Gut-Punch: Missouri Tigers Fall Short in Fourth Quarter at No. 2 Georgia
The opportunity was right in front of the Missouri Tigers.
Trailing by six to No. 2 Georgia with under eight minutes remaining, the Tigers had the chance to shock the college football world and take control of the SEC East.
That was until Georgia defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse ended those chances with an interception on quarterback Brady Cook. Following the senior's first-career interception, Georgia would all but seal the game with a field-goal to extend their lead to two possessions with a 48-yard field goal from Peyton Woodring to put the Bulldogs up 30-21.
"We're disappointed because we had put ourselves in a position to contend for the SEC East which was our goal," Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. "That's not really going to be in our control any longer so we have to refocus on what our new goals are."
Missouri was able to hold their own for a majority of the game with Georgia. But ultimately, Georgia proved that they are the same dominant team that they have been for the past three seasons. 14 points in the third quarter created a comfortable lead for the Bulldogs that the Tigers would never overcome.
"Our team is resilient, they believed in the discipline we had to play with to win," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said to CBS. "We made plays when we had to."
Those crucial plays at the right time by the Bulldogs is what led to the win in an otherwise close game. Missouri's total offensive yards of 363 was only 22 short of Georgia's total of 385. However, Missouri failed to take advantage of enough of their offensive possessions to outscore the high-powered Georgia offense. The Tigers scored a 39-yard touchdown from sophomore wide receiver Luther Burden III on their opening drive, but would only score six points on the following six possessions.
A bright spot for the Tigers offense was running back Cody Schrader's fifth 100-yard rushing performance of the season. A hard-fought touchdown from Schrader early in the fourth quarter brought the Tigers back in punching distance, shortening the Georgia lead to 27-21. After his 112-yard day, Schrader provided some perspective on the loss.
"I don't believe in losing, I believe in learning," Schrader said. "I think we can learn a lot watching the tape and learn where we can execute better"
Missouri will look to bounce back next weekend when it returns to Faurot Field to take on the No. 17 ranked Tennessee Volunteers.
Kickoff from Columbia is TBD.
