COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said he likes the challenge of his team taking on No. 1 Georgia.
Mizzou (4-4, 1-3) has the nation's worst rushing defense and is scheduled for a David vs. Goliath-like game against Georgia (8-0, 6-0) this Saturday.
"I'm excited...I love it," said Drinkwitz Tueday. Although Missouri beat Vanderbilt 37-28 last week, the odds are still against them for the Nov. 6 game. Georgia is favored to win by 39 1/2 points, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Georgia is ranked first in the College Football Playoff ranking right now. But Drinkwitz isn't discouraged, in fact he's thrilled for the opportunity.
“Obviously as a head coach I’ve never gone against the No. 1 team in the country before, so that’s a pretty exciting opportunity,” Drinkwitz said.
While Drinkwitz is looking forward to the game, he's not denying the success of Georgia's team. He said the Bulldogs' defense is some of the best he's seen. Georgia's defense is currently leading the nation with 6.6 points per game.
“These guys are right there,” he said of the Bulldogs' defense. “They’ve got some really good players. Can really affect the quarterback.”
However, the Tigers aren't hopeless, Missouri's running back Tyler Badie leads the SEC and ranks fourth in the nations rushing yards.
He'll play a key role against Georgia's defense that only allows 75.6 yards per game on the ground.
Badie has three games with more than 200 rushing yards this season. In the game against Vanderbilt he had a total of 254 rushing yards and nine catches for up to 40 yards last week.
