The day after: Five things we learned after Georgia's 28-27 win over Missouri

No, Missouri isn't the kind of SEC rival that Florida, Auburn and Tennessee are to Georgia.

Even so, you have to wonder whether Jacob Eason's touchdown throw to Isaiah McKenzie will go down in the same kind of program lore like Verron Haynes' touchdown against the Volunteers, Lindsay Scott's long touchdown against the Gators and Michael Johnson's fourth-and-15 score against Auburn.

Georgia shocked those at Faurot Field Saturday with a fourth-quarter comeback capped by the touchdown from Eason to McKenzie.

Missouri seemed poised to win, even while committing five turnovers. But the Bulldogs found a way to get it done and improved to 3-0 for the season.

Here are five things we learned in Georgia's 28-27 win over Missouri.

For now, Georgia must win with passing

Until Georgia can get its run blocking issues worked out, the Bulldogs are going to have to put the ball in Eason's hands.

He threw the ball 55 times against Missouri, which is the most a Georgia quarterback has done since Cory Phillips tossed it 62 times in a game in 2000.

Eason made his share of freshman mistakes and still doesn't have the kind of command of the huddle head coach Kirby Smart would prefer, but he still came through huge in a his first true road game.

Eason proved he can shoulder the load when called upon. It'll only be tougher next week against an angry Mississippi team that had every chance to knock off Alabama but let it slip away.

More Michel on the way

With Sony Michel healthy, Georgia is going to utilize him in many roles. Moving forward, especially if Georgia can improve its run blocking, Michel could be a dynamic weapon.

Against Missouri, Michel kept Chubb fresh in the run game by taking nine carries of his own. He also lined up as a receiver and motioned in the backfield some.

Totaling 37 rushing yards, Michel also hauled in three receptions for 19 yards. As he continues to get up to full speed following his arm injury, offensive coordinator Jim Chaney will try and get more plays and packages for Michel.

His role should only get bigger as the season progresses.

An opportunistic defense

Georgia's defense gave up 471 yards of offense and 27 points, which would indicate a poor performance.

But the Bulldogs made up for it by forcing five turnovers. That proved to be one of the major differences in the game as Georgia forced Missouri into quite a few mistakes. Any time a defense can force turnovers, it's going to be in a game regardless of the total defense stat.

Georgia is now plus-three in turnover margin through three games. This ranks the Bulldogs 21st in the nation and tied for first in the SEC with Florida and Vanderbilt.

Especially against spread teams, Georgia's going to give up yards and points. But it will continue to stay in games, including against next week's opponent Mississippi, if it's able to force a good number of turnovers.

No quit in Bulldogs

There were numerous times Georgia could have folded and given up.

After Kirby Choates committed a kick-catch interference penalty that doubled up as a targeting violation, it seemed Georgia was done for. But the Bulldogs kept fighting and got the ball back to the offense. By doing so, Georgia gave its offense one last chance to get the job done.

It did, with Eason leading Georgia 80 yards down the field for a game-winning touchdown.

Bulldogs finding ways to win

In each of Georgia's first three games, the Bulldog were trailing at some point in the second half. Against North Carolina, it was a 10-point deficit in the third quarter. Against Nicholls State, Georgia was down by one point in the third quarter. Missouri led Georgia by six in the fourth quarter Saturday evening.

Each time, Georgia found some way to pull out a win. Against North Carolina, it was a touchdown drive from Eason, a safety and then a go-ahead field goal. Against Nicholls State, it was a big touchdown to McKenzie. Against Missouri, it was once again the Eason to McKenzie connection that's worked so well thus far.

It should be noted that Georgia, even if it can be argued it's playing down to its competition, has been able to regroup and not let trailing in games affect it much. That's a great quality to have as a football team.

Georgia's also finding ways to win for Smart, who became the first Georgia head coach since Joel Hunt in 1938 to begin his tenure in Athens 3-0. Hunt went 4-0 before losing his first game.

This story was originally published September 18, 2016 at 2:15 PM with the headline "The day after: Five things we learned after Georgia's 28-27 win over Missouri."