ATHENS, Ga. • The first and last time Missouri came into Georgia’s Sanford Stadium, the Tigers catapulted their program onto a new stage. The Tigers were 5-0 when they arrived there two years ago but hadn’t beaten anyone of significance. Their 5-7 record the year before, the program’s debut season in the Southeastern Conference, was still a fresh wound.
Could Mizzou compete against the powerhouse programs in the SEC? The Bulldogs were ranked No. 7 and loaded with star power. The crowd of 92,746 was the fourth-biggest ever gathered for a game featuring Mizzou — only crowds at Michigan (1975), Ohio State (1998) and Texas (2008) had been bigger — but the Tigers never blinked.