Quick recap: Mississippi State battles No. 5 Georgia but drops 41-31 decision
Mississippi State battled another Top 5 foe on the road Saturday but the Bulldogs came up short in a 41-31 decision at No. 5 Georgia.
Mississippi State freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren overcame a slow start to pass for 306 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Van Buren finished the day 20-37 passing after going just 5 of 15 in the opening half. Mississippi State fell to 1-5 overall and 0-3 in the SEC while Georgia improved to 5-1 and 3-1.
At one point in the second half, State trailed Georgia 34-10 before getting momentum on the offensive side of the ball. Buren had second-half touchdown passes to Davon Booth and Kelly Akharaiyi while Kevin Coleman finished the day with eight catches for 103 yards. Overall, State had 385 yards of offense with 79 coming on the ground.
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck completed 36 of 48 passes for 459 yards and had three touchdown passes. Mississippi State did pick off Beck twice with interceptions by Brice Pollock and DeAgo Brumfield, who made his Bulldog debut on Saturday after missing the first five games with an injury.
Mississippi State’s defense helped the visitors get on the scoreboard first. Pollock collected a tipped Beck pass for his first interception of the year and State took over inside the Georgia 30 yard line. The Bulldogs, however, had to settle for a 47-yard field goal by Kyle Ferrie and led 3-0 with 12:05 left in the opening quarter.
Georgia quickly answered Mississippi State on the ensuing possession. Georgia stuck to the ground for the most part and ended the drive with a 45-yard field goal from Peyton Woodring, tying the game at 3-3 with 7:09 remaining in the first quarter.
The host Bulldogs found the end zone for the first time late in the first quarter. Georgia marched 81 yards in eight plays and took a 10-3 lead thanks to Branson Robinson’s five-yard touchdown run with 2:03 remaining in the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Woodring added his second field goal of the day. This time it was from 34 yards out and Georgia increased its lead to 13-3 with 10:51 left in the first half.
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Mississippi State would also find paydirt on its next possession, highlighted by a 72-yard reception by freshman receiver Mario Craver. On 2nd and goal from the Georgia 24-yard line, Van Buren connected with a wide-open Akharaiyi for a touchdown pass and State cut the Georgia lead to 13-10 with 8:46 left in the half.
The offenses continued to roll up the points later in the quarter. Georgia quickly responded with a 75-yard drive that was capped off by a Beck 31-yard touchdown toss to Dillon Bell, giving Georgia a 20-10 lead with 6:32 left in the half.
Beck wasn’t done in the first half, either. He finished off an 80-yard drive on his next series and tossed a one-yard touchdown pass to Lawson Luckie, giving Georgia a 27-10 advantage with 1:56 left in the opening half.
Defensively, Stone Blanton led Mississippi State with nine tackles while Trevion Williams Brylan Lanier, Pollock, Deonte Anderson and Branden Jennings each had one tackle for loss.
Mississippi State returns to Davis Wade Stadium next Saturday as the Bulldogs will host Texas A&M in a 3:15 p.m. kickoff.
