Clobbering by Georgia reminds how far Missouri has to go even in season of revival
Earlier this week, first-year University of Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz looked forward to what he called an opportunity “to measure ourselves” against Georgia.
Safe to say the audit was plenty illuminating even if it was less than glowing after the Bulldogs dissected MU 49-14 Saturday on Faurot Field.
Safe to say that wasn’t lost on Drinkwitz.
“We’re not there right now with our program and able to compete every down,” Drinkwitz said immediately in his opening statement after the game. “Need your best stuff in order to beat a team like that. We didn’t have it today.”
It didn’t help that Mizzou also didn’t have a full complement of players, with just 59 available because of COVID-19 concessions, transfers, opt-outs and injuries. Just the same, the college football season is an exercise in managing attrition for every team, especially in the rugged Southeastern Conference.
And days after the Tigers had ascended into the College Football Playoff standings at No. 25, Georgia (No. 9 in the CFP standings) sent MU plummeting in a reality check served with a chaser of truth serum.
Despite mustering a fine comeback to tie after trailing 14-0, MU ultimately was mulched by the absolutely bigger, stronger, faster and more polished program perennially ranked among the best in the nation.
Nothing affirmed that more than this: Georgia outgained MU 615 to 200 … and 316 to 22 on the ground.
Georgia probably didn’t need an early gift, too, but it got one that hinted the ideal scenario of Mizzou at its best and Georgia unfocused and vulnerable wasn’t quite in play.
MU quarterback Connor Bazelak’s pass on the second play from scrimmage was deflected and intercepted and shortly converted into a touchdown run. One 90-yard Georgia drive later, and it was 14-0 Bulldogs.
And once MU clawed its way back to even with a boost from a blocked Georgia punt, the Bulldogs nearly as promptly obliterated what amounted to fool’s gold.
Starting with a touchdown to take a 21-14 lead into halftime, Georgia unleashed 28 points in 9 minutes 43 seconds to drain any lingering false hopes.
“We know what the foundation is,” Drinkwitz had surmised earlier this week as he pondered this chance to run the diagnostics against Georgia.
And now it looks like this: Regardless of what happens in their scheduled regular-season finale against Mississippi State (2-6 entering its game Saturday night against Auburn) and anticipated bowl game, MU’s baseline clearly is well above the basement but nowhere near the SEC ceiling.
In winning five of its last six entering the game Saturday, MU had amassed more SEC wins than it had in any season since going 7-1 in conference play in the 2013-2014 SEC East championship years.
Widely expected to finish second-to-last in the division in Drinkwitz’s first season, the Tigers are guaranteed a third-place finish even after Saturday.
Good stuff. Progress.
But in its four losses, three to the elite likes of Alabama, Florida and Georgia as well as to a Tennessee squad that was 2-6 entering its game with Vanderbilt on Saturday, Mizzou was outscored 163-62.
Moreover, between the 41-17 loss to Florida and the breakdown on Saturday, MU was stiffarmed 90-31 by the two teams it’s looking up to in the division.
So even if Drinkwitz still has a great profile to be SEC coach of the year, that doesn’t change the fundamental dynamics of the situation. There remains cavernous ground to make up in terms of talent and development if his tenure is going to be special.
“We’ve got a long way to go,” Drinkwitz said. “Our goal is to be competitive in the SEC East. And right now the two teams at the top of the SEC East, we weren’t competitive with. That starts with me in recruiting and player development.”
Let’s focus on “starts with,” though:
Given the bewildering circumstances of installing a program in the year of the pandemic, a year that in some ways smacks of a gap year, Drinkwitz might have done well just to tread water.
Instead, he’s orchestrated an intriguing season highlighted by exhilarating late wins over defending national champ Louisiana State and, last week, against Arkansas.
We’ve seen this team fight and bounce back repeatedly, Drinkwitz correctly reminded after the game, and outlast, outplay or otherwise out-duel five SEC teams.
All of which amounts to … a start, with Drinkwitz clearly infusing fresh energy and momentum into the program and evidently making enormous strides in recruiting.
“We’ve had a hell of a season up to this point,” Drinkwitz said. “I’m not going to let this game define the season.”
Even if Mizzou got another sort of measure of it on Saturday.