The Georgia Bulldogs fell at home to the Missouri Tigers 41-26 in a letdown game for the 6th ranked Bulldogs. Their brutal early season schedule may have been more than the Dawgs could chew, losing several key players to injury in the process (Macolm Mitchell, Michael Bennett, Justin Scott-Welsey, Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall).
Though Georgia handled two top-ten teams last month, they were out of sync against Missouri. The Tigers capitalized on two costly fumbles in the first half, which gave them a 28-10 lead at the break. Though Georgia stormed back, the Tigers built enough momentum to withstand the attack even after QB James Franklin, who dominated the first half, left the game in the fourth quarter with an elbow injury.
Aaron Murray had another strong game, but can't seem to shake Tony Romo-esque mistakes or miscues in his biggest moments. He threw for nearly 300 yards with three touchdowns, but a key interception, his second, late the fourth quarter ended any change Georgia had of a comeback.
Missouri is a strong team and don't make many mistakes, but this win was probably their ceiling on the year. Teams will be on full alert after Missouri was soundly beaten at almost every turn in their first season in the SEC. They've shown their mettle and ability against Georgia, and could be a force to be reckoned with in the near future.
For now, Georgia's national championship hopes are dashed, particularly with the relatively easy schedules for teams ahead of them in the BCS rankings. The SEC East race is in Missouri's hands, but Georgia could still be holding all the cards at the end of the year if they take care of Florida, though that looked like an easier proposition last week than this week.
