ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia and Missouri have not met on the football field in more than 50 years, and the Bulldogs winning their Southeastern Conference opener seems just as distant.
“Going 1-0 in the SEC would be sweet,” Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray said. “I’ve yet to experience that sweetness.”
The Bulldogs have not won their league opener since 2009, a fact largely due to Marcus Lattimore. South Carolina’s junior tailback burst onto the scene in the second game of his freshman year by rushing for 182 yards in the Gamecocks’ 17-6 triumph over Georgia at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Lattimore rushed for 176 yards last season in rallying South Carolina to a 45-42 victory at Sanford Stadium.
Georgia overcame that 2011 loss and reached the SEC title game in Atlanta, but that is the only time the Bulldogs have lost their league opener and played for the league championship. Coach Mark Richt doesn’t want to try that route again as his No. 7 Bulldogs prepare to open their conference schedule Saturday at league newcomer Missouri.