No. 2 Georgia clears another SEC hurdle at Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Georgia coach Kirby Smart learned plenty in his days as an assistant under Alabama's Nick Saban. Among those lessons was a tendency to nitpick victories. After the second-ranked Bulldogs beat Missouri 43-29, Smart bemoaned his defense's inability to stop the run and some costly mistakes that turned a potential blowout into the closest game of the season. He was finally asked if it said something about Georgia that the team could play a little sloppy and still win by two touchdowns. "It says that we can handle some adversity on the road, and that when we're challenged, we responded well," Smart said. "But I'm not pleased with the discipline and composure we played with." Missouri (3-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) entered the game ranked seventh nationally in total offense and Drew Lock had 11 touchdown passes.