COLUMBIA, Mo. _ With two minutes left on Faurot Field, Barry Odom was in position to do something Saturday no Missouri head coach had pulled off since 1978: Beat his first ranked opponent.
He'll have to wait a few weeks.
A touchdown underdog to No. 16 Georgia when the night began, the Tigers were one stop away from celebrating a victory. But in the same north end zone that's seen so many heartbreaking moments for the Tigers, Bulldogs quarterback Jacob Eason put his team in front for good 28-27 with a fourth-and-10 touchdown pass to Isaiah McKenzie with 1:29 left on the clock.
The Tigers had one last chance, but wideout J'Mon Moore lost control of the ball after a first-down gain and watched Georgia pick up the fumble for the victory, a crushing finish to what was so close to a signature victory for Odom in his third game as head coach and perhaps a signal Mizzou was ready to return to the SEC Eastern Division collection of contenders.
Instead, the Tigers (1-2, 0-1 SEC) will be left with regret.
After Drew Lock's third interception of the second half, the Tigers held their ground on third down and forced a punt that led to a targeting penalty on UGA's Kirby Choates. But Georgia got one last chance with 3:33 left after a Mizzou possession fizzled. A killer pass interference penalty on cornerback John Gibson extended the drive into Mizzou territory, and after Eason incomplete passes, he found McKenzie isolated on cornerback Aarion Penton and tossed him the game-tying score. William Ham, who missed two field goals earlier, drilled the game-winning PAT.
Lock was better early than late but turned in another prolific night, throwing for 376 yards and three touchdowns. Moore was again his favorite target with eight catches for 196 yards, two scores and one fumble that will haunt Mizzou fans for years.
Not to be outdone, Eason completed 29 of 55 passes for 308 yards and three scores.
Before surrendering 80 yards in the game's final minutes, a relentless Mizzou defense gave Georgia star tailback Nick Chubb no room to run. Two years after blasting through the Tigers on 38 carries in a 34-0 thrashing, Chubb had 63 mostly quiet yards on 19 carries. Mizzou also rediscovered its long-lost pass rush with Charles Harris getting three sacks.
When the SEC opener for both teams kicked off, Missouri had gone two games and 1,071 days since its last touchdown against Georgia (3-0, 1-0). The offense didn't waste any time ending the drought. The Tigers pushed the gas pedal through the Faurot Field turf on the game's opening drive, needing only 127 seconds to cruise 72 yards on 10 plays to take the lead. Lock's 15-yard play-action pass found tight end Jason Reese in the end zone. The Tigers had gone 22 combined possessions without a touchdown against Georgia the last two seasons.
Mizzou's tempo shouldn't have come as a surprise _ the Tigers ran at blistering pace the first two games _ but Georgia defenders struggled to get set between snaps on the opening possession.
Missouri's second series stalled in the red zone after a 48-yard Lock pass to Moore, but Tucker McCann drilled a 34-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead.
Making his first career road start, freshman quarterback Jacob Eason calmly drove Georgia to its first score, converting four third downs through the air on the 13-play, 75-yard drive. McKenzie's 6-yard touchdown run put the Bulldogs on the board.
By halftime, Mizzou and Georgia had combined for 593 yards of offense.
Lock needed only one snap to connect with Moore on a 79-yard catch and run to the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown midway through the second quarter, putting the Tigers ahead 20-14. Georgia quickly answered with its big-play threat. Grazing untouched through the turf most of the first half, McKenzie snagged Eason's 20-yard touchdown pass to put the Bulldogs back in front 21-20.
Earlier in the quarter, with its goal-line unit on the field, Missouri's defense made a pivotal stop on third-and-1 as Michael Scherer crushed Chubb a yard behind the line of scrimmage, but the Tigers were flagged for illegal substitution with an extra defender on the field. Eason pounced with a 20-yard pass to Terry Godwin down to the 2 then an easy toss to fullback Christian Payne for the go-ahead touchdown pass, putting UGA in front 14-10.
Penalties haunted the Tigers on the next series. A first-down pass to Chris Black was wiped out when he was flagged for being covered up at the line of scrimmage. Right tackle Paul Adams' second false start pushed the Tigers back further, but MU salvaged the possession with McCann's 46-yard field goal.
Later in the quarter, Mizzou's first series deep in UGA territory turned disastrous when wideout Johnathon Johnson lost a fumble after hauling in a pass for a first down. Mizzou's defense didn't buckle after the sudden change. Out of a 3-4 formation, Harris notched his long-awaited first sack of the season, dropping Eason on third down.
To start the third quarter, Missouri broke out its nickel package for the first time all season and it paid off on the first possession of the second half when backup safety Cam Hilton, playing in the nickel role, snatched Eason's third-down pass over the middle and raced 27 yards to the UGA 6-yard line. Lock needed one snap to find Moore in the end zone for their second TD connection, good for a 27-21 Mizzou lead.
Lock threw his first interception of the season on MU's next drive, forcing a pass to Moore along the sideline in double coverage that Juwuan Briscoe picked off. Georgia couldn't capitalize on the favorable field position. The offense stalled on the 5-yard line and Ham missed a 23-yard field goal.
