missouri Tigers vs. Georgia Bulldogs: Week 5 Preview
The Missouri Tigers will take on possibly their toughest opponent of the season this Saturday when they host the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia's off to an undefeated start and have scored over 30 points in every game this fall. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers will have to play their best football if they want to preserve their undefeated home record.
Missouri is coming off a heartbreaking 17-14 road loss to Auburn that saw them inches away from an overtime victory, before it slipped through their grasp. In that game, the defense held Auburn scoreless for three quarters of regulation and forced them to kick a field goal in overtime. But Mizzou's offense could never quite get going enough to put the home team away.
That overtime loss stung, especially because it meant they opened up conference play at 0-1. This week they'll have a chance to get back to even in that regard, but it's going to be a difficult battle to say the least.
Georgia isn't invincible though. They showed that last weekend when they gave up 22 points to Kent State at home. The Bulldogs won that game by 17, but it looked a lot closer than that on the field. Kent State's secondary did a pretty good job of containing Bulldogs' receivers but the Georgia ground game was too much in the end. Still, seeing some weaknesses in the reigning champs has to give the Tigers some hope.
Starting Lineup
Offense
QB Stetson Bennett
RB Kenny McIntosh
TE Brock Bowers
WR Adonai Mitchell
WR Ladd McConkey
WR Kearis Jackson
LT Broderick Jones
LG Xavier Truss
C Sedrick Van PRan
RG Tate Ratledge
RT Warren McClendon
Offensively, the Bulldogs are led by quarterback Stetson Bennett, who has nine total touchdowns on the season already (5 pass/4 rush). He's got an arsenal full of dangerous offensive weapons to get the ball to, like do-it-all tight end Brock Bowers.
They're averaging 531 yards and over 42 points per game. It will be crucial for Mizzou DC Blake Baker and this Tiger defense to take advantage when they get the Bulldogs into third-down situations.
Defense
DE Tyrion Ingram Dawkins
NT Zion Logue
DE/DT Jalen Carter
LB Nolan Smith
LB Small Mondon Jr.
LB Jamon-Dumas Johnson
LB Robert Beal Jr.
DB Kamari Lassiter
S Christopher Smith
S Dan Jackson
DB Javon Bullard
The defending national champions tote one of the best defenses in college football, allowing only eight points per game. Georgia defensive backs Malaki Starks and Christopher Smith both have two interceptions to their names, with the Bulldogs' totaling six picks on the year so far. Quarterback Brady Cook will have to make sure to avoid making any costly mistakes against this staunch defense.
The SEC clash will kick off at 6:30 p.m. (CT) on Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Mo. on Saturday, Oct. 1.
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