Three Keys to Victory as Mississippi State Football Takes on Georgia
Mississippi State and Georgia will face off at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday in one of the weekend's biggest games.
MSU (6-3, 3-3) has struggled with consistency and playmaking all season, but its shining spot has been its defensive performance as the year has gone on. Georgia is in the hunt for another CFP National Championship appearance and has looked nearly unstoppable over the past few weeks. It's going to be incredibly tough for Mississippi State to notch an upset, but there are a few things that could help the Bulldogs pick up a milestone victory.
Here are three keys to success for Mississippi State heading into the important weekend matchup.
1. Find consistency
Mississippi State stormed to a 24-3 lead over Auburn midway through the second quarter last weekend. Despite this advantage, the Bulldogs nearly threw it away, and it took a late miracle kick and an overtime touchdown to walk away with the victory. The Bulldogs can't afford to have long periods of inactivity on offense against one of the toughest defenses in the nation. Once the team starts attacking, it needs to keep its foot on the gas and continue to play hard no matter what the score is. Not only will a consistent offensive performance give the team a chance to compete, but it will also give the defense some breaks so that it can also perform to the best of its ability.
2. Limit dropped passes
Last weekend, quarterback Will Rogers went 42-of-59 passing for 357 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Although some of his incompletions truly were big misses, there were quite a few that came as a result of wide receivers dropping the ball at the last minute. Head coach Mike Leach has commented countless times on his wideouts' struggles to haul in the pigskin, and playing a physical Georgia defense won't make that task any easier. Even the shortest, quickest passes could be taken down the field in a long run for a big gain, so Mississippi State's errors will prove to hurt them even more as opportunities become more limited.
3. Attack QB Stetson Bennett early
Georgia signal-caller Bennett is having an impressive season for his team, going 198-of-292 passing for 2,606 yards with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions through nine games played. Thus, MSU's defense has no choice but to focus on pressuring the senior and forcing him to make mistakes. The team is stacked at just about every position, but heavily limiting a key opponent of its offensive attack could be just enough to pull off the upset -- no matter what happens in any other area on the field. Veteran linebackers Nathaniel Watson, Jett Johnson and Tyrus Wheat will likely be making the biggest plays, but every defender that has suited up in the Maroon and White has proven to be a difference-maker for the team.
