Missouri Football: 10 Things We Learned from the Tigers' Loss Against Georgia

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The Missouri Tigers were baptized into the SEC Saturday night. At first, it looked like they would pull off the upset of the No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs. However, it was not to be.

The Tigers didn't roll over, like some might have suggested, but in the end the Bulldogs were just too much. It was certainly a learning experience for the team, and it could have been a costly one.

Starting left tackle Elvis Fisher left the game for the Tigers early on, and there is no word yet of his condition. That would be a huge loss for the brand-new SEC team.

In the end, the 41-20 loss taught us a lot about the Tigers, and the Bulldogs for that matter. Let's look at the obvious, and not so obvious, things the Georgia game exposed.

The Tigers Can Play in the SEC

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The Tigers lost the game, but they had to have earned some respect.

For the first half they controlled the game, even if it was sloppy. But in the end, Georgia got the breaks.

You know the Bulldogs respect the Tigers, and anyone watching the game knows it wasn't nearly the 41-20 game that it ended up being.

Look for the SEC to take note. Missouri is here to play and here to stay.

Missouri Needs More Consistency from Its Quarterback

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Junior quarterback James Franklin had moments of greatness against Georgia, but he also had moments of not-so-greatness.

Franklin went 25-of-41 for 269 yards against the Bulldogs with two touchdowns and one interception. His completion rating was a decent 61 percent, but there were too many missed moments.

Several times Franklin overthrew or went off target to an open receiver. Some of those near misses could have been game changers.

Maybe it was the nerves. Maybe it was the adrenaline. Whatever it was, Franklin will need to get it under control or this inaugural season in the SEC could be a long one.

Georgia Is Going to Be Tough to Beat This Year

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Georgia started off unimpressive, but then the second half happened.

Inconsistent, sloppy and even messy are words that come to mind when thinking about the Bulldogs' first half.

However, in the second half Georgia showed everyone why they are No. 7 in the nation. Not only that, but they are going to get better.

Remember, the Bulldogs were without four key starters on defense, and all of those players will be back soon.

Bacarri Rambo, Chase Vasser, Sanders Commings and Alec Ogletree will return, and when they do it will be an even better Georgia defense.

Missouri Needs a Better Rushing Attack

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Against Southeastern Louisiana you can run up and down the field. However, that isn't SEC football.

Last week the Tigers ran all over Lions, but this week their running game was fed to the lions. On the night, Missouri had just 102 yards on 39 total carries. The leading rusher of the night was sophomore Marcus Murphy, who had just 43 yards.

Some of this was probably because of the loss of a key starter on the line, offensive tackle Elvis Fisher. No matter how long he is going to be out, the Tigers better make adjustments.

They will need a powerful running game as the season goes on.

Missouri Fans Fit in Well

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They are loud, organized, passionate and was loud mentioned?

As you watched the game, it was obvious that the Missouri fans fit in with the SEC.

It looks to be a good match, and despite the opening-game loss, there seems to be a great future in the SEC for the fans and the team.

Turnovers Kill

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Not that it is rocket science, but turnovers kill a team's progress.

The Missouri Tigers had three turnovers against Georgia. However, it wasn't just that they turned the ball over, it is when they did it.

Ill-timed turnovers doomed the Tigers. No doubt they will be working on that come Monday.

It's Not How You Start, It's How You Finish

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A big lesson for Missouri to take away from the Georgia game is the old saying that it's not how you start, it's how you finish.

This is a two-fold lesson. Missouri started the game off by leading the Bulldogs and looking like the better team. However, we all know how it ended up.

But the second part of that lesson is that they don't have to let their first game in the SEC dictate how the others end up.

It Is Not Time to Panic

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This was the first game for the Tigers in the SEC. They lost to the No. 7 team in the nation, but they looked to be every bit as tough as the Bulldogs.

Not only that, but the Tigers outgained Georgia 371 to 355 and had one more first down on the night than the Bulldogs.

The turnovers killed them, but if you take those away, this game may look different.

The bottom line is that it is not time to panic. The Tigers have a long season ahead that could be very successful.

Marcus Lucas Needs to Be More Involved

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When Marcus Lucas got the ball, he made it count. Against Georgia he caught six passes for 88 yards and one touchdown.

The key is that his average yards per touch was 14.7 yards. Last season, Lucas caught a total of 23 passes for 414 yards and five touchdowns. His average yards per touch in 2011 was 18 yards.

He is an explosive player, and if Franklin can be a bit more consistent, the Tigers could have a real powerful weapon in Lucas.

Don't Try Fake Punts When It Makes Absolutely No Sense to Do So

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Absolutely the worst call of the night had to be the fake punt early in the fourth quarter.

The score was Georgia 24 and Missouri 20. Plenty of time left; lots of game to go.

However, the coaching staff of the Tigers decided to try a fake punt on a fourth down with 11 yards to go. Trey Barrow then tried to run for it, but he got three yards and nothing more.

Georgia took the ball over and marched down for another field goal. It deflated the Tigers and was probably the key turning point of the game.

It was a gutsy call, but gutsy calls that end up that way are called something else.