No. 1 Georgia survives Missouri’s upset bid with fourth-quarter rally: What we learned
COLUMBIA, Mo.— Georgia football coach Kirby Smart didn’t seem too upset last week when MAC opponent Kent State put some pressure on the Bulldogs at home in a 17-point win.
The Bulldogs were never really in danger then.
Unlike Saturday night when the top-ranked Bulldogs had all kinds of trouble finding their footing against unranked Missouri and seemed on the verge of going down in a shocking upset.
Instead the Bulldogs overcame a 10-point deficit with 14:09 to go and went ahead with 4:03 left on Daijun Edwards’ 1-yard touchdown run, his first score of the season.
Georgia, a 29½-point favorite, survived with a 26-22 victory.
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They won on a night Georgia turned the ball over early, its secondary got burned in the passing game and the Tigers stuffed Georgia’s run game for much of the night until the fourth quarter.
Missouri’s Harrison Mevis went 5-for-5 on field goals including from 52 and 56 yards. He pumped his fist after a 49-yard field goal in the first half.
The Tigers would have won their first ever game against a team ranked No. 1 in the polls. They beat an Oklahoma team in 2010 that was ranked No. 1 in the BCS.
Here are five takeaways as Georgia won its ninth straight against Missouri and improved to 5-0, 2-0 in the SEC:
Georgia Bulldogs finally get it going late to grab lead
Georgia didn’t find the end zone until a 1-yard Kendall Milton touchdown run with 9:39 to go to cap a 10-play, 75-yard drive.
Then Stetson Bennett led Georgia on a 7-play, 68-yard scoring drive. He completed a 13-yard pass to Dom Blaylock, hit tight end Brock Bowers on a quick pass to the outside for 12 yards and then Edwards went in from the 1 to put Georgia ahead for the first time.
Bennett finished 24 of 44 for 312 yards and did not throw a touchdown for the second straight week.
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Georgia’s red zone woes continued despite it being a focal point of this game week.
The Bulldogs had to settle for Jack Podlesny field goals on its first three trips in the red zone. He converted from 40, 34, 22 and 29 on the night as Georgia trailed 19-12 with 2:15 to go in the third quarter.