ATHENS — Kirby Smart isn’t trying to put a happy face on it, his Georgia football team is hurt are eager to get back on the football field.

The No. 12-ranked Bulldogs find themselves out of the Top 10 for the first time since 2016, before most all of the players and even assistant coaches were part of the program.

Georgia plays a noon game at Missouri (2-3), its fourth straight game away from home. The Tigers are coming off an off week and will be the more well-rested team.

It was the same last week in Florida against the Gators, as they had only played one game in three weeks on account of their COVID shutdown.

Still, Smart believes, his football team will rally.

“They are competitors,” Smart said. “It’s about the program, it’s about the seniors, it’s about leaving your legacy.”

Georgia would need to win out and have Florida lose two of its final five games to return to the SEC Championship game.

The Gators play host to Arkansas on Saturday before a road trop to Vanderbilt (Nov. 21), a home game with Kentucky (Nov. 28), a road game to Tennessee (Dec. 5) and a home game with LSU (Dec. 12).

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