Missouri’s Dorial Green-Beckham,l eft, makes a catch as Georgia’s Shaq Williams defends during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013, in Athens, Ga. Missouri won 41-26.ATHENS, Ga. – The Georgia Bulldogs have enjoyed their share of exciting victories in recent weeks.
Saturday they had to swallow an exciting defeat.
Missouri registered its first signature win as a Southeastern Conference member, as the No. 25 Tigers upset the No. 7 Bulldogs 41-26 on a gorgeous afternoon at Sanford Stadium. The Tigers used two turnovers to build a 28-10 halftime lead, nearly crumbled as the Bulldogs pulled within 28-26 early in the fourth quarter but then used two more turnovers to pull away.
“It was just a tough, tough day for Georgia,” Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said. “We got ourselves in trouble obviously in the first half. Our biggest problem was four turnovers to zero. That usually doesn’t equate to victory.”
While Georgia was watching its 15-game home winning streak end, the Tigers were notching their first road win over a top-10 team since a 14-3 triumph at No. 9 Mississippi State in 1981. The Bulldogs need Missouri to lose twice to regain control of their SEC East destiny, which could happen the next two weeks with Florida and South Carolina visiting Columbia, Mo.