WHERE: Farot Field, Columbia, Mo.

WHEN: Saturday, noon

RECORDS: Georgia 6-2, Missouri 5-2

TV/RADIO: SEC Network (Dave Neal, D.J. Shockley, Lauren Sisler); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, Chuck Dowdle); Sirius/XM/Internet: (131/192/963)

There was a no shortage of disappointment around the Butts-Mehre Building following last Saturday’s postponement of the game with Vanderbilt. The question many are asking is how fired up the Bulldogs will be, considering all the grind and aggravation caused by six-plus months of Covid protocols.

On paper, there's still a lot to play for. With wins against Mizzou and next week (hopefully) against Vanderbilt, Georgia will play in a New Year’s Six Bowl for the fourth straight year.

For the Bulldogs, all eyes will be on quarterback JT Daniels, who, in his two games, combined to complete 38 of 54 passes for 540 yards and six scores.

More good news for Georgia is that the team could return three of its key players in Kendall Milton, Jordan Davis, and Richard LeCounte, the latter two of whom would be welcome additions to a defense likely to have its hands full. Missouri has piled up 91 points in its last two games.

In redshirt freshman Connor Bazelak, the Tigers have one of the better young quarterbacks in the league. The newcomer won SEC Freshman of the Week honors by completing 32 of 49 passes for 380 yards. He's now fourth in the SEC in passing yards (250.3 per game) and fifth in completion percentage with just two interceptions on the year, the fewest of any SEC quarterback with at least five games played.

Meanwhile, Tiger running back Larry Roundtree III has been extremely productive after rushing for 185 yards and three touchdowns last week against Arkansas. The effort was his 13th career 100-yard game, while his six rushing touchdowns over the past two games is the most over a two-game span for a Mizzou running back since Brad Smith had six in back-to-back games against Oklahoma and Texas Tech in 2003.

Be multi-dimensional: It should be a good day for the offense, as the Tigers gave up 566 yards to Arkansas last week. Georgia will want to get the running game going, but quarterback JT Daniels should find some opportunities of his own. Assuming the Bulldogs can balance their attack, the team should have no trouble scoring plenty of points.

Be ready for the spread: Although they're not identical, Missouri’s offense will show a few similarities to what Mississippi State did three weeks ago in Athens. The Bulldogs struggled against MSU in the first half before allowing just seven points in the second. Mizzou quarterback Connor Bazelak will continue to dump the ball off if plays downfield don't materialize. As suggested by the Tigers’ last two games, such a strategy can be very effective.

Incentive: Granted, I don't think this will be an issue—but this has been such a draining year, one tends to wonder what the mindset will be against a Missouri team many predicted to win only a handful of games. With a victory over Georgia, that same team could tie the Bulldogs for second in the SEC East.

...NG Jordan Davis (elbow): Head coach Kirby Smart said Davis has done more in practice this week than he has since suffering his injury at Kentucky. Davis is expected to play.

...RB Kendall Milton (knee): Per Smart, he practiced in a black non-contact jersey this week and has a chance to play.

...DB Richard LeCounte (concussion, ribs): LeCounte is getting close, but Smart said the senior is still a bit behind Davis and Milton. We'll call him doubtful, with hopes he'll be able to play in next week’s finale against Vanderbilt.

…Georgia tallied a season-high 332 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in the win at South Carolina. This was its most yards on the ground since piling up 426 against UMass in 2018. Junior James Cook led the attack in Columbia with a career-high 102 yards and two touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore Zamir White also scored twice and finished with 84 yards. Meanwhile, Zamir White leads the ground attack with 121 carries for 614 yards (both team highs) and nine touchdowns.

…In the Bulldogs’ six wins this year, they've allowed a total of only 80 points. No. 2 Alabama, the nation's top-scoring offense, posted a 41-24 win in Tuscaloosa. Then, No. 8 Florida, who (10th nationally in scoring offense at 42.2 ppg), posted a 44-28 win as Georgia was missing three starters due to injury. Still, the Bulldogs held the Gators to a pair of field goals in the second half.

…Mizzou is the only SEC team with a record better than .500 despite allowing more points than its scored on the season. Mizzou pulled out one-score victories against defending national champion LSU (45-41), and a 17-10 win at South Carolina while overcoming an injury-riddled offensive line—in addition to last Saturday’s walk-off win over Arkansas. Mizzou also bested Kentucky 20-10 in a game that was not nearly as close as the score indicated.

…Since losing three fumbles in the LSU win on Oct. 10, Mizzou has turned the ball over just three times over its last five games, two coming in the loss at Florida. That comes after committing six turnovers in the season’s first three games. Mizzou has won or broken even in turnover margin in the last five games.

…Senior running back Larry Rountree III is now second on Mizzou’s all-time rushing list. He's the team's all-time leading rusher at the running back position, with 3,583 yards on 707 career carries (5.06 average). Former quarterback Brad Smith is the school’s all-time leading rusher with 4,289 yards.

Not many folks figured Missouri would enjoy much success under first-year coach Eli Drinkwich. Yet they're 5-3 and would tie Georgia for second in the East standings with a win. The question for the Bulldog is, how motivated will they be to play? If the desire is there, Georgia wins. It's as simple as that. Although Florida won the East, the Bulldog can advance to their fourth straight Group of Six bowl by winning their next two contests—a goal well worth shooting for. Prediction: Georgia 42, Missouri 31.