Mizzou remains locked in on Georgia, even with control of SEC East at stake

Missouri is the only team in the Southeastern Conference’s East division without a blemish on its league record.

Of course, the 23rd-ranked Tigers have played only one SEC game — a stirring 21-20 come-from-behind victory Sept. 27 at South Carolina.

Missouri, 4-1, erased a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit and matched the largest fourth-quarter comeback for a victory in the program’s 124-year history.

It was a significant hurdle for the Tigers to clear in their quest to repeat as SEC East champions.

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel doesn’t care — or at least he doesn’t want his team thinking that far ahead.

“This is our second conference game,” Pinkel said Monday at his weekly news conference. “My goodness, this is just one at a time regardless of listening to all of you (in the media). We go one at a time. That’s the best way I know how to do it, and we’d be wise if we all did it that way.”

Still, the fact remains that three teams — Missouri, Georgia and Florida — control their own fate in the chase for the division crown and a spot in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 6 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

One fewer team will be able to make that claim after the Tigers tussle with No. 13 Georgia, 4-1, in Missouri’s Gold Rush game at 11 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

“We’re always aware of the situation, but we don’t allow that to keep itself in our minds,” said senior defensive tackle Lucas Vincent, an Olathe North graduate. “Going into every game, we know the situation. But it’s the SEC, and you basically have to win every game anyway. It’s not something you have to think too hard about. It’s second nature to need to win in the SEC.”

Georgia is one of three teams — along with Florida and Kentucky — tied for second in the division behind Missouri with a 2-1 conference record. The Wildcats don’t control their destiny by virtue of an overtime loss Sept. 13 at Florida.

With a win, the Tigers effectively would have a three-game lead over the Bulldogs in the SEC East, making Saturday an elimination game of sorts for Georgia.

Missouri knows that Mark Richt’s squad hasn’t forgotten last year’s home loss to the Tigers and hopes to avoid a similar fate.

That, and not concerns about the SEC East title, motivate Vincent and company.

“We’re not thinking about the SEC East,” Vincent said. “We’re thinking about playing Georgia and giving them our best game.”

Sounds like Pinkel’s message has gotten through.

“I’m not worried about anybody else,” sophomore quarterback Maty Mauk said. “It’s the SEC. You look at who’s winning games. I mean, Kentucky beat South Carolina. You look at all those games and anybody can win. Right now, we’re focusing on Georgia and nobody else.”

Last weekend was a wild one in the SEC.

In addition to Kentucky’s shocker against South Carolina, the Magnolia State turned the SEC West on its head when Mississippi beat Alabama and Mississippi State followed up a win at LSU by knocking off Texas A&M.

“Nobody would have ever guessed the outcomes of all those games, so you take it game by game,” sophomore linebacker Michael Scherer said. “If you do that and you focus on each game at a time, everything will pan out the way it’s supposed to in the end.”

This story was originally published October 7, 2014 at 12:55 PM with the headline "Mizzou remains locked in on Georgia, even with control of SEC East at stake."