Kirby Smart praises Georgia's 'discipline,' ability to fight through injuries in win vs. Missouri

A tie game at halftime might not have been what fans expected as Georgia and Missouri squared off at Sanford Stadium. The Bulldogs found themselves neck-and-neck with the Tigers, and Kirby Smart called out his team’s execution during his halftime interview.

They got things going in the second half and ended up coming away with the 30-21 victory. The home winning streak is now at 26 games for Smart and his group, and he made sure to give credit to Eli Drinkwitz and Mizzou afterward.

But what stood out to Smart was Georgia’s ability to stay poised and avoid making mistakes — even if it wasn’t perfect.

“A great job, first, by Missouri,” Smart told CBS’ Amanda Guerra. “They’ve got a really good football team. Eli and his staff do a great job. Our kids were resilient. They believed in the discipline we had to play with to win, we made plays when we had to. There’s a lot we can work on. I’m excited.”

The biggest challenge for Georgia, though, was injuries. Jamon Dumas-Johnson left in the third quarter and headed to the locker room, and Kamari Lassiter got shaken up late. But the Bulldogs fought through, and Smart said that’s part of the message to the players throughout the week.

“They believe in each other,” Smart said. “We’re a next-man-up group, and that’s what we’ve got to do. Everybody’s got injuries right now.”

Carson Beck had a solid day to lead the Georgia offense, completing 21 of 32 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Ladd McConkey emerged as his top target once again, hauling in seven receptions for 95 yards as part of the effort.

After the game, Dumas-Johnson was seen with his arm in a sling. Smart confirmed he suffered a broken bone — although he mis-identified the bone. Still, his absence is huge for Georgia, considering he had a game-high six tackles against Missouri and led the team in sacks entering Saturday’s matchup.

“I’m not sure. I think it’s a tibia or — it’s a fracture of something in the forearm,” Smart said.

Dumas-Johnson’s absence was immediately felt as Missouri marched down the field and scored on a 12-yard rush from Cody Schrader which, after the two-point conversion, cut the Georgia lead to 24-21 early in the fourth quarter.

Now, UGA takes a 9-0 record into next week’s game against Ole Miss, which will have College GameDay in attendance, as well.