Rapid Reaction: Turnovers help Georgia get past Missouri
Georgia’s offense didn’t do much early to contribute to a victory over Missouri on Saturday, but the Bulldogs didn’t have to this time.
Their mates on defense and special teams made most of the big plays to get a lead before the offense laid down the hammer in the second half. Georgia won 43-29 Saturday to move to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the SEC.
The Bulldogs must feel good about their position in the SEC East after winning two conference games on the road against likely the two most-talented division opponents. Missouri fell to 3-1 and had its nine-game regular season winning streak snapped. They had won those nine games by an average of 27 points per game during that stretch, dating back to last October and its loss to Georgia in Athens.
This game wasn’t decided early, but it certainly turned Georgia’s way on some destructive early turnovers by Missouri. Georgia got a break on the first turnover. Lock had completed a pass to tight end Albert Okwuegbunam for what looked like a first down once his forward progress was stopped. But freshman cornerback Tyson Campbell stripped the ball before the whistle blew and took it back for a 64-yard score.
Georgia also benefitted from an early turnover in its first SEC game, a win Sept. 8 at South Carolina. That was when cornerback Deandre Baker intercepted a pass that led to a touchdown just 47 seconds into the game, and the Bulldogs never trailed.
The second Missouri turnover was a gift, too, and that interception couldn’t be put on Lock at all. He hit a wide open Johnathon Johnson right in the hands, but the ball bounced in the air and Tae Crowder picked it off and returned it for 43 yards. Georgia had to settle for a second straight Rodrigo Blankenship field goal to make it 13-7.
Georgia then blocked a punt and returned it for a score, which might as well be a turnover. Missouri’s protection completely collapsed and it was an easy block for Erik Stokes, who knocked it down at the 16-yard line and ran it in untouched.
It was surprising that Georgia had so much trouble throwing the ball early. After all, Missouri’s secondary is one of the worst in the country, having allowed a whopping 572 yards last week to Purdue quarterback David Blough.
Fromm struggled out of the gate. He was just 2-for-5 passing for 17 yards in the first quarter, with the bad interception on the first possession.
But later, Missouri’s secondary started to break down. On Georgia’s first drive of the second half, Riley Ridley got free and scored on a Fromm pass from 33 yards. On the next drive, Jeremiah Holloman got free and scored on a 61-yard TD pass.
After Missouri scored to keep it close at 33-21, Georgia instantly responded on the first play of the fourth quarter. Fromm hit his first big pass, a 54-yard touchdown strike to Mecole Hardman where there were no defenders around him. The score put Georgia up 40-22.
Fromm finished the day with 260 yards on 13-of-23 passing and had to play into the fourth quarter for the first time all season.
Lock’s day ended with 221 yards on 24-of-48 passing. His skill-position players let him down with the turnovers as well.
Georgia returns home to play Tennessee next week. Missouri has a week off and then travels to South Carolina on Oct. 6.
Thanks to Missouri for a good game. I loved their uniforms.
Our offense in the first half was disappointing (except for the last minute and a half).
Game balls defense – Deandre Walker and Deandre Baker.
Game balls offense – Mecole Hardman and Elijah Holyfield.
I’m glad we won but it wasn’t anything to jump up and down about.
Maybe Missouri is better than we thought and we’re not as good as we think we are.
Probably a bit of both. Missouri has a good front 7 on defense, but they got gassed late. Georgia has a lot of work to do if we want to be on Alabama’s level, this game against LSU in a few weeks is getting more and more interesting
Agreed 100%.
I agree with all of this but giving the offensive game ball to Mecole. He was great in the second half but had some costly errors in the first half. He just didn’t seem dialed in. Missed the long ball on the first offensive drive. Fromm aired it out for him but he missed a ball he would probably catch 99% of the time. Also Fromm’s “interception” was actually a tight throw to Mecole who was then stripped as soon as he made contact. He also possibly could have dragged his toes on the missed touchdown opportunity after the interception. Don’t know who I would give the other offensive ball to but I don’t think Mecole was deserving. He just seemed off today. Probably would go with Ridley with his performance.
Just glad we got out of Colombia with a win..Very sloppy game, but Missouri seems to have a solid team this year.
