MO State HS Sports

Knee-Jerk Reactions: Georgia 26, Mizzou 22

Chase Daniel’s wallet can exhale now.

Whether you were hoping for a few cold ones on a legendary Mizzou quarterback at a local establishment, or just wanting Mizzou to at least show a little fight against the No. 1 team in the country, Saturday’s battle between the Tigers and Bulldogs kept everyone on the edge of their seat until the very end. But eventually, talent won out on Georgia’s side, and the Tigers’ attempt at a historic upset fell just short in a 26-22 loss.

The ingredients for the Tigers to pull an upset seemed to be there early: an impressive start on defense, two first quarter takeaways, a lively crowd of 58,165, and the first touchdown of the game. Mizzou fans were cautiously holding onto hope for as long as their defense held. But there’s a reason why Georgia is ranked where they are, and for a team of Mizzou’s stature, you can only take so many counter-punches.

So with that, let’s dive into the Knee-Jerk Reactions:

The defense is legit

Doubters continued to say “Yeah, but…” after each defensive performance by Mizzou. “Yeah, but it’s Louisiana Tech/ACU.” “Yeah, but Deuce Vaughn ended up reaching 100 yards.” “Yeah, but Auburn’s just as bad of a Power Five team as Mizzou.”

Try and say “Yeah, but…” after that one.

Mizzou held the No. 1 team in the country out of the end zone for the first three quarters, which was the first time that’s happened to Georgia since the 2019 SEC Championship Game against LSU. They allowed just 33 team rushing yards in the first half, registered nine tackles for loss and two sacks, and recovered two fumbles. It seemed that Mizzou’s defense was in the head of Stetson Bennett early in the game, as he struggled to find his accuracy until late in the game (17 of 37 heading into the fourth quarter). Ty’Ron Hopper was all over the field once again. Kristian Williams was winning at the line of scrimmage. Kris Abrams-Draine was fantastic in coverage. It was all clicking on that side of the ball.

Georgia eventually found the touchdowns they needed to win because, well, they’re Georgia. You can no longer deny that Mizzou’s defense can hold its own against even the best teams in the country. They consistently gave Mizzou a chance by holding the Dawgs to 4/13 on third down conversions. It’s a shame that Mizzou couldn’t come up with the victory, because that defense put together a performance that deserved to end in an upset of No. 1.

The offense made too many mistakes

To be fair, they didn’t make very many mistakes. But even a few is too many against Georgia. You’re given a razor-thin margin of error every time you lace it up against the top-ranked team. Mizzou consistently put themselves in position to score against a stout defense. Nate Peat and Cody Schrader combined for 15 carries and 126 yards, including a 63-yard run from Schrader to set up 1st and goal from the one. Brady Cook was 20/32 for 192 yards and a touchdown, and hit two long passes to Dominic Lovett and one to Mookie Cooper. For an offense that had struggled to move the ball against much lesser teams, the Tigers somehow looked competent against top-ranked Georgia.

But a few key moments did them in. After Schrader’s long run to set up first and goal from the one, the Tigers had a false start, derailing the drive and leading to a field goal attempt. Later in the fourth quarter, as Mizzou was converting a 3rd and 7 near midfield with a three-point lead, the offensive line committed a hands-to-the-face penalty. Then, after the Bulldogs took the lead with four minutes left, Mizzou dialed up three passes, all resulting in overthrows by Cook, and punted away. They never saw the football again.

When you square up against a top opponent like Georgia, there are only so many of those mental mistakes that you can afford. The ones Mizzou did commit were enough to doom their chances.

Dominic Lovett is Mizzou’s most dangerous weapon

Maybe, instead of Luther Burden, it should be Lovett who we complain about not getting the ball enough. Because every time he touches it, good things tend to happen for Mizzou. Lovett was once again the straw that stirred the drink for the Tigers, catching six passes for 84 yards, including receptions of 27 and 36 yards. He and Cook clearly have a good rapport, as those two communicated well on the fly when plays broke down for the Tigers. And when he was needed the most, the SEC’s leading receiver coming into Saturday delivered again.

Unfortunately, Lovett couldn’t stay on the field all game, as he injured his knee on a jet sweep play near the Mizzou sideline, and didn’t see much of the field after that (no targets in the second half). One has to wonder, if that play doesn’t happen and Lovett is able to play all four quarters, does Mizzou’s offense look better than it did down the stretch? Without Lovett in the second half, Cook completed just 6 of 14 pass attempts for 63 yards, and the Tigers went 0-for5 on third down. Mizzou’s offense needed to do better to finish the game, but Lovett’s availability correlated directly with Mizzou’s productivity. Here’s hoping that the sophomore wideout is okay.

Harrison Mevis is back

I think we know why Eli Drinkwitz trusted Harrison Mevis at the end of the Auburn game, and why he continued to stand by his kicker with 100% confidence in the week leading up to the Georgia game. Mevis gave Mizzou every chance to win by nailing five field goals, from distances of 41, 49, 22, 52 and 56 yards, with the last one tying a career long. Most kickers in the country don’t respond well after missing a potential game-winner. Harrison Mevis is not most kickers.

Honestly, there shouldn’t have been much doubt that Mevis was going to bounce back in this game. His confidence and trust in his process had brought him to the point where he’s regarded as one of the best kickers in the country. Every single football player makes mistakes, and the ones that kickers make usually get some unfair added attention. But those misses that the Thiccer had against Abilene Christian and Auburn seem like ages ago after the performance Mevis put together Saturday.

It’s another crushing loss, but also a reason for hope

It’s very easy to be discouraged after seeing Mizzou, for the second straight week, come so close to an uplifting victory just to come up short in heartbreaking fashion. And I don’t blame you for feeling that way. It’s hard for a fan base to get on board when the wins just aren’t coming, no matter the opponent. It was right there for the taking, and then snatched away. Again.

That said, you have to put this in perspective. Mizzou just led the NUMBER ONE TEAM IN THE COUNTRY for three quarters, limited their offense to a field goal factory for most of the game, and forced them to take their first lead with just over four minutes left. Georgia players, coaches and fans had to sweat it out to the bitter end because of how Mizzou played them. Heck, they had to use a fake field goal to help gain some momentum at the end of the first half. A team with Georgia’s talent should never have to do that against a team like Mizzou. And yet, the Tigers forced the Dawgs into a battle. I’m not sure how many others teams will be able to say that this season.

The bottom line is that if Mizzou brings that same effort on both sides of the ball against teams like Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas, the Tigers will win one of those games. In order to get to bowl eligibility, you need to win one of those. The question now becomes this: will Mizzou use this as yet another disappointment, or a jumping-off point? We shall see.