Seeking to gain its first Southeastern Conference win this season after a heartbreaking loss against Auburn last week, Missouri football played an aggressive game against No. 2 Georgia in front of an excited Faurot Field crowd of 58,165.

Missouri started the game in full force, with defense and offense playing at the top of their games. Sophomore quarterback Brady Cook completed several successful passes, including one to sophomore wide receiver Dominic Lovett for 27 yards to help push the Tigers into field goal territory toward the end of the quarter. Shortly after, junior kicker Harrison Mevis kicked a 41-yard field goal to give Missouri an early 3-0 lead. For the first time all season, the Bulldogs trailed.

Throughout the first quarter, the Tigers’ defense limited the Bulldogs’ offense. Senior quarterback Stetson Bennett threw two incomplete passes, and junior running back Kendall Milton fumbled the ball for a Missouri recovery by sophomore defensive back Ennis Rakestraw Jr. on the Bulldogs’ second drive.

Cook came into the second quarter hot, throwing a 10-yard touchdown pass to a wide open junior tight end Tyler Stephens less than three minutes in to make it 10-0. Following another Georgia fumble, Mevis turned around and kicked a 49-yard field goal, extending Missouri’s lead to 13-0. Georgia went on to kick two field goals and Missouri tallied one more, bringing it to 16-6 at halftime in favor of the Tigers.

Bennett showcased his impressive passing skills in the second quarter with several long back-to-back passes to drive Georgia within field goal range, including a 33-yard pass to sophomore tight end Brock Bowers about halfway through the quarter.

While the Georgia offense came into the second half stronger than it did in the first, the Missouri defense continued to hold its ground, preventing the Bulldogs from scoring a touchdown in the third quarter.

Immediately following the first of two Georgia field goals in the third quarter, Cook threw a 46-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Mookie Cooper. This completion drove the Tigers back into field goal range, allowing Mevis to kick a 52-yard field goal and increase Missouri’s lead to 19-12.

Entering the fourth quarter, Missouri had 15 minutes to maintain its lead and claim its victory over the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, but the Tigers could not make it happen. After Mevis opened the quarter with a 56-yard field goal, the Georgia offense attacked, led by Bennett and his successful long passes. The Missouri defense worked hard to keep the Bulldogs out of the end zone, but Milton bulldozed through for a 1-yard touchdown to close the gap to 22-19 with less than 10 minutes left.

After a penalty that pushed the Tigers back 15 yards on a key third down on the ensuing drive, Missouri could not put any points up. The Georgia offense came back out to the field hungry to take its first lead of the game. Bennett threw another series of long passes to move the Bulldogs down the field, and junior running back Daijun Edwards took the ball into the end zone for a 26-22 Georgia lead.

With 4:03 left on the clock, Missouri needed to score a touchdown to take its lead back. As the offense took the field, Cook could not deliver the points the Tigers needed, throwing three incomplete passes in a row to give Georgia possession of the ball after less than a minute of being on the field.

Missouri ended with a final score of 26-22, its second end-of-the-game loss to an SEC team following last week’s loss to Auburn. Georgia improved to 5-0, while Missouri fell to 2-3 with the loss. However, after the game, Georgia fell from a No. 1 to No. 2 ranking.

The Tigers will play again next Saturday in Gainesville, Florida, to face the University of Florida as both teams seek their first SEC win of the season.

Edited by Brandon Haynes | bhaynes@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Jacob Richey | jrichey@themaneater.com