ETHAN MAY
Columbia, MO (October 16, 2014) – Georgia is coming to town without Todd Gurley!
Easy win!! Right?
Nope. Nothing comes easy in the SEC. Let’s read some stats.
Georgia’s back up running back, Nick Chubb, ran for 143 yards on 38 carries with a touchdown. Chubb was all over Mizzou’s defense.
Michael Bennett caught 5 passes for 53 yards and a touchdown. That’s right, he averaged 10.6 yards a catch.
Those stats aren’t painful enough? Maty Mauk was 9 for 21, throwing for only 97 yards. He threw not one, not two, not three, but four interceptions and he also had a fumble.
After the game Gary Pinkel said that he did not think about taking Mauk out during the game.
The clock mercifully ended the game with the Missouri Tigers decimated by 34 points.
The Monday afterwards Pinkel began Media Day by stating, “We’re preparing for Florida.”
Book closed. Time to move on.
One of the first things discussed was how to stop the recent problem with turnovers. Pinkel emphasized the importance of ball security and their recent lack of it, but the head coach also mentioned how the Tigers have not forced a turnover in three games.
This three game drought is following their historic streak of games consecutively forcing a turnover. “The Streak” ended against Indiana last month.
This Saturday’s match up in Gainesville is only the fourth time the Tigers have played the Gators. Florida will be celebrating Homecoming as they try to beat Mizzou for the second consecutive time in the Sunshine State.
A big test will be in the trenches as the Gator offensive line has allowed only 5.0 sacks while Mizzou’s impressive pass rush is led by Shane Ray. Ray has 8.0 sacks this season and 12.5 in his career.
Another interesting battle will be the battle of the QBs as Mauk will take on Jeff Driskel who has struggled in his own right. News from Gainesville this week has also reported that the Gators intend to give snaps to both back-up QB Treon Harris and Driskel.
A Tiger win will be their eighth consecutive road victory.
To keep the road success alive, Mizzou will need to get around Florida’s talented offensive line and win the all-important turnover game. The battle in the trenches will be fun to watch when Florida has the ball; however, it will also be fun to watch who takes the snaps for both teams.
The game is set to kick off at 6 p.m. Central time on ESPN2.
Ethan May 