A year ago, when the Tigers took Georgia in the fourth quarter before falling, they accepted a nice pat on the back and ended a balanced season and a minor bowl game.
There is no such consolation for Mizzou this year. They came into Georgia ranked in the top 15 and were looking to compete as…if not exactly equal, then close enough that a break or two could swing a game in their favor. They came looking for a result that would shock the world but not themselves and confirm that Missouri is ready to be with the SEC’s leading group.
Those feelings were built on a 7-1 record, top 15 finishes in the College Football Playoff polls and list, and three convincing league wins around LSU’s loss.
Missouri is getting closer, but it’s not there yet. Georgia’s 30-21 win should keep the Bulldogs in first place in the polls and No. 2 in the CFP, and is another indication that they are a strong contender to win the first three-way national championship in nearly a century. .
“It’s disappointing to be so close but so far at the same time,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said.
The Tigers, looking for the program’s first victory over a top team, were ready and kept the Sanford Stadium crowd in suspense until the final minutes. Mizzou was not outmatched athletically by the Bulldogs. They were not surpassed either. Missouri was on the wrong end of a pair of questionable pass interference calls, as was Georgia.
The difference? Two mistakes that Mizzou could probably make against most other teams proved too costly. Both occurred in the second half and led the Tigers to chase a game they had played on virtually equal terms.
Kick returner Marquis Johnson, who decided too late to kick the ball out of the end zone, forced Missouri to start a drive inside the 5. That flipped the field and allowed Georgia to gain momentum for a touchdown and a lead. of two notes.
The Tigers rebounded from that mistake behind running back Cody Schrader, who bolstered his all-conference credentials with 112 rushing yards and a touchdown. The stretch plays that allowed Schrader to get to the corner were Missouri’s best weapon.
Brady Cook’s worst moment was the next disaster. With Mizzou trailing 27-21, Cook fired a pass that was intercepted by 320-pound tackle Nazir Stackhouse, leading to a field goal and the final margin.
“He’s going to punish himself,” Drinkwitz said of the interception.
Should not. Cook has become one of the most productive quarterbacks in the SEC and kept the Tigers close with 212 passing yards and a pair of keepers producing first downs. The 39-yard touchdown pass to Luther Burden was one of his best plays this season, and he made a couple of other deep passes.
Expecting more from Cook and the offense against Georgia would be unfair. The defense continues to be stellar. Missouri’s scoring tied a season high and the 363 total yards were the most against the Bulldogs, who excel at limiting mistakes. They are among the least penalized teams in the country and average one turnover per game. On Saturday they didn’t have any, nor any type of obvious bad decision that caused damage.
That’s why Georgia’s ridiculous streaks continue. The Bulldogs have won 26 in a row and 25 straight regular-season SEC games. Missouri needed to play up to its national ranking and then some to pull off the upset as a 15-point underdog. That it didn’t happen changes things when it comes to playing in the SEC Championship Game.
Mizzou came to Georgia needing a win to keep alive a chance to make the title game for the first time since 2014. That can’t happen now. But high-profile bowl games exist with a strong finish.
“We’re going to be motivated,” Schrader said. “Victories are still victories. We focus on wins and we want to beat everyone we face. That will be the mission and I promise you that that message will reach the locker room this week.”
Home games against Tennessee and Florida and a trip to Arkansas close out the regular season, and a second-place finish in the division is also up for grabs. Landing ahead of the Vols and Gators, while the team was projected to finish sixth in the division, would be fun for fans to brag about and would continue the season unexpectedly strong.
But it won’t include beating a Georgia team that continues to perform at another level. The gap is narrowing, but the work continues in Missouri.
“They’re champions,” Drinkwitz said. “We have to knock them out. We couldn’t remove them. They have a championship mentality. We knew we hadn’t come here to sneak one out. We had to come face to face with them. “We did it for three quarters but we couldn’t finish it.”
