No. 13 Georgia thumps No. 23 Missouri as Tigers are shut out for first time since 2002

The largest crowd in 31 years at Memorial Stadium witnessed Missouri’s first shutout loss since 2002 on Saturday against a Georgia team forced to play without former Heisman Trophy front-runner Todd Gurley.

Turns out, the No. 13 Bulldogs — who romped past the Tigers 34-0 — didn’t need Gurley, a junior running back who led the SEC in rushing before he was suspended indefinitely Thursday because of an NCAA investigation for allegedly accepting impermissible benefits from memorabilia brokers.

Georgia, 5-1 and 3-1 in the SEC, handed No. 23 Missouri, 4-2 and 1-1 in the SEC, its first shutout loss since getting routed by Kansas State in a 38-point loss during the season finale 12 years ago.

“That’s a pathetic job by the offense, period,” said senior wide receiver Bud Sasser, who had two catches for 14 yards. “As a whole group, man, that was, in my eyes, pathetic. And I’m sure other guys would say the same. We should never play that bad ever.”

The Tigers ran four plays in Georgia territory — three resulted in turnovers — and never ran a play inside the Bulldogs’ 39-yard line, giving the ninth-largest crowd in stadium history (71,168) precious little to celebrate.

Missouri’s overexposed defense, which was on the field for nearly 43 minutes, did a respectable job against Gurley’s replacement, freshman Nick Chubb.

Chubb finished with 143 yards and a touchdown, but he needed 38 carries to get there and averaged a meager 3.8 yards per attempt.

He also added four receptions for 31 yards, giving him more yards from scrimmage (174 on 42 touches) than the Tigers’ entire offense, which totaled 147 yards on 43 plays.

“It’s us beating ourselves and that’s what we’ve got to work on,” Mauk said.

He admitted that it’s frustrating to be back at square one offensively from an execution standpoint after six games.

“But we can’t let it affect us,” he said. “We’ve just got to come out and get better. That’s what it comes down too.”

It was the worst offensive output since Missouri managed 129 yards against Alabama in 2012 and the second-worst during Pinkel’s tenure.

The Tigers’ five turnovers, the most since 2000 and the most in coach Gary Pinkel’s 14 seasons at Missouri, didn’t help.

“You’re going to have a hard time winning any game against any team ever turning the ball over five times and not getting any on defense,” Pinkel said.

Quarterback Maty Mauk threw four interceptions, which is the most since James Franklin threw four in a 2012 loss at Florida, and also had a fumble during a frustrating afternoon.

He finished only nine of 21 for 97 yards and hasn’t thrown a touchdown in the last two games, going 21 for 55 — 38.2 percent — for 229 yards combined against South Carolina and Georgia, which earned the first shutout against a ranked opponent in a true road game in program history.

“I’m having a hard time looking some of the defenders in the eye, because I know, as an offensive guy, I didn’t do what I needed to do,” left tackle Mitch Morse said.

Still, Pinkel said he never considered pulling Mauk, “because I didn’t want to,” he said.

He stuck with him even after his fourth interception — and fifth turnover — sent most fans to the exits with nearly 6 minutes remaining in the third quarter.

One play after a 7-yard run by Russell Hansbrough, the only non-turnover on a snap in Georgia territory, Mauk pirouetted from the pocket then reversed field again after encountering pressure, retreating 20 yards into the backfield.

Eventually, off balance and across his body, Mauk tried to launch a pass downfield, but it went straight to freshman safety Dominick Sanders.

“He was doing everything to try and make a play — probably from frustration,” Pinkel said.

Nine plays later after Sanders’ pick, Brendan Douglas scored on a 15-yard run, pumping Georgia’s lead to 27-0 and ending any realistic thought that Missouri still could mount a comeback.

The Bulldogs led 20-0 at halftime thanks to a pair of Marshall Morgan field goals and quarterback Hutson Mason’s 11-yard touchdown run.

Mason, who finished 22 of 28 for 156 yards, also added a 9-yard fade for a touchdown to Michael Bennett in the second quarter.

This story was originally published October 11, 2014 at 12:59 PM with the headline "No. 13 Georgia thumps No. 23 Missouri as Tigers are shut out for first time since 2002."