Major Matchups: Georgia at Mississippi State
Georgia is looking for win No. 10 on Saturday and it will be trying to get it done in Starkville, Miss. The No. 1 Bulldogs take Mississippi State at its place for the first time since 2010.
The cowbells will be clanging with the defending National Champions in town and its the first of two road games that Kirby Smart’s team navigate if it wants to keep its perfect record intact. Georgia is favored by 16.5 points over Mississippi State. Below, we share the matchups we think UGA needs to win in order meet expectations.
Georgia offensive line vs. Mississippi State front seven
Mississippi State’s run defense has been really, really bad at times this season. That’s just all there is to it. The Bulldogs from the SEC West have been gashed for 239 yards or more in three of their last four games. The fourth game, however, was a complete shutdown of Alabama’s run game. Who is this team?
Georgia’s run game continues to trend upward. It took a step back statistically last week with the decision to throw the football just four times in the second half due to weather conditions, but it’s still good.
DawgsHQ’s Take: Keep in mind that Mississippi State shut Georgia’s run game down completely when it came to Athens a couple of years ago. JT Daniels had a big night through the air but no run game made things iffy there for a bit. Georgia should be able to run the ball well and if it can do it out of the gate, it might get a chance to coast.
UGA pass rush vs. MSU offensive line
Mississippi State is giving up over 2 sacks per game, which is middle of the pack in the SEC. But when you think about how many times per game the Fighting Mike Leaches throw the ball, it’s pretty impressive that they only allow that many sacks per game. Will Rogers gets the ball out quick and Leach is one of the best at scheming up protections.
Georgia got to Hendon Hooker eight times (six times officially) on Saturday. The void left by Nolan Smith remains but Georgia found a way to generate a rush against an offensive line that had done a good job protecting its quarterback.
Top 10
- 1New
Kiffin Bama-UGA pick
Lane Kiffin's prediction is in
- 2
Quinn Ewers likely out
Pete Thamel: Texas QB unlikely to play
- 3Trending
Warm Saban welcome
Alabama fans chant for Saban
- 4
Mykel Williams report
Georgia star 'true gametime decision'
- 5
VT WR blasts ACC
'I wanna see consequences'
DawgsHQ’s Take: Don’t expect big sack numbers. A better measure might be to look at the times Rogers throws it away or has to leave the pocket. Jalen Carter should be able to have some success against this offensive line but you probably won’t see as many five-plus-man pressures this week.
Georgia defensive backs vs. Mississippi State receivers
UGA ranks No. 1 nationally in opponent touchdown percentage in the red zone. The Bulldogs are under 30 percent in that regard. Mississippi State’s offense ranks No. 1 in the SEC turning red zone trips into six points. This is fire vs. fire and what makes the Bulldogs so effective is the dynamic duo of Caleb Ducking Rara Thomas.
Those two have combined for 13 of MSU’s receiving touchdowns this season. Ducking is 6-foot-5 and has eight of those cores. Thomas is 6-foot-2 and perfectly capable of winning 50/50 balls.
Georgia has some big, physical cornerbacks who hold their own on a condensed field. The Bulldogs faced a much different test against Tennessee last week but a test it passed with flying colors.
DawgsHQ’s Take: Mississippi State is going to move the ball at times and keeping it out of the end zone will be key for Georgia in this game. If the Bulldogs are going to win and look good doing it, they’ll have to win the one-on-one matchups when MSU is in scoring position.
