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AP
COLUMBIA, Mo. – – The two most important traits Georgia coach Kirby Smart looks for on his team are composure and resilience, and the top-ranked Bulldogs need to rely on both to focus their way through Missouri on Saturday night.
Or, as Smart said: “We have to OD on those.”
Having moved out of the final zone through the fourth quarter and facing a 10-point deficit, the Bulldogs started their game just in time to avoid upset. Kendall Milton end a long drive with one touch down, then Daijun Edwards went into the late zone with just over four minutes to go, lifting the Bulldogs to a 26-22 victory.
“They played really physically and really hard and beat us first, but I’m really proud of us,” Smart said. “We’ve always talked about enhancing the competitive nature of opportunity, and we did that tonight.”
Bulldogs (5-0, 2-0 SEC) watched almost all the way before finally settling the forced red zone woes Jack Podlesny kick into four yard goals. Midfielder Stetson Bennett Also struggled all night against a nasty Missouri defense, but the defending national champion’s leader still took the lead with a 312m pass and no interception.
Then, Bennett said: “It felt like an SEC game in Q4 that we had to win. “They also had pride. They also wanted to win. And they played hard too.”
Brady Cook had 192 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers (2-3, 0-2), the team had never beaten a top-ranked team in 17 attempts. But they also struggled to reach the end area in front of one of the country’s best defenses, forcing Harrison Mevis in starting five goals a week after he missed a potential match winner in an extra-time loss at Auburn.
Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz said: “We injured ourselves after winning that game.
Georgia beat the Tigers long before kick-off as some of them went through their pregnancy drills and tackled the Bulldogs’ defense Jalen Carter and Missouri’s Darius Robinson had to be physically separated.
The tigers showed their anger right in the match. Their rebuilt defense behind coordinator Blake Baker was forced to make an early blunder and a series of penalties, and Missouri took advantage of the good field position. Mevis made his first on-field goal to put the Bulldogs on the first hole of the season.
They spent the rest of the night digging into it.
Capitalizing on the breakdown of Georgia’s top scoring defense, Cook finds Dominic Lovett to reach 36 yards, then have a tight 6 foot-6 . finish Tyler Stephens to make a one-handed catch for a walking touch and take a 10-0 lead.
After another Bulldogs mess, Mevis added a 49-yard player to widen the Tigers’ advantage.
“We knew we were going to get everything they had,” Georgia center Sedrick Van Pran speak.
Bulldogs are finally on the scoreboard with Podlesny’s 40-yard goal, just to see a Division II transfer Cody Schrader ripped off a 63-yard run in the Tigers’ next possession. He was eventually tackled at the goal line, and the Bulldogs secured a much-needed spot, but Mevis still scored another goal on the field to restore a 16-3 lead.
Even if the Bulldogs successfully forged a goal late in the first half just to settle for a goal, then had to kick another after a 16-game run that took up half of the third half.
The teams exchanged goals on the field again to make it 19-12 into the fourth half, and Mevis added a 54-yard player to extend the lead to 22-12 with 14 minutes remaining.
Bennett began to find holes in the Missouri defense, leading Georgia on a 75-yard run that Milton completed with a 1-yard run. After the Tigers were forced to play – thanks in part to a personal foul on the right guard Mitchell Walters – Bulldogs quickly move 68 yards to touch the front.
“This team finished tonight,” Smart said. “Don’t get me wrong: We have a long way to go. But the resilience they showed tonight makes me proud.”
FILL IN
Tykee Smith start as a STAR in the Georgia defense after starting Javon Bullard was arrested early Sunday and charged with seven misdemeanors, including driving under the influence of alcohol. Bullard did not make the trip.
HALL OF FAMER
Missouri honors former coach Gary Pinkel, who will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December. He is also being inducted into the University of Missouri Interscholastic Athletics Hall of Fame.
CARRIED AWAY
Georgia had three returns, multiple drops and multiple penalties in a lackluster win over Kent State last week. The Bulldogs had to overcome many of the same difficulties against the Tigers, including a double defeat early in the game.
Missouri got everything right for more than 3/4 of a Saturday night. But penalties at key moments wrecked a pair of tracks, and the defense that plagued Georgia in the end showed cracks when it mattered most.
NEXT
Georgia: The Bulldogs return home to face Auburn next Saturday.
Missouri: The Tigers will visit Florida next Saturday.
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