Get to know Mississippi State: Where They Present Challenges
It's the battle of the Bulldogs this week. Georgia is set to travel out to Starkville, MS to take on Mississippi State as the regular is just a few weeks out from coming to a close. Georgia remains a 16.5-point favorite for this cross-divisional matchup.
Georgia and Mississippi State don't cross paths too often, although due to the global pandemic, this will be Georgia's third time playing Mississippi State since 2017. So as Georgia closes in on this week 11 matchup, here's a breakdown of this year's Mississippi State football team.
The Bulldogs out west have had a bit of an up-and-down season. They started their season 4-1 with their only loss coming from LSU who is staring down a divisional title. They responded with a three-game win streak but then dropped two more games to Kentucky and Alabama. In their most recent action, they defeated the Auburn Tigers 39-30 in overtime after blowing an 18-point after halftime, bringing them to an overall record of 6-3
Head coach Mike Leach is in his third season with Mississippi State and runs an air raid style of offense. Out of all college football teams in the nation, the Bulldogs have the fewest rushing attempts with 205. For context, Georgia sits at No. 72 with 323 attempts on the ground.
On the flip side, Mississippi State has thrown the ball 448 times this season which is the most in the nation. So to break their offensive splits, 69 percent of the time Leach and his squad pass the ball. Not exactly a very balanced offensive game plan to say the least.
On the defensive side, there's one glaring area where Miss State sticks out. Defending the run. They sit at No. 73 in the nation, allowing an average of 150 yards on the ground per game, and are No. 93 when it comes to yards per carry with opponents picking up an average of 4.4 yards per attempt. Perhaps something Georgia could exploit when Saturday rolls around.
This Mississippi State team does not try to hide its identity. They rely on quarterback Will Roger's arm offensively to lead them to victory. He's averaging just under 50 attempts per game and 324 yards and leads the SEC in passing yards this season. They also have four different receivers with over 300 receiving yards this season, so Rodgers distributes the ball all over the field.
Georgia needed a big game out of their secondary this past weekend against Tennessee and they are going to need them again for this matchup. Mississippi State does have a bit of a tendency to allow defenders into the backfield as they sit at No. 71 in sacks allowed this season so defensive line play will be pivotal for Georgia as well.
A win this Saturday would clinch a divisional title for Georgia and their fifth one in seven years under head coach Kirby Smart. A potential big weekend is in store for the newly ranked No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs, and they're gonna have to earn it on the road against a pass-happy offense this go around.
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