Kirby Smart and Georgia pulled out a gutsy win over a Missouri team that has emerged as one of the best in the SEC on Saturday.

The Bulldogs were taken down to the wire, but a few crucial interceptions for Georgia sealed the deal.

It takes a lot to test Georgia, and Missouri managed to do that on Saturday. After the game, Smart had high praise for Missouri.

“They’ve got a really good football team,” Smart said. “They challenged us in every way. Eli and his staff do a great job.”

He also praised his team for the resiliency they showed throughout the game. It wasn’t the prettiest performance, but Georgia showed up when it had to.

“Our kids are resilient, they believed in the discipline we had to play with to win,” Smart said. “We made plays when we had to. There’s a lot we can work on and I’m excited.”

Now the Bulldogs have won the first of a tough 3-game stretch. Now they head into games against Ole Miss and Tennessee with the confidence from a signature win.