The Aggies (7-4) and Bulldogs (10-1) were going to be in an absolute slugfest, and the road team would be getting no favors from an officiating crew that had A&M athletic department officials seething by the end of a 19-13 loss. It was a game that the Aggies had a right to feel they should have won; instead, they found themselves trying to find positives in an excruciating defeat.

"It was a typical, great SEC football game," A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said, taking a full 10 seconds to find the words to start his postgame press conference. "I thought our guys played extremely competitive, played very physical ... they never gave up."

The Aggie defense set the tone for the game after Georgia took the opening kickoff, with A&M linebacker Anthony Hines taking down running back D'Andre Swift for a 7-yard loss. A&M forced a 3 and out, which the Bulldogs matched on A&M's first possession.

Punting in a driving rainstorm, punter Braden Mann hit a 59-yard punt from the back of his own end zone, but a return 17-yard return by Georgia's Dominick Blaylock set UGA up at the Aggie 47. The Aggie defense would eventually stiffen thanks in part to a overthrow of running back Brian Herrien, who was wide open inside the 5, by quarterback Jake Fromm (11-23, 163 yards, 1 TD) on 3rd and 6 from the A&M 24. Georgia would settle for a 41-yard field goal by Rodrigo Blankenship to take the lead.

Thanks to a 20-yard punt return by Quartney Davis which gave the ball at the Georgia 35, A&M slogged out a 7-play, 15-yard drive that was good enough for kicker Seth Small to hit a 37-yard field goal to tie the game at 3 at the 13:29 mark of the second quarter. The Bulldogs were immediately back in business, though, as Harrien returned the kickoff to Georgia's 46. After a 16-yard run by Swift (19 carries, 103 yards), Blankenship hit a knuckler from 49 yards out to put Georgia back in front.

The Aggies made a mess of their next offensive possession, with Spiller gaining two yards on two carries and Mond getting sacked for a loss of 5. Georgia took over at their own 35 and Fromm had his best series of the game, hitting two consecutive passes against A&M corner Myles Jones from 49 yards, then capping the drive with a 16-yard strike to a wide open George Pickens (2 catches, 57 yards).

Pickens was wide open because he jerked cornerback Debione Renfro's facemask coming off the line of scrimmage. No flag came.

The Aggies had a chance to get some points before halftime as the weather improved and the passing game began to open up for Mond (25-42, 275 yards, 1 TD). After two completions to Jhamon Ausbon (9 catches, 96 yards, 1 TD) and two to Quartney Davis (5 catches, 64 yards), including a 24-yard dart, A&M was at the Georgia 45. And, after an incompletion to Kendrick Rogers, the officials threw a flag -- on Rogers for offensive pass interference. After a botched snap on the next play, the Aggies were forced to punt again and went into the locker room down 13-3.

It seemed like disaster was about to strike after tight end Jalen Wydermyer fumbled at the Aggie 21 on A&M's first possession of the second half instead, the defense gave up just 1 yard on three plays and Blankenship was forced to kick his third of four field goals.

Georgia went for the kill on the kickoff, attempting an onsides kick that A&M's Clifford Chattman recovered at the Aggie 41. A&M moved the ball down to the Georgia 26, where Mond attempted to sneak for the first down on 3rd and inches. After one lineman moved the ball past the line to gain, another moved it back, leaving the Aggies with a 4th down and 1.

"On the sidelines, my teammates told me I made it," Mond said.

Fisher was even more succinct. "We crossed the line," he said.

On fourth down, the Aggies didn't close. Operating out of the pistol, Spiller got the handoff and was swarmed by the Georgia defense, ending the drive. But the Aggie defense, which controlled much of the second half, stepped up. After two tackles at the line of scrimmage by defensive tackle Bobby Brown, tackle Justin Madubuike and safety Demani Richardson burst through to sack Fromm and force Georgia to punt from their end zone.

A&M drove the ball from their 44 to the Georgia 12, but a missed pass interference call against Ausbon was followed by a false start by Kenyon Green and the Aggies had to settle for another field goal by Small to cut the lead to 16-6.

By this point, the Aggies were livid.

"We were there," Fisher said. Pausing to come up with a diplomatic tone, he continued. "There were some opportunities that could have gone a different way."

Georgia took a 19-6 lead four seconds intto the fourth quarter on a 31-yard field goal by Blankenship, but A&M came right back with their best drive of the night. The Aggies went 75 yards in 10 plays, all passes, and ended with a 19-yard touchdown from Mond to Ausbon. Ausbon, who did much of the work on a crossing pattern, ran over a pair of Bulldogs on the way to the end zone.

"I could have gotten in around them, but I wanted to run through (the Georgia defender)," he said.

Georgia moved the ball out to midfield on their next drive, but when Aaron Hansford sacked Fromm at the UGA 44, UGA had to punt. A&M took over at their 10 with just under 8 minutes left but with all the momentum.

A&M moved the ball into Georgia territory, but after Mond's 3 and 11 pass to Wydermyer was incomplete -- the tight end was clearly interfered with, but no call was made . -- the Aggies chose to punt with 4:26 left.

"Our defense had been stopping them," Fisher said.

This time, they didn't. UGA converted a pair of 3rd and 1s and ran out the clock, leaving the Aggies wondering what might have been. Fisher, for his part, said the game showed him what could be for A&M moving forward.

"I'm proud of this team. We're on pace to get to where we want to go. We just have to get over the hump," he said. "Man, there are things there that are close. We're coming."