ATHENS, Ga. — Missouri went toe to toe with the two-time defending national champions but couldn’t beat Georgia on the road in a 30-21 loss.

The Tigers punched first with a 39-yard touchdown connection from quarterback Brady Cook to star wide receiver Luther Burden III to take a 7-3 lead early in the first quarter.

The second-ranked Bulldogs responded with a 12-play drive that ended with a touchdown for former Mizzou receiver Dominic Lovett to give UGA a 10-7 lead.

A field goal in the second quarter tied the game at 10, where it sat at halftime.

Mizzou kicker Harrison Mevis’ 42-yard field goal gave the Tigers a 13-10 lead to start the second half and made him the all-time leading scorer in Mizzou history with 363 points.

Georgia responded on the next drive with running back Kendall Milton’s 15-yard TD run to give the Bulldogs a 17-13 lead. A pass interference call on Dreyden Norwood on 3rd and 7 at the Mizzou 39 helped extend the drive.

A Georgia stop helped them get the ball back and take a 24-13 lead late in the third quarter.

The Tigers responded with a nine-play drive capped by RB Cody Schrader’s 12-yard TD run. A two-point conversion pass from Cook to Burden closed the deficit down to three at 24-21 at the beginning of the third quarter.

Burden finished with 53 yards and a TD on three catches.

A few more penalties helped the Bulldogs get to the red zone but the Mizzou defense held them to a field goal and the Tigers got the ball back with around nine minutes left in the game down 27-21.

Three plays into the next drive, Cook threw an interception to UGA defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse with just under eight minutes to go in the game.

Another UGA field goal gave Mizzou the ball with less than four minutes to go, and Cook threw a second interception at the end of the 10-play drive to seal the loss.

Cook ended the day with 212 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Schrader ended an outstanding day with 112 yards on 22 carries.

Theo Wease Jr. led the receiving with 90 yards on five catches.

12th-ranked Mizzou is 7-2 (3-2 in the SEC) and comes back to Columbia to host Tennessee on Saturday.