Meanwhile, the most impressive thing Drew Lock did today was draw a roughing the passer penalty. Bravo!
His rushing touchdown was more impressive. But drawing the penalty was good.
Super sloppy, but we got W needed a lil diversity before lsu
Adversity damn autocorrect
That was an ugly win. If we continue to play this sloppily, we might not even make the SEC championship game. If we don’t improve and manage to make it to Atlanta, we’ll be yet another SEC East sacrificial lamb. Ugh.
Good game by mizzou, I’ll take a touchdown off the board because that play should have been blown dead, but I am happy with our D. A bad roughing the passer call or the game is put away earlier.
The rest of the game was sloppy, especially on offense in the first half . But I said to my friends before the game started, Georgia is a second half team and will scrape by and lay it on in the second…which they did. Had the offense been clicking first half it’d probably had been a blown out, but all credit to the mizzou front seven.
As a mizzou fan that 1st half was very aggravating, giving Georgia 14 points can’t happen against a good team. Cheap shot on Fromm was stupid and I hope someone chewed him out.
I saw that, there is a CHANCE he thought it was play action the way Fromm was still pretending to hold the ball. I’d have to see it again
That’s what I thought. He was engaged when the handoff happened, and Fromm was clearly trying to make the defense think he had he ball. Seems kinda absurd to freak out about the defense falling for a pass action fake.
I think Mizzou beat themselves more than Georgia beat them. Take back those turnover points in the first half, and give Mizzou a touchdown from one of those drives that ended in a turnover, and all of a sudden the Tigers start believing in perhaps pull out a win.
I agree.
I totally agree with you BC. We muffed it too many time to win against an elite team the caliber of Georgia. However, I have to say (and it occurred a few times to GA too) that the officials spent the entire game on their knees — blowin’ the game.
If this was our ‘crap the bed’ game of the year, I’m good with it. The D stepped up the first half and the offense got off their butt the second. Not great, but good enough.
We don’t need good enough…we need riotous and kick ass!
That was not a pretty win. I am concerned about both LSU and Auburn. Too many penalties (though at least 2 were highly questionable) and offense looked flat for the first half. Settling for field goals repeatedly will cost you big games.
There was a lot of mistakes in the game and Missouri couldn’t get out of their own way but you got to give them credit for playing hard all game. They were outmanned but played with heart all night… Congratulations to both teams.
Did we just get a compliment from bamatime or was there an unfortunate auto correct that just made it seem that way?
But yes, we shot ourselves in the foot many times. That was our chance at a big time win and we simply blew it.
I have no problem complementing Missouri on a good effort…. I can put my bias aside unlike some…
Lock may end up being a fine NFL QB, but I wasn’t impressed with him at all today. He tends to drift back while making reads instead of stepping up in the pocket and stepping into throws. He also seemed sluggish and slow to get the ball out. I know he doesn’t have the best talent around him but he just didn’t look like a dangerous QB.
Lock didn’t look like he trusted his receivers.
Just being honest, we looked, played, and coached like garbage.
The offensive gameplan in the first half by Chaney was idiotic after Purdue showed you could pass on this team all day. He didn’t even call a playaction pass until the effing third quarter.
You’re seeing right now proof that Chaney is a thoroughly mediocre play caller and game planner. Not having Jay Johnson in the booth to ensure Chaney isn’t the most predictable OC in the nation killed the offense today just like it did in 2016.
It’s an idiotic rule by the NCAA. And it’s killing our offense.
This^
Such bias in the article! I’m sick of sports writers. Lock’s INT shouldn’t be his fault but Fromm’s is? The WR actually caught the ball and it was stripped from him!
According to SDS, it was a bad interception! GTFOH
Why doesn’t SDS just out right say they hate UGA?
“The second Missouri turnover was a gift, too, and that interception couldn’t be put on Lock at all. He hit a wide open Johnathon Johnson right in the hands, but the ball bounced in the air and Tae Crowder picked it off and returned it for 43 yards.”
“Fromm struggled out of the gate. He was just 2-for-5 passing for 17 yards in the first quarter, with the bad interception on the first possession.”
Just find yourself a connor article and you will be happy…