The Good:

This Tigers team showed a lot of fight. They started the game off with a weird turnover, and in the blink of an eye, it was 14-0. It was a testament to the group of men on this team that they picked themselves up off the field, and promptly fought back. A few defensive stops, and a blocked punt later, this game was tied at 14 a piece. They were flying around, making plays, and hitting JT Daniels so hard that I thought his little baby mustache was going to fall off.

Obviously, we know what happened from that point, but it was nice to see what is a clearly undermanned group continue to fight. It may not mean anything on the scoreboard, but it is part of creating a culture and from a fan’s perspective, it gave us all a brief moment of belief that something special could be in the mix.

Oh, and in the loss, Trajan Jeffcoat logged another sack. That brings his total to 6, which has him tied for the league high. He’s turned himself into quite the player, and in my opinion is slowly making a case to some of these professional scouts that he can play at the next level.

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

The Bad:

Missouri was manhandled in the trenches. I knew it, you knew it, Georgia knew it, and so did Coach Drinkwitz.

On a micro level, it just wasn’t good. There was no push offensively to open up lanes, and Connor Bazelak was under duress way too often. Just not good enough. On defense, the ends struggled with contain, and the tackles simply just got pushed back out of holes. There were numerous occasions where the Georgia was driving Missouri’s interior line five yards back. Just not good enough.

On a macro level, it really underscores how limited Missouri is, and will be, until they truly start getting some of these elite linemen. To this coaching staff’s credit, they have emphasized the trenches in this recruiting cycle. They’ve got commitments from nine lineman, (seven defensive, two offensive) and some pretty good ones at that. That’s a great start, but continuing to recruit the big boys at an elite level is a must for this program to reach the heights that we all want them to.

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

The Ugly:

A few quick thoughts;

• This secondary started two true freshmen at cornerback, and it certainly looked like it. They looked young physically. They played like it, too. I actually thought that on a few of the deep balls caught by George Pickens that Ishmael Burdine was so close and in great position. He just didn’t make the play. A wise person once told me that, “Close only counts with horseshoes and hand grenades.” He’ll get there.
• I said it during the game, but Nick Bolton looks like something is bothering him physically. He missed a few tackles that he normally makes, and could be seen grimacing at certain points of the game. He’s been the heart and soul of this defense, and I respect him so much for gutting it out for the team. As we’ve seen around the SEC, not all of these guys who are probable draft picks are actually finishing their season. Nick Bolton is though.
• Connor Bazelak finally looked a little frazzled. Georgia’s defense will do that. I also don’t think that his interception was really his fault either. It would’ve been a tough catch, but Bazelak put that ball in a nice spot. Overall, he was ok. Bazelak just isn’t ready to put the team on his back like that.
• I really wanted to see more of Tyler Badie. Especially considering the game script. Badie is one of the only home run threats on this offense. I know that Georgia smothered the offense as a whole, but zero carries and only two catches isn’t good enough. Drink even acknowledged as such:

On to Starksville.

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