Kirby Smart and I agree over one aspect regarding Saturday’s 43-29 win at Missouri. The game didn’t go the way either one of us expected it would.

If you had told me that Drew Lock would not throw for a single touchdown, I’d have bet you a month case of your favorite refreshment that Georgia would have won this game going away.

It’s a good thing I rarely bet.

A 14-point road win in the SEC is typically heralded as a crowning event, but when you’re the nation’s No. 2 team with hopes of a return trip to the College Football Playoffs, color me concerned.

Topping that list is: What in the world is going on with Georgia’s run defense? Again, take nothing away from the Tigers. Missouri’s offensive line is every bit as big as the Bulldogs', and the Tigers showed they have three running backs who run hard.

However, if Missouri is going to run for 185 yards, what’s going to happen against programs who have built a reputation for having big, physical offensive lines where downhill running is usually their bread and butter? LSU and Auburn jump immediately to mind.

Even Kentucky, after the Wildcats’ physically dominating win over a very good Mississippi State, suddenly looks like a war when the Bulldogs venture up to Commonwealth Stadium in November.

We won’t even talk about Alabama.

It’s a legitimate concern.

Many fingers point toward the defensive line. The Bulldogs haven’t been as physical up front as they need to be.

Smart talked about that in length during Saturday’s post-game press conference - a lot.

By now, you know there are two areas that Smart demands from his players—all his players, not just those on the defensive side: effort and physicality.

Effort isn’t a problem. But playing with physicality, playing to Smart’s standard, to Georgia’s standard, was an issue against the Tigers and will be again moving forward, if the Bulldogs don’t figure something out.

I asked Smart point-blank how he planned on getting this done.

“Work on it,” Smart said. “We had everybody in the box we could have in the box; we just didn’t play through people. They out-manned us down there.”

It sounds simplistic, but that’s really about the only option Georgia has.

Pointing fingers won’t do any good, although it’s fair to say the Bulldogs certainly appear to miss John Atkins, who did such a wonderful job last Fall taking on double teams. His performance made it easier for Georgia’s inside linebackers to make plays and clean up any mess that would have occurred.

Julian Rochester hasn’t had the same affect disrupting would-be blockers, but overall, the defensive line doesn’t seem to be as problematic for opposing offensive lines as it was this time a season ago.

People ask me all the time about freshman Jordan Davis, and if he could help alleviate some of the problem.

Davis is a big kid, 6-foot-6, 330 or so pounds, and looks every bit the part of prototype defensive lineman in the SEC. But according to Smart, there’s been just one problem: stamina.

At least so far, Davis has not shown the ability to play consecutive downs on more than a few occasions, hence the reason he’s only played sparingly in home games and has yet to make the 70-man travel roster.

That could ultimately change, as Smart said last week Davis is being coached up as much as possible, although rest assured ironing out the unsightly wrinkles with the defensive line won’t be solved by one player.

It’s going to take the proverbial team effort, playing with more physicality and just having the mindset that you’re going to be better than the man in front of you.

With the next two games at home against Tennessee and Vanderbilt, the Bulldogs will have an opportunity to improve that part of the game before hitting the road in three weeks to LSU.

If not, expect more problems.

. . . I know Andrew Thomas was cleared to play, but hindsight being what it is, it sure would have behooved the Bulldogs to allow the talented sophomore to wait another week. Thomas, at least to my knowledge, didn’t actually practice until last Thursday after spraining his left ankle against South Carolina. When he limped off again Saturday, it really made you cringe. Hopefully, it’s not another big setback.

. . . It appears it’s not a question of whether Ben Cleveland will be out, but how long. We’ve heard from several sources that the big right guard broke a bone in his leg and will be sidelined for a number of weeks. Opinions on exactly how many weeks have varied. We should have more details from during Monday’s press conference.

. . . Every time the media asks about Georgia’s usage of tight ends, the answer is always the same. The Bulldogs’ offense takes what the other defense allows. Still, it’s just odd that Isaac Nauta and Charlie Woerner are not involved more in the passing game than they are. If my math is correct, Georgia only targeted the tight ends once Saturday. It just seems like a wasted option. Of course, that’s just my opinion.