Why Mu's loss to second place in Georgia is a disappointment

The stadium was almost full, the defense seemed unrecognizable (in a good way), and the team is still 3-1. And yet, the overwhelming mood in Missouri on Saturday was disappointing.

Georgia, No. 2 in the country, looked vulnerable in the Bulldogs' victory (43-29), but never really managed to get the Tigers out despite their excellent position on the field against a rowdy crowd and a multidimensional attack.

While 15 NFL scouts watch, quarterback Missouri Drew Lock completed only 47% of his passes and had more interceptions and trial and error than deep passes while passing 221 yards. It was the first game in which Lock has not thrown a touchdown since the Missouri 35-3 loss to Purdue in September 2017.

"We fought," Lock said.

Missouri took off after cornerback Christian Holmes hit Georgian quarterback Jake Fromm on the Bulldogs' start. But the first two records of the Tigers ended in ruptures.

Tight winger Albert Okwuegbunam grabbed third place after a 64-yard touchdown from Georgia cornerback Tyson Campbell. The next Missouri race ended with a 41-yard attempt by Tartman McCann.

Odom and his staff thought the kick looked good, but the officials did not agree.

"They said it was not good, so I guess that was not the case," Odom said.

The Missouri defense kept the Tigers in the game even after a tough performance against Purdue last week. Defensive coordinator Ryan Walters did his best to contain Georgia's many guns and held the Bulldogs to 3 for 12 in the third.

The Tigers tied the score at 7-7 with 2:03 to play in the first quarter on a 6-meter run led by Larry Rountree III.

Missouri's struggles continued, however, in the second quarter. But his game in defense allowed the Tigers to stay within reach by keeping Georgia at two goals on the pitch.

In the first try of MU in the second quarter, Lock launched his second interception of the season on a pass that bounced on the hands of catcher Johnathon Johnson and Georgia linebacker Tae Crowder. Crowder returned the ball to the Missouri 7-yard line. The game continued a pattern of Lock struggling to find his receivers, as he was barely able to release his deep play.

The Georgian defense played twice in safety and took Lock's field of attack targets to Emanuel Hall and Jalen Knox, forcing Missouri to tie his sleeves and push the center of the attack.

"Basically, they said," We will not let you go deep inside of us, "said Okwuegbunam.

But Georgia continued to keep Missouri in the match, as a missed shot allowed Missouri to find the ball at his own 32-yard line.

The Tigers were eliminated three times and Corey Fatony's kick was blocked and recovered by Georgia, who won in the end zone to take the score to 20-7.

"We had some really unfortunate things," Lock said. "Things we could have controlled."

On the next player, Lock was sent back to third base and escaped. The ball was recovered by Georgia.

After another unmarked game in Georgia, thanks to the Tigers' defense, Missouri had one last chance to score before half-time. The Tigers recovered the ball with one more minute and devastated the training after a late penalty from Lock that led to a 10-second run out.

Missouri failed to score in their second-half opener, and Georgia extended their lead over Riley Ridley's 33-yard touchdown.

With Hall and Knox out of the picture, Lock relied on Johnathon Johnson and Nate Brown to move Missouri onto the field and keep the Tigers attack alive. Damarea Crockett's 5-yard offense made it a two-possession match with a 27-14 Tigers delay with 7:50 remaining in the third quarter.

Fromm responded again, this time with a 61-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Holloman, who burned Josh Bledsoe's safety for an undisputed score.

Two tries later, real freshman Tyler Badie ran into the end zone and Lock found Okwuegbunam for a two-point conversion, leaving Missouri 33-22 in the fourth quarter. Okwuegbunam was the main catcher in Missouri with nine catches for 81 yards.

Odom had told his team earlier in the week to try to put himself in a position to win the fourth quarter, and the 11 tigers had a chance to make things interesting.

Playing in the fourth quarter for the first time this season, Fromm found Mecca Hardman on the first play of the quarter for a 54-yard touchdown that was 40-22.

A quick touch of Lock and a goal attempt blocked by Missouri gave hope to the Tigers with 6:08 left. But Missouri was a short distance off a Crockett hold in fourth position to keep the rally alive.

"We did not run well enough to be in the latter drive," Odom said.

A win would have been huge for a program that was not classified under Odom during his three years of employment and that would have given Lock a signature victory to build his campaign around Heisman.

Even if Missouri entered the match without defeat, the team's biggest home match in a full stadium was 1,800 people out of wickets. The boost that a victory could have brought to the Tigers at the gates would have been significant for the recipes.

Lock, however, tried to keep all this in perspective before the Missouri week off.

"We have been there before, we fought against the worst: 1-5 is much worse than 3-1. It's disappointing. That's what everyone felt.

Alex Schiffer

Alex Schiffer covers the athletics of the University of Missouri for The Star.