Missouri is a handful of plays from being 4-1, and unlike last season the reason it’s not has nothing to do with the defense.
A missed field goal by an All-American kicker and a lost fumble by a player that had never fumbled against Auburn accounted for one loss.
A penalty on first and goal and a penalty on a converted third down play against Georgia were the plays that (partially) stopped this team from being 2-0 in the Southeastern Conference with a road win and a win over the No. 1 team in the nation.
Instead, No. 1 Georgia escaped Columbia with a narrow 26-22 win in a game that saw it limited to four field goals for the first 50 minutes and 21 seconds of the game. Missouri had nine tackles for loss, six pass deflections, two forced turnovers and two sacks and it still wasn’t enough.
“Defensively, we continued to battle and battle,” said Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz. … “But too many self-inflicted wounds on the offensive side of the ball to score a touchdown in the red zone and that is the difference in the game.”
As if the reigning national champions coming to town wasn't enough, the Bulldogs decided they would try and play some mind games before the actual game began
Three Georgia defensive linemen, led by Preseason All-SEC first team selection Jalen Carter, came on Missouri’s side of the field (the back pylon of Missouri's endzone specifically) as the offensive and defensive linemen were stretching. Defensive end Darius Robinson, defensive tackle Jayden Jernigan and defensive end DJ Coleman were vocal in letting the Bulldog players know they were on the wrong side of the field before it got a little chippy.
Nothing came of it, but the three aforementioned Tigers hyped up the rest of the group before heading into the locker room. The result was the defense arguably playing one of its best halves in years, and followed an overall masterclass performance in week four with another in week five.
Entering week five, Georgia was fourth in the FBS in total offense averaging 531.5 yards per game, fifth in third down conversion at 59.1%,, 16th in turnovers lost with three and tied for 16th in scoring offense, averaging 42.2 points per game.
Mizzou held them to 481 yards, 4 of 13 on third down (30%), forced two fumbles and allowed 26 points, with the last 14 points coming at in the last nine minutes and 39 seconds.
Safety Jaylon Carlies had a game-high 13 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. Ty’Ron Hopper, who for the fifth game in a row has proven to be one of if not the most effective defender on the team, had seven tackles, one tackle for loss and one forced fumble. Hopper has had at least five tackles in every game this season. Safety Martez Manuel didn’t shy away from facing the best tight end group in the country. He had six tackles, two pass deflections and a tackle for loss.
The scoreboard shows that Georgia had more points than Mizzou, but the loss isn’t because the moment was too big for the defense or because the defense didn’t come to play. For the second week in a row, it just didn't have enough help on the offensive end.
There's something to be hopeful about with this resilient Tigers team
When Mizzou beat FCS opponent Abilene Christian 34-17 in week three there was a sense that it was an underwhelming victory. Even one of the first things Drinkwitz said after that game was that the team needed to re-evaluate the offensive line after it had six penalties called on it. The team made some personnel and schematic adjustments and got into a cage with the Tigers that wear burnt orange and navy blue. The Tigers in black and gold had Auburn dead to rights twice, but didn’t come away victorious.
For some teams, that could've defined their seasons and sent them into a tailspin, but not Missouri.
“It sucked last weekend and it sucks again because no one ever likes to lose, but this team really responds to adversity very well and will continue to lean on each other,” said Missouri defensive end Isaiah McGuire. “No matter the circumstances or outcome of the game.”
For over 50 minutes against the No. 1 team in the nation, Missouri had Georgia’s number and once held a 13-point lead in the second quarter and a 22-12 lead with 14 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Speaking of bouncing back, Mizzou kicker Harrison Mevis did that and proved that week four was a fluke. After missing a 26-yard field goal that would’ve won Missouri the game against Auburn he came back with a bang.
Not only was Mevis 5-for-5: he outscored Georgia by himself with 16 points through three and a half quarters. He made field goals from 22, 41, 49, 52 and 56 yards away. The latter tied a career-long. Mevis told the media on Tuesday that he would respond on Saturday and he did by accounting for 72% of Missouri’s points.
“He’s a stud,” Drinkwitz said. “No one doubted him, and we’ve always believed in him. He did a great job.”
Penalties have arguably been Mizzou's biggest adversary
Entering week four, Missouri was tied for 111th in the FBS with 34 penalties for 276 yards. On Saturday, it had seven penalties for 66 yards. All four of the offensive penalties were on the offensive line, and two of them probably changed the complexion of the game.
The aforementioned false start penalty on right guard Mitchell Walters came on first and goal from Georgia’s one-yard line after Cody Schrader’s 63-yard run near the end of the second quarter. The Tigers settled for a field goal and go up 16-3 instead of 20-3. That penalty arguably cost the Tigers four points (assuming the Tigers score a touchdown and Mevis makes the PAT).
Walters had a 15-yard hands to the face penalty on a third and seven converted by wide receiver Barrett Banister. Not only was the first down erased but it went from third and seven to third and 22. Mizzou quarterback Brady Cook threw a quick pass to the flat to wide receiver Mookie Cooper for little gain and the Tigers punted on third and long.
Whether it's nine penalties (eight on offense) versus an FCS team in week three, an offsides penalty against Auburn on fourth down in overtime or penalties like the Tigers had versus Georgia the Tigers haven't been able to get out of their own way.
"I don't even know who it was called on (the hands to the face penalty), but he didn't mean to do it, and I think he's going to learn from it and we move on," Banister said. "Like, we can't do anything about that now. We're just trying to move on and get better and keep making strides as a team."
What happened on the last offensive series for Mizzou
After starting the fourth quarter off leading by 10, with four minutes and three seconds left in regulation Mizzou was down 26-22 with the ball on its own 25-yard line.
The Tigers went three and out after Cook launched a ball out of bounds intended for wide receiver Luther Burden III on a streak route on first down. Cook then followed it up with a pass overthrown towards the sideline to wide receiver Tauskie Dove. Probably for the best, since Dove was triple covered on the play. Then on third down, Cook tried to get Banister over the middle on an in route on third and 10.
Drinkwitz decided to punt on fourth down rather than go for it on fourth and 10 with three minutes and 45 seconds left and three timeouts.
"I wouldn't do anything different," Drinkwitz said. "We needed to move the ball to try to score but we also had three timeouts. I was trying to get a two for one, so if we didn't get it we could punt it down there and use our timeouts to get the ball back. ... We didn't execute, and at the end of the day, I've got to find a way to get our guys one more play to win the game."
Missouri would not get the ball back and Georgia would string together some first downs to milk the clock and eventually win the game.
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