ATHENS, Ga. – Back on the road in Southeastern Conference play, No. 22 Missouri fell behind early at No. 1 Georgia on Saturday and couldn’t recover against the nation’s top-ranked team, falling 48-21 in front of 93,033 fans at sold-out Sanford Stadium.
Next up, the Tigers (6-4, 3-4 SEC) look to break a two-game losing streak when they return home next Saturday to host No. 11 Kentucky. With Saturday's win, Georgia moved to 9-1 and 7-1 in the SEC.
Mizzou quarterback Austin Simmons overcame an early interception to throw three touchdown passes for the Tigers, but it wasn’t enough to match Georgia’s firepower. Late in the second quarter, Simmons connected with Naeshaun Montgomery for a 15-yard TD pass to punctuate the Tigers’ most promising drive of the half. On the next series, the Tigers appeared to sustain the momentum on defense recovering a backward pass deep in Bulldogs’ territory, but replay review ruled the play an incomplete pass.
Simmons later zipped an 11-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Olugbode in the final minute of the third quarter. It was Olugbode’s eighth touchdown reception of the season, the most for a Mizzou player since Luther Burden III caught nine TDs in 2023.
Late in the fourth quarter, wide receiver Kenric Lanier II, playing in his home state, grabbed his first career touchdown pass, a 2-yard grab on fourth-and-goal from Simmons.
Simmons finished the game completing 17 of 25 passes for 175 yards with three TDs and an interception.
On his first carry of the game, 2025 All-American running back Ahmad Hardy broke off his longest run of the season in his third game back from injury, a 13-yard gain off the left side. Hardy, with limited touches the prior two games against Arkansas and Texas, finished Saturday’s game with 33 yards on seven carries. SEC rushing leader Jamal Roberts led the Tigers with 62 yards on 19 carries. Olugbode led Mizzou with 67 receiving yards on four catches.
Linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr. and safety Elijah Dotson led the Tigers with nine tackles each, while linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez had the Tigers’ lone sack.
UP NEXT
The Tigers return to Memorial Stadium for a two-game homestand to close out the regular season, starting with Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. kickoff against Kentucky on SEC Network. It’s the first matchup since Mizzou erased an early deficit to beat the Wildcats 38-21 in 2023 in Lexington, Kentucky. Under first-year coach Will Stein, the Wildcats entered Saturday’s game against Florida at 7-2 with a 5-2 SEC record. Fans can purchase a Family Four-Pack plus parking for $200 by clicking here.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For all the latest information on Mizzou Athletics, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Missouri football (@MizzouFootball) and Coach Eli Drinkwitz (@CoachDrinkwitz) on X. You can also find the Tigers on Instagram and Facebook.