Georgia played Saturday afternoon at Vanderbilt without starting inside linebacker Natrez Patrick, who is suspended, and without top defensive lineman Trenton Thompson, who has a sprained knee.
The Bulldogs made the Commodores one-dimensional, holding them to 64 rushing yards and an average of 2.9 yards per carry, and Georgia only allowed 236 yards overall. Yet it was hard to find smiles among the defensive components after a 45-14 rout that clinched bowl eligibility for the Bulldogs (6-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference).
"We did not play our best defensive football game," second-year Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. "We didn't strike up front. We didn't tackle as well. We didn't get off the field on third down, but our defense needed that, because they've been told by you guys and everybody else that they're the greatest thing ever.
"We can be better defensively, and we can coach off this to get their attention."
Georgia moved up to No. 4 in The Associated Press poll released Sunday, the program's highest ranking since it was No. 3 entering the 2012 SEC championship game against Alabama.
The Bulldogs entered Vanderbilt Stadium ranked second nationally in scoring defense, having allowed an average of 9.2 points per game. They were dominant in a 31-3 win over Mississippi State and a 41-0 trouncing of Tennessee that preceded their trip to Nashville.
Against Vanderbilt, the Bulldogs allowed a six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive late in the first half. The second touchdown by the Commodores was the result of a fumble by Bulldogs backup quarterback Jacob Eason that was returned 15 yards to the Georgia 1.
Including Saturday's win, Georgia has allowed an average of 10.0 points per game this season, which still ranks second nationally behind Penn State (9.0).
"We made a lot of mistakes on the defensive side of the ball," said junior inside linebacker Roquan Smith, who led the Bulldogs with seven tackles. "We didn't play to our standard. It's always bad when you give up big plays and give up points, so we'll have to go in and make corrections and fix those things up."
The Bulldogs did not cause a turnover against the Commodores, nor did they sack Kyle Shurmur. Vanderbilt was 6-for-15 on third-down conversions, which was much better than Tennessee's 1-of-12 rate the previous week in Knoxville.
"We did not play as well defensively as we need to," Smart said. "I don't think we got better this week."
The Bulldogs will look to improve to 7-0 when they host Missouri on Saturday night. The Tigers dropped to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in SEC play with a 40-34 loss at Kentucky this past Saturday night.
Smart was asked if he might use Oklahoma's upset loss Saturday to visiting Iowa State as a warning this week. The Sooners dropped from No. 3 to 12th after falling to the unranked Cyclones.
"We try to give a message each week to make it important," Smart said. "It's never about who we play, because when you make it about who we play, you go up and down. I respect Missouri. I know you guys don't, but I respect Missouri, because I remember the game from last year (a 28-27 Bulldogs victory).
"I know what we went through last year to try and win that game. I know what kind of offensive output they've got, so I'm not concerned with what happened to Oklahoma."
Odds and ends
The Bulldogs rank third nationally in total defense, having allowed an average of 242.7 yards per game, behind Michigan and Washington. ... Georgia ranks 11th nationally in rushing offense (268.3 yards per game) and fifth in rushing defense (86.0).
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.