Jamon Dumas-Johnson leaves game vs. Missouri with injury, heads to locker room

Georgia linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson left Saturday’s game against Missouri and immediately headed to the locker room late in the third quarter. He went to tackle Tigers quarterback Brady Cook as he scrambled out of the pocket and appeared to favor his shoulder as he left the field.

Dumas-Johnson has been a crucial part of the Georgia defense this year, entering Saturday’s game with 27 tackles to go with a team-high 3.5 sacks this year. He was having a big game against Mizzou, leading the Bulldogs with six tackles at the time he left the game.

Dumas-Johnson’s absence was immediately felt as Missouri marched down the field and scored on a 12-yard rush from Cody Schrader which, after the two-point conversion, cut the Georgia lead to 24-21 early in the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs then got a field goal to make it a 27-21 lead, and got the ball right back when Nazir Stackhouse intercepted Brady Cook in the fourth quarter. He returned it inside the red zone, but officials wiped it out on a blindside block penalty against Georgia. The interception stood, though.

Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Georgia defense was already facing interesting challenge against Missouri

Kirby Smart knew the challenge his defense would have against Missouri’s fast-paced offense. Brady Cook gets the ball out quick, meaning Georgia has to be ready for plays to unfold right away. However, he noted it’s not always a quick release from Cook, and he knows the Bulldogs have to be ready.

“I probably wouldn’t have a good answer on that,” Smart said when asked about other quarterbacks in the league and their time to throw. “That was only on my head because it’s so quick he gets it out. And there’s averages in there, there’s play action, there’s rolls — he’s not 2.2 all the time. But that ball comes out quick.”

Smart even joked that the defense might do something extreme and see if it forces Cook to hold on to the ball.

“We’ve been thinking about dropping all 11, just seeing if it works,” Smart said.

Georgia is looking to not only extend its home winning streak, but also jump back up to the top of the College Football Playoff rankings. The two-time defending champion Bulldogs checked in at No. 2 in the first top 25 of the year behind No. 1 Ohio State. Missouri, meanwhile, entered Week 10 ranked No. 12 — and that could give UGA a good resume win.

On3’s Andrew Graham contributed to this report.