The Georgia Bulldogs improved to 8-0 after a 43-20 win over the Florida Gators last week. It is the fourth time under Kirby Smart (third straight) in eight seasons that the Dawgs have won their first eight contests. It is just the fifth time that an SEC team has started 8-0 in three straight seasons.
Georgia's next opponent is No. 14 Missouri. Last season, Georgia trailed by ten points to the Tigers early in the fourth quarter before the Bulldogs scored 14 unanswered points including a touchdown with 4:03 left that give the Dawgs a 26-22 win.
Since the beginning of the 2021 season, only four of the Bulldogs 37 wins have been by single digits.
The first time that Georgia ever faced Missouri was at the 1960 Orange Bowl. The Bulldogs won 14-0 as Fran Tarkenton threw two touchdown passes. Head Coach Wally Butts would get the win over Missouri head coach Dan Devine. Devine was also the coach that Georgia defeated in the 1981 Sugar Bowl propelling the Bulldogs to the 1980 National Championship.
Overall, Georgia is 11-1 against Missouri and has won nine straight matchups. The only time the Tigers won was in 2013. There have been five prior meetings in Athens, and for the most part, UGA has kept Missouri out of the end zone.
Missouri is another SEC East team that Georgia has dominated since Smart took over in 2016. Here is a breakdown of the Bulldogs when they faced division opponents in that time.
Last week, Georgia trailed 7-0 to Florida before rattling off 36 straight points before the Gators scored again. The Bulldogs are 8-0 when trailing at any point in a game over the last two seasons. At the end, Georgia put up 43 points which is one of the highest totals by the Dawgs in the series (three of the top ten are under Smart).
Carson Beck continues to shine. In his first start in his hometown of Jacksonville, he threw for 315 yards. It was his fourth 300+ yard passing game in his last five contests. That ranks pretty high in terms of 300-yard pass games by a Bulldog.
Beck also went 19-for-28 passing in the game. The 67.9 completion percentage last Saturday actually lowers his season total to 73 percent. The 73 percent ranks seventh in the nation. It would also be the highest completion percentage in a season by a qualified Bulldog eclipsing what Stetson Bennett did last season (68.3).
In Georgia's media guide, it lists 300 pass attempts as a minimum for a career. Beck passed that number in his last game and now stands at the top of that impressive chart.
Without Brock Bowers, Georgia's big weapon this past week was Ladd McConkey. McConkey tied his career-high with six receptions (6 vs Kent State in 2022) and tied his career-high with 135 yards receiving (135 at Auburn in 2021). The two 135-yard games are the only games in which he has 100 or more yards in his career. He also added his first touchdown reception of the season and now has 13 in his career (not to mention his three career rushing touchdowns). His 13 TDs are tied for the third most under Smart.
In terms of running the ball, Daijun Edwards had two touchdown rushes against the Gators. He had two against Florida last season as well. He became the first player since LSU's Leonard Fournette to have multi-TD rushes in back-to-back seasons against Florida (2014 and 2015). He has multi-TD rushes in three contests this season. He is the first Bulldog since both Nick Chubb (6) and Sony Michel (4) in 2017 to have at least three games with two or more touchdown rushes. His eight rushing touchdowns this season ranks fourth in the SEC.
His 95 yards rushing gives him 1,757 yards rushing in his career. He needs 243 more yards on the ground to reach the 2,000-yard mark. Only four Dawgs have done that in the Smart era.
One of the main reasons, Georgia's offense has had some success is the play of the offensive line. Bulldog quarterbacks have only been sacked six times this season. They lead the SEC in that category. In fact, Kentucky is second in that category with twice as many (12). Last place in the conference is Alabama with 35 sacks allowed. Earlier this week, UGASports posted this stat comparing the two offensive lines...
If you look at all the SEC teams since the beginning of the 2021 season, you will find more of the same.
Georgia's defense registered a season-high four sacks. They had three sacks three previous times this season. The most sacks that Georgia has had under Smart was eight against Cincinnati in the 2021 Peach Bowl. If you are counting just conference games, last Saturday against Florida is one of the best since 2016.
Georgia had four sacks against Missouri in both 2013 and 2015, but both were prior of Smart becoming head coach.
Another major part of Georgia's defense all season (and even longer) is its stopping of opponents on third down. The Bulldogs lead all of the FBS schools, holding their opponents to a 25 percent success rate on third downs. If you look at the last five seasons, the Dawgs defense is the only school that is listed twice among the best in a season.
In terms of great performances against Missouri, Tarkenton was already mentioned, but there are many more...
Nick Chubb ran 38 times for 143 yards and a touchdown in the 2014 clash. It is tied for the sixth most in a game by a Georgia player and tied for the second most by a player not named Herschel Walker.
In 2020, four different running backs for Georgia scored on the ground for the Bulldogs. Zamir White, Daijun Edwards, Kenny McIntosh and James Cook all scored. However, it was White and Edwards that did even more damage. White ran 12 times for 126 yards and Edwards ran 11 times for 103.
Four seasons earlier in 2016, Isaiah McKenzie had ten receptions for 122 yards and two scores against Missouri.
Four seasons earlier than that in 2012, Marlon Brown and Michael Bennett each had eight receptions in the Mizzou game. Brown capitalized by scoring two touchdowns in those eight grabs.
In that same game as the two receivers shined so did Jarvis Jones defensively. He ended up with two sacks and an interception. It was his only collegiate pick of his career.
Quincy Mauger had seven career interceptions for the Bulldogs and four came against the Tigers. He had two against Missouri in 2014 and two more in 2016.
Speaking of doing things twice, Rodrigo Blankenship booted for a career-high four field goals against Missouri both in 2017 and in 2019. Jack Podlesny also had four against Missouri in 2022.
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If you are keeping score at home, Georgia's win streak is currently at 25 and another win would move them for a tie for third (Alabama 2015-2016) for the most consecutive wins by a SEC team.
The Bulldogs also have 23 consecutive wins at home. One more and they tie the school record set from 1980 to 1983.
