When something’s good, you go back for seconds, and that’s exactly what the Missouri Football Tigers want. They’re comin’ all the way to Athens, Georgia from Columbia, Missouri for a taste of what it feels like to be on top, and the truth is last year they almost had it. It was all within arms reach, but somehow the Dawgs found a way to turn that near-upset into a victory. 

Now this year, boasting a renowned offense, a wideout that’s top-10 in the nation in receiving yards, and a shiny No. 14 AP Poll ranking, Coach Eli Drinkwitz and his Missouri Tigers are drawing national attention to this weekend’s matchup as they try to bring the fight to the Dawgs in Sanford Stadium.

Speaking of fights, something Coach Smart has preached about over the past couple weeks has been his team’s ability to “take a punch,” and that’s something they’ll definitely have to do versus Mizzou and their star receiver Luther Burden III. He’s quite the weapon, and Smart expanded on that saying,

“Size, speed. I mean, he’s — he looks like a running back. I mean, he’s explosive, fast. He’s different. They put him in the slot; they move him around. They do a great job using his skill set.”

He’s averaging 100 receiving yards a game versus SEC opponents on the season. To put that into perspective, Georgia is second in the SEC in passing yards allowed, letting up only 178 per game. Glenn Schumann and his secondary are going to get a different kind of test once Burden takes the field. 

But Burden won’t be the only thing burdening Georgia’s D. Smart had plenty to say about Mizzou’s “experienced” quarterback Brady Cook and their (yet another) “physical” veteran running back Cody Schraeder too.

What I’m trying to get at is the fact that this Missouri Team is coming for it all, and they’re bringing a couple heavy-hitting punches with them. Georgia’s taken a couple punches this season, but with the way the Dawgs played last year when Mizzou was on the calendar, who knows what’s going to happen this go ‘round. 

Something to note is that the Tigers are coming off of their bye week, so they’ll be rested. But, on the other end, the Dawgs are high off of an electric win versus a bitter rival. Both teams are looking to bring their A-game. It’s honestly a lot to think about, but luckily for fans, I can promise this one thing: there’s going to be some good football in Athens this weekend.