COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Sometimes, good fortune is every bit as important as good talent.

Take, for example, No. 16 Georgia, which rallied to beat North Carolina in its opener and then held on for dear life against Nicholls on Sept. 10.

On Saturday night at Missouri's Faurot Field, it appeared that the Bulldogs good fortune was going to run out against the SEC Tigers.

That was until Jacob Eason threw a 20-yard, fourth-down touchdown pass to Isaiah McKenzie with1:29 remaining, rallying Georgia to a 28-27 victory against Missouri.

"Right now, it's just about the quarterback and receiver making a play," McKenzie said of the dramatic catch. "When we broke the huddle, I knew the ball was coming to me. I made a move on the corner right down the middle."

McKenzie scored three times, salvaging a victory after a so-so week of practice for the Bulldogs.

"I don't think we had a great week of practice, we had a good week of practice," first-year Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. "We can't have days where we don't have good practices, but our kids are battlers. They believe in each other.

"A game like this gives us confidence. I am a firm believer in situational football, and we put them in a lot of situations. They responded to the situations. We had to get the ball back at the end, and we did."

On the next play after the Eason touchdown pass, Missouri wide receiver J'Mon Moore caught a 18-yard pass but fumbled at the Tigers' 48-yard line, and Juwuan Briscoe recovered for the Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 in the SEC).

That was the fourth second-half turnover for Missouri (1-2, 0-1) and the fifth overall - four more than Georgia.

"It's hard to win with five turnovers," first-year Missouri coach Barry Odom said. "I know J'Mon's was a tough (fumble), but remember that he made a lot of plays to put us in a position to win. It really hurts that we couldn't pull that one off. I owe this team to get it right."

Drew Lock threw three touchdown passes, including a 6-yarder to Moore early in the third quarter that appeared to be the game winner for Missouri until Eason's dramatic TD pass.

Eason finished 29 of 55 for 308 yards and three touchdowns. Lock was 23 of 38 for 376 yards, three TDs but three interceptions.

Cam Hilton's interception of Eason with 13:59 remaining in the third period gave the Tigers a first-and-goal at the Georgia 6. On the next play, Lock hit Moore on a slant in the end zone. Moore finished with eight receptions for 196 yards and two TDs.

Missouri was gunning for its first victory against a Top 25 opponent since defeating then 25th-ranked Minnesota 33-17 on Jan. 1, 2015 in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl.

Georgia struggled in the kicking game when William Ham missed 23- and 38-yard field goals -- each wide left -- in the second half after interceptions of Lock, but found a way to win, driving 80 yards in 10 plays for the winning TD.

"I hurt for my guys," Odom said. "We just didn't make enough plays to pull it off."

Eason and Lock staged a passing clinic during the first half, which ended with Georgia clinging to a 21-20 lead.

Eason completed 18 of 28 opening-half passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns while Lock was 19 of 29 for 322 yards and two TDs, including a 79-yarder to Moore that gave Missouri a 20-14 lead with 6:30remaining in the second quarter.

But the Bulldogs countered with a five-play, 74-yard drive to take the 21-20 halftime lead. Eason capped that drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah McKenzie with 1:43 left in the second quarter.

McKenzie scored on a 6-yard run after Missouri raced to a quick 10-0 lead, including Lock's 15-yard touchdown pass to Jason Reese. Tucker McCann kicked field goals of 33 and 46 yards for the Tigers.

Eason's 2-yard, second-quarter touchdown pass to Christian Payne gave Georgia a brief 14-10 advantage before Missouri scored the game's next 10 points.

Missouri's 40 first-half plays produced 343 yards, and Georgia ran 47 opening-half plays for 250 yards. Georgia's 6-for-9 on third-down conversions helped the Bulldogs possess the ball for 18:59 during the first 30 minutes.

NOTES: Since joining the SEC in 2012, Missouri entered Saturday night's game 2-2 in conference openers, including a 21-13 loss last season at Kentucky. ... When the Tigers scored 61 points in a Sept. 10 victory against Eastern Michigan, it was more points than Missouri had scored in its previous six games combined. ... When Drew Lock passed for 450 yards against Eastern Michigan, it was the third-highest total in school history. ... Beginning with the 1992 season, Georgia opened SEC play against South Carolina every year except 2012, 2015 and Saturday night. ... Before closing with three consecutive home games in Athens, the Bulldogs play six of their first nine on the road or at a neutral site. ... Entering Saturday's game, Georgia was 4-1 all-time against Missouri, including a 1960 Orange Bowl victory.