Three-minute preview: Missouri football vs. No. 16 Georgia
When/where: 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Columbia
TV/radio: SEC Network; KMBZ (98.1 FM)
The series: Georgia leads 4-1
The line: Georgia by 6
What’s at stake
Missouri can serve notice that it will be a factor in the SEC East race with a win against No. 16 Georgia in the conference-opener for both teams. Sophomore quarterback Drew Lock also can demonstrate last week was a coming-out party, not a flash in the pan against inferior competition.
Cheers if ...
The Tigers’ passing game — which had 477 yards, the most in program history since Chase Daniel, Chase Patton, Blaine Gabbert and Tommy Saunders combined for 519 passing yards in September 2008 against Colin Kaepernick-led Nevada — continues to churn out big plays and produce points. Lock’s 450 passing yards versus Eastern Michigan are third-most in a single game and his five touchdowns tied the school record.
Jeers if ...
Mizzou’s defense continues to get gashed on the ground. The Tigers’ rushing defense is tied for 81st in the nation, allowing an average of 4.06 yards per carry. Defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross wants it around 3.0 yards per carry, a lofty goal against Georgia junior Nick Chubb.
Tod Palmer’s pick: Georgia 24-20
Missouri should score its first touchdown against Georgia since former wide receiver Bud Sasser’s 40-yard bomb to L’Damian Washington during the 2013 game in Athens, Ga. But too much Chubb turns the tide the Bulldogs’ way.
Three things about Georgia
1 Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb, who returned from a major knee injury suffered last October, leads the Football Bowl Subdivision with 234 yards after contact this season, according to College Football Focus.
2 Quarterbacks Greyson Lambert, a senior transfer from Virginia, and Jacob Eason, a true freshman, have each made one start. Lambert, who started 12 games last season, is 7 of 11 for 56 yards, while Eason is 19 of 32 for 335 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Missouri plans to prepare for both signal-callers.
3 The Bulldogs’ veteran secondary hasn’t allowed a pass play longer than 23 yards this season. North Carolina and Nicholls State have averaged only 4.4 yards per pass attempt, which ranks 12th in FBS, according to cfbstats.com.
Key matchup
Missouri defensive line vs. Georgia’s offensive line: The Tigers are still adjusting to a new scheme up front, but the Bulldogs also have struggled and only rank 118th nationally in run-blocking, according to College Football Focus. Whoever wins this battle dictates the game’s outcome, assuming Mizzou can tackle Chubb.
2016 Mizzou football schedule
Note: All times Central. Home games in CAPS at Memorial Stadium in Columbia. TV key: SEC (SEC Network)
| Date | Opponent | Result/time | Record/TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 3 | at West Virginia | L, 26-11 | 0-1 |
| Sept. 10 | EASTERN MICHIGAN | W, 61-21 | 1-1 |
| Sept. 17 | GEORGIA | 6:30 p.m. | SEC |
| Sept. 24 | DELAWARE STATE | 3 p.m. | SEC |
| Oct. 1 | at LSU | TBA | TBA |
| Oct. 15 | at Florida | TBA | TBA |
| Oct. 22 | MIDDLE TENNESSEE | TBA | TBA |
| Oct. 29 | KENTUCKY | TBA | TBA |
| Nov. 5 | at South Carolina | TBA | TBA |
| Nov. 12 | VANDERBILT | TBA | TBA |
| Nov. 19 | at Tennessee | TBA | TBA |
| Nov. 25 | ARKANSAS | 1:30 p.m. | CBS |
Tod Palmer: 816-234-4389, @todpalmer
This story was originally published September 15, 2016 at 2:46 PM with the headline "Three-minute preview: Missouri football vs. No. 16 Georgia."