Georgia Bulldogs

No. 2 Georgia faces another early road test at Missouri

Published Sep. 20, 2018 10:31 a.m. ET

No. 2 Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC) at Missouri (3-0, 0-0), noon ET (ESPN).

Line: Georgia by 14½.

Series record: Georgia leads 6-1.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

The Bulldogs can go 2-0 in their September road SEC tests, which would further solidify their spot as runaway SEC East favorites. Missouri is looking for a huge home victory to bolster QB Drew Lock's Heisman campaign.

KEY MATCHUP

Lock vs. Georgia's pass defense. Georgia has allowed 24 points all season, and the Bulldogs ranked among the top five defenses in college football allowing 158.3 passing yards and 13.2 points per game in 2017. Meanwhile, Missouri's senior QB has led his team to 40 or more points in nine of its last 10 contests and broke the single-season SEC passing touchdowns record last season with 44.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Georgia: RB Elijah Holyfield. Buried in the depth chart behind Nick Chubb and Sony Michel the past two seasons, Holyfield emerged as a lead back for the Bulldogs with a 100-yard performance against Middle Tennessee last week.

Missouri: Lock and WR Emanuel Hall. The duo connected for 141 yards and two touchdowns against Georgia last season. Hall has posted 100-plus receiving yards in five of the eight games he's played since that matchup.

FACTS & FIGURES

Georgia ranks first in the SEC and second nationally behind No. 7 Stanford in scoring defense, giving up just eight points per game. ... Missouri is one of just three FBS teams to win their last nine or more regular season games. The other teams are Central Florida (13 straight) and Oklahoma (10). ... Georgia QB Jake Fromm leads the nation with an 80 percent completion percentage. ... Hall ranks fourth among FBS receivers with 430 yards. ... Georgia has started the season with three 40-plus point performances for the first time since 2012.