Georgia is still the No. 1 team in the nation, after all.

The Missouri Tigers gave it everything they had, but downing Georgia was always going to take a perfectly played game and a little bit of luck on top. The Tigers played their best game, but the odds just weren’t in their favor in the end, falling 26-22 to the Bulldogs.

More specifically, Georgia’s offense just became too much for the Tigers when it mattered most. Mizzou held the Bulldogs to 4 field goals to start the first 3 quarters, but couldn’t keep Stetson Bennett, Brock Bowers and the Bulldogs offense out of the end zone in the final stages. It was Bowers who set up the go-ahead touchdown with just over 4 minutes remaining. Daijun Edwards punched it up the middle for the game-winning touchdown.

Truth be told, it’s far more than anyone was expecting from Mizzou. The Tigers defensive front played a stout game despite collapsing late. Bennett was hounded all night and head coach Kirby Smart even said heading into the halftime break that in order to win in the SEC you had to dominate the line of scrimmage.

In the first half, the Tigers did just that. Mizzou jumped out to a 16-3 early thanks to an early touchdown connection from quarterback Brady Cook to Tyler Stephens, who hauled it in with one hand for the score.

The Tigers were able to ride that wave heading into halftime up 16-6. They took punch after punch but wouldn’t let the Bulldogs take the lead. The 2 SEC East squads continued to trade field goals until the Mizzou offense finally sputtered in the fourth quarter.

Missouri kicker Harrison Mevis was doing most of the work, and eventually kicking field goals was going to catch up with the Tigers. Play as much defense as you want, if you can’t put the ball in the end zone against the No. 1 team in the nation there’s little to no chance of victory.

Still, Mevis must be given some shine for his part in what was almost a historic upset. He had an all-time redemption game against the Bulldogs, nailing 5 field goals. He split the uprights with a 56-yard field goal in the fourth quarter then strutted to the sideline.

But Georgia just took over the game when it was necessary. Edwards’ score put the Bulldogs ahead, but Kendall Minton put the wheels in motion with Georgia’s first touchdown of the night following 4 straight field goals.

Brady Cook played well Saturday. He completed 20 of 32 passing attempts for 192 yards and 1 touchdown in perhaps his best game of the season, despite a losing effort.

Running back Cody Schrader played well, too. He notched 6 rushes for 89 yards for an average of 14.8 yards per carry.

The Tigers now look ahead to next week against Florida. Mizzou travels to the Swamp with nothing to lose in their search for a bowl bid by season’s end.

Missouri’s hopeful bounce-back game is set for Noon EST on ESPN.