Georgia vs. Missouri: Score and Twitter Reaction

Georgia went out on the road without superstar running back Todd Gurley and still managed to score an impressive 34-0 victory over the No. 23-ranked Missouri Tigers.

Nick Chubb picked up a vast majority of the backfield work for the Bulldogs. The powerful freshman racked up 42 touches for 174 yards and a touchdown. Senior quarterback Hutson Mason was also effective, completing 22 of 28 passes for 156 yards and two total touchdowns.

It's a key win for Georgia in the SEC East race. The No. 13 team in the nation moved to 3-1 in conference play and should jump up a few spots in the rankings this coming week. The Tigers, conversely, fell to 1-1 in conference play and will likely slide out of the rankings.

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Georgia	6	14	7	7	34
Missouri	0	0	0	0	0

Gurley missed the game after receiving an indefinite suspension earlier this week while the school investigates a potential compliance violation.

Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated reports it's unclear if the running back, who was previously viewed as a Heisman Trophy favorite, will return this season. He also provided some background information on the details Georgia received about the situation:

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SI.com has learned that a person confirmed to Georgia's compliance office this week that he paid Gurley $400 to sign 80 items on campus in Athens, Ga., one day this past spring. The person claimed to have a photo and video of Gurley signing the items, but neither the photo nor the video showed money changing hands.

"

After Georgia announced the suspension, Zach Klein of WSB in Atlanta passed along a statement from Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt. It was brief, but he made clear that the main focus was still this week's game:

His team apparently received the message loud and clear, as the Bulldogs were the far more effective team in the early going. They also got some help from Missouri, which failed to take advantage of a few chances and made some crucial mistakes.

Georgia had two early fumbles: one on a punt return by Isaiah McKenzie just 90 seconds into the game and the second on the ensuing drive by receiver Chris Conley after an eight-yard reception. The Bulldogs were able to recover them both, however, and eventually turned the possession into a field goal.

After failing to recover either of those fumbles, the mistakes started for Missouri. Two straight offensive drives ended in interceptions by Maty Mauk. The only silver lining for the Tigers was that the defense stood tall on a short field, limiting Georgia to a combined three points on those two drives.

Tanya Sichynsky of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution highlighted the strong defensive work by the Bulldogs to set up the second field goal:

The problem for Missouri was that it struggled mightily to get anything going on the offensive side of the ball. It finished the first half with just 76 total yards and six first downs.

In turn, the defense that kept the Tigers in the game early started to wear down. The Bulldogs were able to take advantage in the second quarter.

The combination of Chubb and Mason led a 13-play, 71-yard drive that ate up nearly five minutes of clock early in the second. It finished with Mason keeping the ball on a read-option and scampering 11 yards to the end zone to make it 13-0.

CBS Sports' Eye on College Football applauded the read by the senior:

Following another three-and-out drive by the Missouri offense, the Bulldogs started moving the ball with relative ease once again.

This time, it was a 10-play, 65-yard effort by the offense that ended with an outstanding pitch-and-catch connection between Mason and Michael Bennett in the corner of the end zone. The nine-yard strike pushed the score to 20-0.

Georgia has a feeling everybody will get a chance to see that score again:

The first half ended with a play that summed up the opening 30 minutes for Missouri.

Mauk delivered his best throw of the half to Wesley Leftwich. He had somehow gotten behind the Georgia secondary, despite there being less than 10 seconds left and 62 yards to go. Alas, he dropped what would have been a sure touchdown. As it turned out, a holding call would have wiped out the would-be score anyway.

After the break, it looked like the Tigers were ready to start mounting a rally. They made a quick defensive stop, then moved the ball 32 yards in two plays to get into Georgia territory.

Another mistake stopped the drive in its tracks, though. Mauk targeted Jimmie Hunt on a slant, but the receiver couldn't reel it in, causing the ball to deflect into the hands of Quincy Mauger. It was his second interception of the day and the team's third.

Gabe DeArmond of Rivals joked that Mauger had enough "catches" to qualify as Missouri's leading receiver at the time:

It was more of the same after that turnover. Missouri's defense kept the game within striking distance, but the offense couldn't capitalize.

Midway through the third quarter, the Tigers drove from their own 16 into Georgia territory. However, Mauk tried to do too much after being forced to scramble out of the pocket. He threw across his body and Dominick Sanders picked off the pass for Mauk's fourth interception of the day.

Just like in the first half, the Bulldogs took advantage of that turnover. Nine plays, 50 yards and five minutes later, sophomore ball-carrier Brendan Douglas got to the outside and scored from 15 yards out to push the lead to 27-0.

Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee passed along a Vine of the leaping, twisting score:

Chubb was rewarded for all of his hard work on the next drive. He carried the ball on seven of the 10 plays as Georgia started to milk the clock. The final touch saw him go nine yards into the end zone for his third career rushing touchdown.

It even earned him a shoutout from musician Charlie Daniels:

That score, which came midway through the fourth quarter, eliminated any lingering comeback thoughts for Missouri. Mauk's final line of 97 passing yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions says it all about the Tigers' offensive showing.

Looking ahead, Missouri must obviously focus on cutting down on its mistakes. The defense played well enough for extended stretches to win this game, but the offense simply didn't perform at the same level. It faces a tough road test against Florida next week.

The Bulldogs' outlook gets much brighter, both because of the result and the manner in which they dominated the game. The situation surrounding Gurley will probably continue to dominate the headlines, but Mason and Chubb showed the offense can still shine without him.

Georgia plays its second straight road game next week, as it travels to face Arkansas. A clash with the No. 2-ranked Auburn Tigers looms in the middle of November.