Sunday report card: Georgia
Each Sunday, PowerMizzou.com will hand out a position-by-position grade card for Missouri from Saturday's game. Here are the marks from the Tigers’ 43-29 loss to Georgia.
Quarterback: As you probably know by now, Drew Lock didn’t throw a touchdown pass for the first time in more than a year. Lock struggled at times against Georgia’s talented defense, hanging onto the ball too long at times and forcing a few throws into tight coverage. However, the fault for Missouri’s struggles passing the ball don’t all lie with Lock. His receivers simply couldn’t get open against Georgia’s secondary, and his lone interception was totally Johnathon Johnson’s fault. His stats weren’t what we’re used to, and this game will probably hurt his perception nationally, but at some point, Lock needed his receivers to make a play. GRADE: B-
Running backs: The one bright spot for Missouri’s offense was its rushing attack. The Tigers accumulated 174 yards on the ground against a Georgia defense that entered the game allowing 101 rushing yards per game. Plus, four different Missouri players, including all three running backs who saw action, rushed for touchdowns. That should give Missouri fans confidence going forward. GRADE: A
Wide receivers: Barry Odom revealed after the game that several of the Tiger wideouts, including Emanuel Hall, were less than full speed due to injury. That may explain some of the group’s struggles, but the fact is the Georgia secondary totally dominated the wide receivers. Hall and Jalen Knox both went without a catch, and neither never appeared to separate themselves from defenders. Johnson ended up with a respectable four catches for 51 yards, but he also dropped a pass that ended up being intercepted, leading to a Georgia field goal. Missouri needs to have a downfield passing attack moving forward, and for that to happen, the wideouts have to play better. GRADE: F
Tight Ends: Aside from Albert Okwuegbunam’s fumble, Missouri’s tight ends actually played well. Okwuegbunam consistently beat single-coverage, finishing with nine catches for 81 yards, both team highs. Kendall Blanton caught three passes for 21 yards. But Okwuegbunam’s fumble was costly enough to drop the unit’s score by a letter. GRADE: B
Offensive line: Georgia entered the game with just one sack on the season, but the Bulldogs found ways to pressure Lock, especially during the first half. Georgia totaled two sacks Saturday, both of which resulted in Lock fumbles, as well as three hurries. Right tackle Paul Adams looked especially overmatched in pass protection. The line did do a good job in the running game, however. GRADE: B-
Defensive line: Missouri’s entire defense played well during the first half, particularly the defensive line. Terry Beckner Jr. and the rest of the defensive front stuffed Georgia on almost all of the Bulldogs’ short-yardage rushing opportunities. Even though Missouri never got a sack, the pass rush forced a few incompletions from Fromm. However, Georgia ultimately wore down the Tiger defense, gashing Missouri for several big plays in the running game. While the defense certainly could have been better in that regard during the final two quarters, it was far from the reason Missouri lost the game. GRADE: B
Linebackers: Frankly, Missouri’s linebackers didn’t make much of an impact on Saturday’s game. On one hand, that means none appeared responsible for the unit’s negative plays in the second half. On the other, none made his presence particularly felt in the running game. Concerns still persist about the group’s coverage ability, as Georgia’s running backs got open fairly consistently. GRADE: C-
Secondary: Like the rest of the unit, Missouri’s secondary played surprisingly well during the first half, especially after being torched by David Blough and Purdue a week ago. Christian Holmes had a first-half interception and Fromm struggled to find open receivers downfield. However, during the second half, three lapses from three different members of the secondary helped doom the Tigers. Adam Sparks and DeMarkus Acy both tried to cut in front of passes along the sidelines. Both missed, resulting in Georgia touchdowns. The worst gaffe came when Joshuah Bledsoe bit on a move by Mecole Hardman and left Hardman wide open for a 54-yard score. Those are the type of plays that can lose a team a game and need to be cleaned up in the future. GRADE: D
Special Teams: This would have been an F-minus if not for Walter Palmore blocking a late Georgia field goal. Well, I guess Tyler Badie was solid on kickoff returns, too. But the blocked punt that resulted in a Georgia touchdown appeared to be caused by a very preventable lapse in protection, and it totally altered the course of the game. Not to mention Missouri missed a field goal and continually kicked the ball off to Hardman, allowing him to come tantalizingly close to scoring on numerous occasions. Overall, not a good performance by Andy Hill’s unit. GRADE: D-
Coaching: Georgia gave Missouri plenty of opportunities to win Saturday’s game, and, in the words of Lock, Missouri beat itself. Some of the miscues, such as Okwuegbunam’s fumble and Johnson’s drop that turned into a pick, boil down more to execution. Others have to reflect on the coaching staff. Defensive backs should not allow three long touchdowns in a game. Blockers on the punt unit should not let a player run into the backfield untouched. And it probably should not have taken Missouri’s offense so long to adjust when Georgia took away the unit’s vertical passing attack. Missouri has clearly improved some things this season, such as its rushing offense and pass defense, the staff should get credit for that, but it must take some of the heat for the mistakes, as well. GRADE: C-
Final Overall Grade: C