ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia hardly looked like the nation's best college football team Saturday while struggling to put away Kent State.
The No. 1 Bulldogs ultimately prevailed, holding on for a 39-22 victory at Sanford Stadium, but their two-week run atop the rankings could be in jeopardy.
Sophomore star Brock Bowers continued his strong start to the season by scoring two more touchdowns, and Southeastern Conference power Georgia survived a sloppy performance and surprisingly gritty effort from the Golden Flashes of the Mid-American Conference.
The Bulldogs (4-0) turned the ball over three times, struggled in the red zone, were burned on a fake punt and gave up several big plays to Kent State (1-3) in what was easily their worst performance of the season.
Was it bad enough to knock Georgia out of the top spot in the rankings? Check back Sunday.
"We don't care too much about the rankings," defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse said. "We focus on us. It's always a we thing. We're always focused on our development as a team, no matter where we are in the rankings."
Kent State had a chance to make it a one-score game with less than 13 minutes remaining after Marquez Cooper powered in from the 1 to cap a 12-play, 75-yard drive. A 2-point conversion attempt failed, however, leaving the Bulldogs with a 32-22 lead.
Georgia smothered the flames of what would have been a monumental upset by driving 75 yards for Kendall Milton's 1-yard plunge on fourth-and-goal with 5 1/2 minutes to go.
Afterward, coach Kirby Smart insisted he wasn't all that displeased with the team's performance. He pointed out the Bulldogs never had to punt, blocked a punt for a safety and finished with a 529-281 edge in total yards. Georgia has plenty to clean up, though.
"The fake punt is like a turnover," Smart said. "When you have four turnovers, you're going to have a game like that."
Fortunately for the Bulldogs, they also have Bowers. Coming off a three-touchdown performance against South Carolina, he took it to the end zone on the game's second play from scrimmage with a dazzling 75-yard run.
Bowers went in motion to take a handoff, found a big hole around the right end of the line and never stopped running, turning on his impressive speed down the sideline in front of the Georgia bench. Bowers also scored on a 2-yard scamper, making it three touchdowns on three carries this season for the 6-foot-4, 230-pound tight end.
Or maybe he should be listed as a running back.
"I guess I'm a tight end," said Bowers, who had five catches for 60 yards against Kent State. "But I just line up wherever they tell me."
Bowers, who has 10 catches for 216 yards and two touchdowns this season, strengthened his credentials as one of the nation's most dynamic offensive players.
"What a weapon he is," Smart said. "He can line up and play just about anywhere."
He was the exception for the Bulldogs on this day. Ladd McConkey led Georgia receivers with 65 yards on six catches but also lost a pair of fumbles: one on a punt return when he probably should have called for a fair catch, another after being stripped on a catch catching a pass in Kent State territory.
Sixth-year senior Stetson Bennett threw his first interception of the season, though the quarterback who led the Bulldogs to last season's national championship did score on a 1-yard dive, sticking the ball across the line while falling on his back with eight seconds left in the first half to put the Bulldogs up 26-13.
Georgia settled for three field goals by Jack Podlesny after driving inside the 20-yard line, which allowed the Golden Flashes to hang around.
"That's a really good football team," Smart said. "They proved that today."
Kent State was facing a team currently ranked in the AP Top 25 for the third time in its first four games, having already lost to No. 18 Washington and No. 6 Oklahoma. This figured to be the Golden Flashes' toughest test yet, but they actually made things tough on the Bulldogs, who came in as 44.5-point favorites.
The visitors put together scoring drives of 70 and 75 yards against a defense that had allowed just 10 points through the first three games. Kent State became the first team all season to score a touchdown against Georgia's first-team defense when Devontez Walker hauled in a short pass from Collin Schlee along the sideline and took it 56 yards to the end zone.
"I'm really pleased with the way that our kids fought," Kent State coach Sean Lewis said. "We have a really talented ballclub that has gone through tremendous adversity and conflict in the month of September. They embraced it and got better because of it."
If poll voters follow the same pattern they did with Alabama, Georgia is likely to get bumped from the top spot. The Crimson Tide started the season No. 1 but swapped places with Georgia after a surprisingly tough 20-19 victory at Texas two weeks ago.
The Bulldogs, already 1-0 in the SEC thanks to their rout of South Carolina, will begin a run of seven straight league games when they visit Missouri next weekend. Missouri is 2-2 overall after losing 17-14 in overtime at Auburn on Saturday in the SEC opener for both.