Mizzou coach: UGA underrated

Odom has nothing but praise as Dogs seize third shutout of season.

ATHENS — Georgia might not be getting the credit it deserves nationally. That was the assessment of Missouri coach Barry Odom after his team came out of Sanford Stadium on the short end of a 27-0 shutout.

“A really good football team in every area,” Odom said of the No. 6 Bulldogs. “I knew they were good, but I think they’re a little better than they get credit for nationally.”

The Bulldogs (8-1, 5-1 SEC) are good enough to be in position to clinch an SEC Championship berth with a win over No. 11 Auburn on Saturday on the Plains. The Tigers (7-2, 4-2) had an open date this past weekend.

That’s shaping up to be a

matchup of two of the best defenses in the SEC. Auburn features arguably the best defensive line in the league, while Georgia just recorded a third shutout in a season for the first time since 1981.

The last time the Bulldogs had a top-10 matchup at Jordan-Hare Stadium, the No. 10 Tigers defeated No. 2 Georgia 40-17 in 2017. Of course, the Bulldogs got the last laugh in that season.

The Tigers will be the last of five teams this season who will play Georgia after a bye. Here are some other storylines heading into that contest:

About those injuries

Coach Kirby Smart was remarkably positive about the Bulldogs’ injuries in the aftermath of the Missouri game. In short, it sounds as though all who went down will be back up for Auburn.

Leading receiver Lawrence Cager (shoulder) and center Trey Hill (ankle) were sidelined in the first half and did not return. Center Cade Mays (ankle) and tackle Isaiah Wilson (ankle) were sidelined in the fourth quarter.

Wilson came back in for one play, and Mays did interviews after the game, saying he could have gone back in. The outlook is less clear on Hill. Georgia also played without linebacker Walter Grant, who also should be available next week.

Defensive stand

Georgia’s goal-line stand late in the fourth quarter didn’t mean anything to the outcome against Missouri, but it was big for the psyche of the Bulldogs’ defense.

Not only did it give UGA the shutout, but it also extended the team’s streak of nine games without allowing a rushing touchdown. The Bulldogs are the only team in the country at any collegiate level to do that this year.

“It’s huge,” said linebacker Monty Rice, who was credited with a 3-yard tackle for loss on Missouri’s secondand-goal play from the 2.

Said Smart: “You can’t say enough about the defensive staff, the game plan they put together and the buy-in from the kids. We preached all week about how much they ran on us last year . ... The defensive players kind of hung their hats on that and they were all chomping at the bit at the end to make it tough to score. I thought they showed some competitive character there at the end with that stand.”

With an average of 10.1 points allowed per game, Georgia moves up to No. 2 in the nation in scoring defense, behind Ohio State (8.6).

LeCounte ignites

The biggest play Saturday night fittingly came from the defense. And it was fitting that it was made by junior safety Richard LeCounte, who finally appears to be coming into his own.

Missouri’s Taylor Powell faded back to pass midway through the second quarter and either threw high over his target or was just trying to throw the ball away. LeCounte leaped to snag an interception, then took off down the Georgia sideline, jumping a few Tigers and out-running a few before finally getting pulled down after 71 yards, at the Missouri 18.

That play stood out, but LeCounte was solid all night. He also had a tackle for loss and four stops overall.

“Richard’s a ball hawk,” Smart said. “He has really good ball skills. I didn’t think we were going to catch it. I thought it was going to be an overthrow, and he went up, grabbed it, snagged it and had a heck of a play on the ball and had a great return.”

‘Hot Rod’ stays hot

The scoring summary of Saturday’s game looked a little strange. Between the stats for Georgia’s two touchdowns were four lines that each detailed: “Rodrigo Blankenship field goal.”

It could have included a fifth line, but Blankenship missed a 43-yard try wide left in the third quarter. There was, of course, no complaining from the Bulldogs.

“Thank goodness we’ve got a very consistent fieldgoal kicker who continues to come through,” Smart said. “I thought Rod did a tremendous job tonight. Those were tough conditions for kicking. Field’s tough ... it’s slippery and it’s cold. He was very consistent from good distances, long distances.”

Indeed, two of Blankenship’s FGs were from 47 and 48 yards. He is 20-of-28 from 40 to 49 yards in his career and 5-of-7 in 2019.

Tyson Campbell back

Georgia got a much-welcomed return from sophomore cornerback Tyson Campbell. The 13-game starter had not played since the third game of the season due to a turf-toe injury.

“It was pumping today,” Campbell said of his adrenaline.

He had only one pass break-up, but he was on the field for a lot of plays.

CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC. COM Kirby Smart had major kudos for his defense and the staff.