Georgia made quick work of its first 3 opponents to race to a 3-0 start. But against Kent State and Missouri, Kirby Smart’s team has put out a pair of performances that have been far from convincing.

The Bulldogs held a 26-13 lead over the Golden Flashes at halftime and ultimately came away with a 39-22 win, but arguably should have had a much easier time with their opponent. Then came their most recent game against Missouri, a 26-22 come-from-behind win that ultimately saw them drop to No. 2.

Matt Stinchcomb, who, of course, was one of the program’s all-time greats on the offensive line, was asked by Paul Finebaum if Dawgs fans should be concerned or if things will ultimately course-correct for the defending national champions.

“I would say that 2 performances in a row, that’s cause for concern,” said Stinchcomb, who was on the ESPN+/SEC Network+ call of the game vs. Kent State. “(Against Kent State) we’re going, ‘You know what? There was probably 3 touchdowns on that ground that they dropped, literally dropped.’ Probably changes things…But then you face Missouri on the road, and you literally play to the extent where the crowd actually gets into it versus taking them out of it…

“I watched this game, and they were sloppy. This was a sloppy performance up front, and by that I mean you could not point out a single performer or performance where you go, ‘OK, this guy graded out as a winning grade.’…They would do it right on some snaps, so that’s encouraging, ’cause now I know you can do it. What’s concerning is, then you would do it poorly on other snaps, and the question is what changed. What changed?”

We’ll see if Georgia can get back on track on Saturday against Auburn in the latest edition of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. The Bulldogs currently hold a 5-game winning streak in the series.