WATCH: Georgia offensive miscue leads to Mississippi State punt return touchdown

Mississippi State finished the first half with a huge play, returning a punt for a touchdown after a mishandled drive by Georgia. The showdown between Bulldogs got much tighter on the scoreboard after the score, with Georgia’s lead cut down to 17-12 at the break.

ZAVION THOMAS PUTS MISSISSIPPI STATE RIGHT BACK IN THE GAME pic.twitter.com/swDdV9aoHR

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthewCFB) November 13, 2022

Mississippi State returns late Georgia punt for touchdown

Georgia had received the ball back with a 17-6 lead after a Mississippi State field goal and had 44 seconds on the clock when they attempted to drive the ball down the field before the half. After running the ball on the first play of the drive, Georgia attempted two passes that were incomplete and stopped the clock, having to punt the ball with 19 seconds left on the clock.

The punt was a short one — punting from their own 27-yard line and bouncing around the middle of the field. Zavion Thomas caught the ball on a soft bounce and broke a tackle, setting up a 63-yard return for their first touchdown of the game.

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Although Georgia coach Kirby Smart and his offense felt they had a good chance to add points of their own on the board with all three timeouts, the decision to throw the ball ended up leaving time in the game for the disastrous punt. The Georgia Bulldogs lead was cut to five over the Mississippi State Bulldogs as a result, setting up a much closer second-half start.

On the line for Mississippi State in the second half is a chance to improve to a 4-3 conference record this year and a meaningful shot at cracking the CFP rankings list by taking down the No. 1 team in the nation. For Georgia, their continued defense of their national title last season is at stake — as well as a chance to secure the SEC East title with a win.