After one game away from Athens and the loss of several key playmakers for the season, the seventh-ranked Georgia Bulldogs return to Sanford Stadium on Saturday to host the Missouri Tigers, who are fresh off a commanding 51-28 victory against the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Georgia leads the series between these two respected programs 2-0, including a 41- 20 victory over Mizzou last season in Columbia. That game drew plenty of headlines when Missouri DT Sheldon Richardson (now with the New York Jets) assisted the Bulldogs with bulletin-board material.
“I watched the game; I turned it off, too,” Richardson said of a prior Georgia contest. “It’s like watching Big Ten football. It’s old-man football. If we execute, nobody in this league [the SEC] can touch us. Period.”
Richardson’s comment didn’t hold much water as the Bulldogs handed the Tigers a convincing loss.
This season may be a different story. The Bulldogs certainly have their hands full and will have to hunker down for a Mizzou team that is 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the SEC. This game has all the ingredients for another dynamic shootout, considering both teams currently rank in the top four in scoring and total offense in the SEC. The Bulldogs, led by Heisman Trophy candidate Aaron Murray, average 39.8 points per game while also accumulating 530.0 yards per game. The Tigers are just a little better with averages of 46.6 ppg, which is good enough for second in the SEC right behind Texas A&M, and 543.8 ypg. Needless to say, both teams possess highly-effective offenses that can score at will.
“They are a team that looks very confident and should be,” Georgia head coach Mark Richt said of the Tigers. “They are very well-coached, and they are looking to win the East just like we are. We are both undefeated in league play. It’s a huge game and we’re looking forward to the challenge of it.”
UNDER THE KNIFE …
On Tuesday, wide receivers Justin Scott-Wesley and Michael Bennett were operated on to repair damage done to both players’ knees last Saturday against the Volunteers. Scott-Wesley had both menisci repaired in his right knee. Bennett also had a meniscectomy performed on his right knee and is expected to return at a later date this season. Keith Marshall, who suffered a torn ACL, will have surgery at a later date. The Bulldogs will be handcuffed without two primary receivers against Missouri, but they still have a great opportunity to get the job done.
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