What Happened to Georgia Tonight?

Georgia strained through a four-quarter win over the Missouri Tigers. So, what happened to the Bulldogs tonight? And why did they struggle?

Brooks Austin | Oct 1, 2022

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Georgia Bulldogs

Under the current college football format, you have to damn near be perfect. In the history of the four-team playoff, never has a two-loss football team managed to make the college football playoff.

Meaning for a program like Georgia, you either have to survive your regular season schedule unphased, or manage to lose one regular season game and go to Atlanta to beat Alabama out of the West.

That's the pressure. Every single Saturday. Even when you're 30-point favorites on the road against a (2-2) Missouri team. Georgia fans sweated out a four-quarter fist fight against a Missouri football team that was far inferior to you on the talent front.

So, what happened to Georgia tonight?

Turnovers and Stalls

Georgia's first five possessions yielded three punts and two fumbles. That's about all you really need to know about Georgia's first-half performance offensively. They didn't cross midfield until there were seven minutes remaining in the first half. It was beyond stalling it was stagnant to start the football game.

Then, as soon as Georgia managed to begin to move the football, they settled for field goals on their next three possessions, stalling out yet again in the redzone the moment they began to have a smidgeon of offensive success.

Punched in the Mouth

Take five minutes to listen to a Kirby Smart press conference, you'll understand quickly the importance of controlling the line of scrimmage in this conference. There's no doubt about it, even before you have time to watch the tape, Georgia's offensive line got punched in the mouth tonight. Repeatedly.

Until the fourth quarter, Georgia struggled to provide a consistent ground game. Though things did begin to open up as the night progressed. Missouri was the more physical football team tonight, there's no question about that.

They Are Missing AD Mitchell

Georgia doesn't have an X-Receiver right now. They don't have a single receiver threat that demands coverage and can be a go-to threat at all times, not with AD Mitchell on the sidelines. Ladd McConkey, even when he isn't in the midst of what seems to be a tough stretch, isn't a primary X-receiver. They need someone, not named Brock Bowers, to dictate coverage.

Defense Couldn't Get Out of Their Own Way

Georgia's defense did a great job of keeping Georgia in this football game despite the offense trying everything they could to give Missouri points. That being said, 3rd & 17 pass interference penalties aren't characteristic of elite defenses. They allowed a 63-yard run, and three explosives through the air. Those things led to points.

So, what happened to Georgia tonight?

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