The last time Georgia went to Columbia, everyone though it would be a close game — possibly one that would be an "upset alert" type game.
Final score: 41-17. (South Carolina, for the unitiated. They play in Columbia.)
This week, the Bulldogs are looking to check the box next to the other Columbia, this one a little farther west and a little farther north, in Missouri.
Speaking of bad segues, here's a few history nuggets on the game.
The last time...
1) These teams met:
Speaking of the Gamecocks, many of their fans spent a great deal of time on Twitter this summer talking about how their team was the one that gave Georgia its biggest scare at home in 2017.
As one Bulldog fan aptly put it: "No, you're thinking of Missouri."
Drew Lock and the Tigers offense hit more than a few deep passes to keep the game close into the second half before the Georgia run game took over, sealing a 53-28 victory.
The Bulldogs finished with 696 yards of offense.
2) Georgia's first two conference games were on the road, and the Bulldogs won them both:
It's only been two years since Georgia opened conference play with a pair of road games, but that season saw a mixture of pleasure (a 28-27 thriller over Missouri) and pain (a 45-14 thumping at the hands of Ole Miss).
For this stat, we need to jump all the way back to 2006, when the Bulldogs opened conference play with an 18-0 shutout of South Carolina in Williams-Brice Stadium, then — with two non-conference games in between — went on the road and knocked off the Rebels in Oxford, 14-9.
Who'da thunk that Willie Martinez would've been the key cog to this stat? His defense was just about the only thing that went right that year.
Since then, Georgia has only had one season where its first two conference games were on the road, the 2016 season mentioned above.
3) Missouri won a home game while scoring less than 40 points:
There was a time in the not-too-distant past that the Tigers were known for their ferocious defenses, and pretty-good-but-not-amazing offenses.
That script has flipped dramatically.
Missouri's last six home wins came when scoring 40 points or more.
The last win to fit this category was the final home game of the 2016 season, when the Tigers knocked off Arkansas 28-24 at Faurot Field.
4) Georgia won its first four games by 24 points:
Margins of victory so far this year for Georgia: 45, 24, 42.
The last time the Bulldogs won their first four by 24 points or more?
Never.
Going all the way back to 1892, there have been a handful of teams to win three-of-four by that much (most recently in 2015), but never four-of-four.
We could see history on Saturday, folks.
5) Missouri lost a game that kicked off at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT:
It might be striking for all the Georgia fans who whined about the abundance of noon kickoffs in the late Richt/early Kirby era to know that some folks actually play their college ball in the morning. The shock! The horror!
More than a handful of midwest teams start games at 11 a.m. local time, and that'll be the case Saturday in Columbia.
While the thinking is that the kickoff time favors Georgia, what with a still-not-quite-awake crowd and the absence of a raccous nighttime atmosphere, it's worth noting at the Tigers haven't lost an 11 a.m. kickoff since 2016, a 35-21 klunker against Kentucky.
Since then, Missouri is 3-0 in the 11 a.m. time slot, including its most recent morning win, a 45-16 thumping of Florida.
6) Georgia lost to an unranked team on the road:
In case the premise of this question didn't tip you off, Missouri is unranked at this point. A win Saturday against the No. 2 team in the nation would likely change that, but that's not what we're here to discuss.
The Bulldogs haven't lost a true road game against an unranked opponent since the 2015 loss to Tennessee, 38-31 in Knoxville.
Since then, Georgia has played eight road games against unranked teams, going a perfect 8-0 in the process.
7) Missouri started 4-0:
A win Saturday would move the Tigers to 4-0 on the young season, not to mention giving them the early edge in the SEC East race.
But, resason for optimism among Dawg fans: That hasn't happened since 2013.
That year, Mizzou got off to a blistering 7-0 start, including its only win over Georgia to date, a 41-26 win over an injury-depleted Bulldog roster in Athens.
Since then, the Tigers have gotten off to starts of: 3-1, 3-1, 2-2, 1-3 and 3-0.
8) Georgia scored 40 points in back-to-back conference games:
The Bulldogs have already hung 41 on South Carolina, and, with Missouri's defense, it stands to reason that 40 is not only a very attainable goal Saturday, but a likely one.
For this stat, we don't need to jump back very far. Let's pull up those glorious 2017 results, which saw Georgia break this mark on four straight conference foes, all victories.
In order: 41-0 over Tennessee, 45-14 over Vanderbilt, 53-28 over Missouri and 42-7 over Florida.
The next two conference games after Mizzou, if you're wondering, are the Vols and Commodores.
Then it's LSU. Maybe let's talk about this one later.
9) Missouri beat a Top 5 opponent:
Georgia comes into this game ranked No. 2 in the nation, at least according to the AP Poll. (The one that matters, the College Football Playoff Poll, doesn't get released until later in the season.)
Still, we've gotta have something to talk about, don't we?
A win Saturday for the Tigers would be their first over a Top 5 team since a win over No. 3 Oklahoma, 36-27, in 2010.
Since then, Mizzou is 0-5 against the Top 5.
10) Georgia had a player who scored a touchdown four different ways:
Mecole Hardman is closing in on this. He's already scored in the rushing, receiving and punt returning categories. As the main kickoff returner, he's potentially one play away from making it into four categories.
Hardman would be the first to do that since ... his current teammate Terry Godwin joined the club in 2016.
In 2015, Godwin scored via the run, pass and catch, and in 2016 he added "kick return" to his resume, with a 43-yard touchdown on a South Carolina onside kick in Columbia.
BONUS: What about five different ways?
Hardman has been used sparingly as a "Wild Dog" quarterback, including a play that resulted in a rushing touchdown in last year's national championship game.
Should he pass for a touchdown out of that formation (along with the aforementioned kickoff return touchdown), or should Godwin find a fifth way to score (punt return?), either of them would be the first player since ... well, ever, as far as my research can tell.
As best as I can find on ye olde Internet, there are no instances where a Bulldog scored five different ways in their career. If you happen to know of one, please don't hesitate to enlighten me on Twitter (@BStewartWDUN).
Otherwise it just includes a handful of four-way Dawgs, including the likes of Thomas Brown (run, pass, catch, kick return) and Brandon Boykin (run, catch, kick return, punt return).
***
Georgia opened this game as a 13-point favorite, and that sounds about right.
On paper, Misouri is probably about on par with South Carolina, a little better than the Gamecocks on offense, but not quite as good on defense.
It should be a game the Bulldogs cover easily, but that can always get a bit dicey if you run into some turnovers, busted coverages or otherwise unpredictable-ness.
Still, I'll go with my gut. Georgia wins and covers, 55-24.
