JT Daniels, Zamir White Shine as No. 9 Georgia Tops No. 25 Missouri 49-14

The No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs decimated the No. 25 Missouri Tigers 49-14 on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Missouri.

Georgia rode the arm of sophomore quarterback JT Daniels again, as he threw three touchdown passes and improved to 3-0 as a starter this season.

The Bulldogs also benefited from their strong run defense, which held Mizzou senior running back Larry Rountree III largely in check.

Georgia improved to 7-2, while Missouri fell to 5-4 and is likely to drop outside the Top 25.

Notable Stats

JT Daniels, QB, UGA: 16/27 for 299 YDS, 3 TD, 0 INT

Zamir White, RB, UGA: 12 CAR for 126 YDS, 1 TD

Daijun Edwards, RB, UGA: 11 CAR for 103 YDS, 1 TD

James Cook, RB, UGA: 6 CAR for 44 YDS, 1 TD; 1 REC for 37 YDS, 1 TD

George Pickens, WR, UGA: 5 REC for 126 YDS, 2 TD

Connor Bazelak, QB, MIZ: 17/28 for 139 YDS, 0 TD, 1 INT; 3 CAR for 8 YDS, 1 TD

Larry Rountree III, RB, MIZ: 14 CAR for 16 YDS, 1 TD; 4 REC for 35 YDS

Daniels Continues to Shine as Georgia's QB

Georgia has been a different team since Daniels took over for Stetson Bennett at quarterback, and the Bulldogs offense continued to roll Saturday.

Running back Zamir White and the running game took over in the second half, but Daniels played a big role in giving Georgia a seven-point lead at halftime and extending it to 14 on the first drive of the second half.

After Georgia took a 7-0 lead on a two-yard rushing score, Daniels helped make the lead 14 late in the first quarter when he continued his dominance on third down by hitting running back James Cook on a slant that resulted in a 37-yard touchdown:

Mizzou tied it late in the second half because of some Georgia mistakes, including a blocked punt, but Daniels marched the Bulldogs 75 yards in just 43 seconds, culminating in a beautiful 36-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens:

While Pickens made a great play on the ball, Daniels put him in a position to succeed, prompting Hutson Mason of 680 The Fan to comment on how much Daniels has helped the talented wideout:

Daniels had a fairly easy go in the second half since the running game picked up and the defense shut Mizzou down, but he had to deal with plenty of adversity in the first half.

As noted by Maria Martin of 11 Alive News, Daniels was under siege at times in the opening half:

Despite that, Daniels stood in, took hits and delivered the ball, and he did so without making many mistakes or throwing any interceptions.

On the first drive of the second half, Daniels threw his third and final touchdown pass of the day, as Pickens took a slant 31 yards to the house.

Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution highlighted Daniels' excellence on third down since he took over as the starting quarterback:

With the Bulldogs leading 28-14 after Pickens' second touchdown, they began to lean on the running game, which gashed Missouri's defense and created an insurmountable lead.

Georgia won't be part of the College Football Playoff this year, but given how well Daniels has played over the past few weeks, it is fair to wonder if the Bulldogs would have had a better chance against Alabama and Florida had he started over Bennett earlier.

Rountree Struggles to Get Going vs. Georgia Defense

Missouri's recent success entering Saturday's game was largely due to the play of Rountree, who had topped 150 rushing yards in consecutive games.

Rountree couldn't find his rhythm Saturday, as the Bulldogs shut him down and derailed the Missouri running game.

While Rountree did have a one-yard touchdown run late in the first half, he did most of his damage as a pass-catcher and didn't record a run longer than nine yards.

Dawn of the Dawg referenced Georgia's dominance over Rountree in the first half:

The Tigers largely abandoned the running game in the second half since they were playing from behind, and Rountree finished with minus-one rushing yard over the final 30 minutes.

Georgia held the Tigers to 22 yards on 22 carries overall, and the Bulldogs also locked down the Mizzou passing game, as quarterback Connor Bazelak threw for just 139 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.

Missouri looked like a major challenge on paper for the Georgia defense since the Tigers averaged over 45 points per game in the two contests entering Saturday's clash, but the Bulldogs imposed their will.

Considering how well Missouri had been playing, the Tigers' offensive performance represented a significant step backward. 

What's Next?

Georgia will look to end the regular season on a four-game winning streak next Saturday when it hosts Vanderbilt.

Meanwhile, Missouri will attempt to bounce back from this week's loss when it goes on the road to face Mississippi State next Saturday.