Game Grades: Georgia Beats Missouri 43-29

Offense: C

If you look at the stat lines a C might seem unwarranted. 445 total yards is a pretty solid number. If you watched the game though, you know exactly why UGA gets this grade. If it was just based off the first half, it would have been an F. Thankfully for the Bulldogs there was a little bit of improvement in the second half. After not having a single offensive touchdown in the first couple of quarters, Jake Fromm was able to deliver three to Jeremiah Holloman, Riley Ridley and Mecole Hardman and ended up totaling 260 yards through the air. The running game however never found much of a groove. The running backs were able to gain 185 yards on the ground (Elijah Holyfield: 90 yards, D’Andre Swift: 71 yards, Brian Herrien: nine yards) on 40 carries. Several times though those runs just looked stagnant. Sure, they had a few decent runs, (Longest run was 19 yards) but they never just had a truly electrifying run that this offense needed today. Overall, a very poor offensive showing for Georgia today.

Defense: B+

There were a lot of times Georgia looked worse than this. Just some sloppy coverage or conceding easy runs up the middle. There were also several crucial plays this defense made to greatly alter this game. Like a 64-yard Tyson Campbell fumble return for a touchdown. Or two strip sacks by D’andre Walker. Or a 43-yard interception returned by Tae Crowder that gave UGA three points (Probably should have been seven). Still, Georgia gave up nearly 400 total yards and 172 of those were on the ground. For a team that prides itself on stopping the run, that’s rough. Especially against a pass-heavy offense.

Special Teams: A-

Another case of some high-and-lows. Rodrigo Blankenship went 3-of-5 on field goals, missing one from 49 yards out and the other was blocked. That’s six points UGA needed at times in this game. Still, Eric Stokes was able to provide a big touchdown for Georgia off of a punt he blocked with his face. Hardman didn’t take one to the house, but he had several nice kick returns. Three for an average of 30 yards to be exact. Not spectacular stuff, but enough to hold its own for UGA.

Coaching: B-

Hard to put a game like this on the coaches, but at times the team just seemed lackadaisical. Of course, they were interested in the game, but they didn’t always look that way. That, and the play calling by Jim Chaney was questionable early on. Like the decision to hand the ball off on a third-and-long, or the decision to run several passes within Mizzou’s 10-yard line.