Georgia vs. Missouri score, takeaways: Concerns arise as No. 1 Dawgs escape upset bid with late touchdowns

No. 1 Georgia received an unexpected scare Saturday before grinding its way back for a 26-22 win at Missouri. The Bulldogs entered as four-touchdown favorites but trailed 13-0 in the second quarter after a sluggish offensive start marked by two fumbles. The Dawgs didn’t find the end zone until there was 9:39 left and only assumed the lead with 4:03 remaining.

Nevertheless, Georgia improved to 5-0 behind the resiliency of quarterback Stetson Bennett IV and accuracy of kicker Jack Podlesny.

The SEC East showdown devolved into a field goal kicking contest during the second and third quarters as both defenses repeatedly stiffened in the red zone. Podlesny and Missouri’s Harrison Mevis each went 4 for 4 on field goal tries in the game.

With pressure from the Dawgs mounting late in the game, the Tigers finally broke in the fourth quarter as Georgia capped two long scoring drives with 1-yard touchdown runs. It was UGA’s first comeback from a double-digit halftime deficit since the 2018 Rose Bowl, which ended in double overtime.

Bennett started 10 of 25 through the air but hit 14 of his next 19 passes. He finished with 312 yards as running backs Kenny McIntosh, Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards did a lot of the heavy lifting helping move the Dawgs on the ground.

Georgia outgained Mizzou 299-100 in the second half with a 23-6 scoring run to end the game starting with the final play of the first half.

Missouri fell to 0-17 all-time against No. 1-ranked opponents. This was only the third such game that the Tigers lost by single digits. Georgia improved to 15-1 all-time as a No. 1-ranked team against an unranked opponent.

Dawgs come out flat … again

A week after some uncharacteristically sloppy play in a 39-22 win against overmatched Kent State, Georgia looked like that same flat version of itself in the first half. The Bulldogs received the opening kickoff and promptly went three-and-out as Missouri’s Trajan Jeffcoat sacked Bennett on third-and-14.

The Tigers found success rushing Bennett throughout the first half as the Bulldogs failed to score on their first five possessions.  Included in that stretch were a pair of fumbles that gave Missouri good field position. Georgia was particularly ineffective running the football in the first half, entering the break with just 33 yards rushing. That mark was also inflated by a 35-yard run from Kendall Milton that ended with a fumble.

Failure to capitalize

Missouri’s failure to capitalize with more than just three points on those two Georgia turnovers may haunt the Tigers as they review the loss. Another instance of Missouri failing to capitalize on a golden opportunity came when the Tigers settled for a field goal after a 63-yard run from Cody Schrader set the Tigers up with a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line on their last possession of the first half.

A false start penalty moved Mizzou backwards and gave Georgia’s defense some life, resulting in a 22-yard field goal from Mevis. While the 4-for-4 night from Mevis included three makes of 40 yards or more, the Tigers needed a better finishing punch from their offense to beat the nation’s top-ranked team.

Big loss for Georgia defense

Georgia star defensive lineman Jalen Carter left the game in the first half with a knee injury and did not return. Carter ranks No. 6 in CBS Sports’ 2023 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings and is a force on the interior for the Bulldogs. If he’s out for an extended period of time, it could take a toll on a Georgia defense already replacing nine drafted players from last season’s national championship squad. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound junior was considered questionable entering the game and has been limited throughout the beginning of the season.