Georgia beat writer Marc Weiszer previews the second-ranked Bulldogs ahead of their matchup with No. 12 Mizzou.
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No. 12 Mizzou football travels to Athens, Georgia, for a 2:30 p.m. showdown Saturday against two-time reigning national champion Georgia.
Marc Weiszer covers the Bulldogs for the Athens Banner-Herald. He answered questions about Saturday's game and coach Kirby Smart's 2023 team.
This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
How does Georgia feel about being ranked second in the College Football Playoff rankings? Is it more motivated?
I think Kirby (Smart) will publicly say he didn't have much reaction and didn't really care. But I think behind closed doors, he'll use anything he can for a little motivation, a little something else to fire them up. They dealt with (not being ranked first) last year and came out and pounded Tennessee, so they have enough key games ahead with Missouri, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
Does this year's team stack up well against the past two national-championship-winning teams?
If you would have asked me before the Florida game, I would have said they don't stack up quite as well. It's a very high bar; those are teams that have won national championships and were probably more dominant, but Georgia has been dominant in the last two games versus Kentucky and Florida. They didn't dominate every game last year either, even though they went unbeaten. There's not as much high-end NFL Draft talent on the defensive side. They're still very talented, and when they play like they did against Florida — where they scored 36 straight points and got contributions from the offense, defense and special teams — they match up pretty well with the last two teams.
How has first-year starting QB Carson Beck performed? Has he met expectations?
I would say he has exceeded them. When you're following Stetson Bennett, who won two national championships, and you haven't started a game in college, people don't know what to expect. This offense has been more pass-first, run-second. It has been more balanced recently, with Daijun Edwards running really well. Beck has made good decisions, for the most part; he's thrown the ball away. He's not going to run like Stetson Bennett, but he's also thrown some dimes. The deep ball hasn't connected as much, but Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey have done a very good job after the catch. He has a very high completion percentage, and when you have guys like that along with some veteran SEC guys like Rara Thomas and Dominic Lovett, you just get the ball to them and let them do what they can do.
How big of a loss is tight end Brock Bowers? Did you see any changes in the Florida game?
It was only one game, but they answered the call in a big way. Oscar Delp is now the top tight end. He had a highlight-reel one-handed catch early in the Florida game but finished with only two catches. It's not like they were giving him the ball like they were with Brock Bowers. Bowers is a very special talent. McConkey missed the first four games of the season with a back injury, and then against Florida he had one of the best games of his career. He was really kind of a game-breaker with a couple of 40-plus yard catches.
Georgia lost a lot of defensive talent to the NFL. Who has stepped up in their places?
Most of the top players are guys that were top players last year; they've just kind of moved up the ladder. They have one of the better secondaries around. I would say Tykee Smith in particular has taken a big step from last year. He transferred from West Virginia. He was a third-team All-American but really battled injuries in his first two years and then moved into a starting role this year as the nickelback. Smith has four interceptions, 33 tackles. He's been really solid in the pass and the run game. They have a guy that came back from injury — defensive end Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins — who had the big sack that caused the fumble that gave Georgia a short field. I would look forward to him having a really big second half (of the season).
What areas has Kirby Smart focused on in facing Mizzou?
He talked about Brady Cook's quick releases. He mentioned Cook can get the ball out in 2.2, 2.3 seconds. Obviously, wide receiver Luther Burden III is a big talking point around here because Georgia really wanted him in the recruiting game. They have a lot of respect for Mizzou defensively. Last year, Georgia had a hard time doing anything against Missouri until the end of the game. I think in general, the thought is that Missouri is legit, its record is legit. Georgia isn't thinking that there isn't a chance for an upset.
What is your prediction for Saturday's game?
I think 37-20 Georgia. Besides LSU, Missouri hasn't really faced the kind of offense that Georgia is going to throw at them. I'm curious with this game being in Athens and not Columbia. We saw what happened with Kentucky, (which) came in as a top-20 team and Georgia overwhelmed them. These are the kinds of games that Georgia really rises up for.
