STARKVILLE — Mississippi State’s defense hoped to make a statement at home against the country’s No. 1 team Saturday night.
Instead, Georgia kept its undefeated season alive with a 45-19 win.
A key component in that victory was UGA’s opening-drive touchdown, which staked the red-and-black Bulldogs to a lead they never lost.
Here’s how Georgia set the tone for a win in Starkville by beating MSU’s defense early on.
Play No. 1: First and 15 at the Georgia 22. After a false start backs Georgia up five yards, the Bulldogs line up with tight end Darnell Washington on the line and tight end Brock Bowers on the outside. Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint is on the left, and Ladd McConkey is the lone receiver to the right. Bowers motions across, but quarterback Stetson Bennett IV throws the ball past him to Rosemy-Jacksaint for a 10-yard gain. Despite the penalty, Georgia already has set itself up with second-and-medium.
Play No. 2: Second and 5 at the Georgia 27. Georgia lines up the 6-foot-7, 270-pound Washington as an H-back and moves with tempo. UGA snaps the ball with 33 seconds left on the play clock, and Bennett fakes a handoff to running back Kenny McIntosh before finding Rosemy-Jacksaint on the left side. The receiver makes the grab at the first-down marker and is pushed out of bounds at the 39, moving the chains for Georgia.
Play No. 3: First and 10 at the Georgia 39. Georgia puts both tight ends on the right side of the formation —Washington on the line and Bowers set back — as McConkey and Rosemy-Jacksaint swap sides of the field. McIntosh takes the handoff and runs left for a 3-yard gain, with linebacker Nathaniel Watson and nose tackle Cameron Young bringing him down. Watson now leads Mississippi State with 94 tackles on the season.
Play No. 4: Second and 7 at the Georgia 42. Bowers lines up in the left slot and Washington in the right slot as UGA goes four wide for the snap. McIntosh motions into the right flat, but Bennett throws over the middle to Bowers, who makes the catch one yard short of first-down territory and drags safety Collin Duncan well into Mississippi State territory for a 15-yard gain. The star tight end finished with just five catches for 41 yards, a relatively quiet day.
Play No. 5: First and 10 at the Mississippi State 43. With Georgia running tempo again, Bennett throws over the top of the Bulldogs’ zone. He finds Washington in open space across the middle at the MSU 25, and UGA’s other star tight end gets all the way down to the 13. Georgia entered the red zone for the first time; the Bulldogs went 5 for 5 inside the 20 with four touchdowns. Mississippi State, meanwhile, was 3 of 4 on red zone trips with two field goals and a turnover on downs.
Play No. 6: First and 10 at the MSU 13. Georgia hurries down the field to snap the football with 35 seconds left on the play clock. McIntosh finds a hole between the center and right guard and cuts to the left of the approaching Duncan, diving forward across the first-down marker. The 12-yard run gives Georgia’s offense first and goal.
Play No. 7: First and goal at the MSU 1. As close as Georgia is to the goal line, the Bulldogs can’t punch it in right away. UGA huddles, breaks the circle quickly and snaps the ball with a couple seconds left on the play clock. Disaster nearly strikes as Bennett drops the snap, but he recovers it at the 1-yard line. A potential opportunity for Mississippi State to force a key turnover is quickly gone.
Play No. 8: Second and goal at the MSU 1. Georgia uses standout defensive lineman Jalen Carter as a fullback in the goal-line situation, but Mississippi State’s run defense wins this round. McIntosh runs behind Carter, but linebacker Tyrus Wheat meets Carter, sheds the block and goes after McIntosh. DeShawn Page and Wheat finish the tackle for loss; Wheat would add an impressive interception of Bennett later in the game.
Play No. 9: Third and goal at the MSU 2. UGA employs a tight formation with Washington as an H-back and Carter again serving as a fullback. Bennett fakes a handoff to tailback Kendall Milton as Bowers sheds the block of Wheat and slips backward into the left side of the end zone, wide open. From there, it’s an easy pitch and catch as Bennett finds his star tight end. The touchdown stakes Georgia to a 7-0 lead, and UGA’s defense did the job from there to escape Starkville with a win.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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