Hugs from Richt

Last week, Missouri's defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson claimed of his team, "If we execute, nobody in this league can touch us. Period."

Famous last words.

Jarvis Jones (29) didn't just touch the Tigers; he caught them by the tail.

In fact, football talk around Savannah had me thinking Georgia fans weren't really sure what would happen on Faurot Field Saturday night. But in spite of several incomplete passes, a number of penalties that prolonged the third quarter, and some underwhelming attempts at field goals by Marshall Morgan (13), the Bulldogs left Columbia with a 2-0 record and left Sheldon Richardson sucking his thumb.

Maybe it was because Missouri hadn't played Georgia in 46 years. Maybe it was because the last time the two teams met in the Orange Bowl in 1960 Georgia won 14-0. Maybe it was because last night was Mizzou's first SEC game. Maybe it was because the Tigers were a little too confident. But whatever the reason, their game started off so awkwardly, they made Joe Cox's butterfinger ball drops look professional.

The first quarter showed us this:

Now, this play is surprising on its own, but when you also consider that Mizzou quarterback Dorial Green-Beckham is six and a half feet tall, this play is even more jaw dropping. The center snapped the ball so high that Green-Beckham had to jump to try to catch it, and it was still way over his head! I wonder how Sheldon Richardson can explain that.

Or this:

This is not the only fumble palooza we saw from Mizzou. This was first quarter's ball scramble, but we saw another one just like it in the fourth quarter. Both times Georgia recovered the ball, and on the second time, Georgia's Jordan Jenkins (59) got it on Mizzou's five yard line, which, after a penalty and a couple of downs, allowed #24 Ken Malcome run for a touchdown.

In spite of the time warp that was the third quarter, last night's game was fun to watch. I especially liked seeing the following:

• Richard Samuel:  My favorite player (#22) was back, this time playing on the defense, and stopping Dorian Green Beckham cold after his sneaker quarterback keeper. That played earned Samuel a hug from Coach Richt. I'm glad Samuel got some kudos on the sideline, and I'm glad he got some field time. I just wish I'd seen more of him. After that play, we didn't see him back on the defensive line. 
• Blake Sailors:  I hadn't given #7 any thought before he tackled Mizzou's receiver after the kickoff. I'd grown so accustomed to watching receivers take a fair catch that I'd forgotten they have to wave in order to do so. Last night Missouri chose to run the ball a number of times, and in the third quarter, Sailors decided to mow that Tiger down before he had a chance to take one step. Icing on that cake was that a Mizzou teammate earned the Tigers a penalty for blocking the back, thereby pushing the Tigers back ten more yards. Sweet.
• Jarvis Jones:  With all due respect to Todd Gurley, Tevarres King, Marlon Brown, and Michael Bennett, they all had their ups and downs last night. But defensive back Jarvis Jones was on it; in fact, he helped me understand why I need to pay more attention to the defensive line (well, that and the fact that my son is the safety). Twice, Jones caught the Mizzou offense off guard, once in the first half, obstructing Dorian Green Beckham's pass, sending the ball a-bouncing, and then again in the last quarter with a pass interception, which he then ran to the goal line. In fact, I think that play should have been a touchdown. That ball touched the end zone before Jones's legs went down. But the officials called it otherwise. I think Jones was robbed. Still, he got lots of hugs from Richt.

Sheldon Richardson's big mouth aside, I was struck by Mizzou's school spirit and their attractive stadium. When the camera first panned the grandstands, the fans looked like they'd been coated with pollen. My eyes itched just to look at them. Upon closer inspection, I noticed all the students were wearing identical tee shirts. So the University of Missouri must have provided them, and I was pleased to see, especially in these days of institutional budget cuts, the university spending money on students. Kudos to their Student Affairs or Athletic departments, whoever funded those shirts. Finally, I really liked seeing the custom of the incoming freshmen building that big M out of rocks in the end zone of the stadium. I thought that was a fun and different activity.

But I also appreciate an irony of Mizzou's spirited traditions. The University of Missouri has a giant bass drum, named Big MO. It's been a Mizzou tradition since 1981, and it's handled by alums rather than current students. Because the current Big MO has suffered wear and tear over the decades, a new drum has been ordered to replace it. The new Big MO will be nine feet in diameter and weigh more than eight hundred pounds, making it not only the biggest collegiate bass drum in the United States, but the biggest bass drum in general. And do you know who's making it? Neil Boumpani of Boumpani Music Company. Where? Barnesville, Georgia!

Can't touch that, Sheldon Richardson.