The near-misses that kept Missouri from upsetting No. 2 Georgia

Missouri lost to second-ranked Georgia 43-29 on Saturday, a game marred by two Missouri mistakes that resulted in non-offensive touchdowns by Georgia. Here are the controversial plays that kept Missouri at an arm’s length from the Bulldogs all game.

The play: Missouri football, 3rd-and-9 from the Georgia 40, under 10 minutes remaining in the first quarter

What happened: Drew Lock pass complete to Albert Okwuegbunam for nine yards, fumbled and recovered by Georgia CB Tyson Campbell, returned 64 yards for a touchdown

The result: Georgia leads 7-0, 9:01 1Q

The controversy: Should the play have been blown dead for forward progress?

What they said:

“I’ve got to be very careful. They called it like they saw it and I’ve got great trust in the Southeastern Conference and the officials that we have making the right call. The thing that we’ve got to look at, and it’s been brought up a number of times, there’s a lot of times out there there isn’t a whistle. They don’t end the play with a whistle. Was the forward progress stopped or not? That was the call they made and we’ve got to live with it. “ — Missouri coach Barry Odom

“Yeah, you know, I’m not really supposed to comment on the officials, but, you know, I’ve just got to do a better job of keeping the ball secure and finishing the play.” — Missouri tight end Albert Okwuegbunam

The play: Missouri football, 4th-and-9 from the Georgia 23, approaching seven minutes remaining in the first quarter

What happened: Tucker McCann’s 41-yard field goal is missed, wide right

The result: Georgia leads, 7-0, 7:04 1Q

The controversy: Did McCann actually miss?

What they said:

“Everybody thought it was good and the official said it wasn’t so it must not have been.” — Barry Odom

The play: Georgia football, 2nd-and-5 from the Georgia 34, approaching 7 minutes remaining in the third quarter

What happened: Jake Fromm completes a pass to Jeremiah Holloman who breaks a tackle and takes it 61 yards for a touchdown. Holloman drops the football near the goal line; replay rules call stands, meaning it could not be confirmed or overturned.

The result: Georgia leads 33-14, 6:59 3Q

The controversy: Did Holloman drop the football before he crossed the goal line?

What they said:

“I saw him drop the ball. So my instincts were like, we went over this in fall camp, pick the ball up and go score ... (The official) was hesitant to pick it up. I saw his face, ‘cause he didn’t know, either. That’s why I picked it up and ran.” — Missouri DB Christian Holmes, who picked up the ball after Holloman dropped it

“I can say, to everybody who ever did it before, the excitement, the joy, the feeling you get when you’re going to the end zone, it’s a feeling you can’t explain. Some people are so quick to raise and celebrate, they don’t know where they’re at on the field ‘cause they ran so long so they expected to be in the endzone, I guess they drop the ball. See, as a DB, I don’t let go of the ball.” — Christian Holmes

“We actually, you never how things work out, we showed South Carolina against Georgia, interception, Georgia returned it, did the same thing, dropped it before the goal line. We showed that play on one of our team meetings on learning from others. It was a headsy play, and I’m glad that one guy out of 120 took that message and did something with it.” — Barry Odom