Mississippi State is back in the win column after a dramatic comeback at Arkansas last week, but the test is much different this week back home at Davis Wade Stadium.
The Bulldogs (5-4, 1-4 SEC) welcome their namesake from Athens to town for their next conference battle. Georgia came in at No. 5 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, and presents the biggest test to date for head coach Jeff Lebby’s squad.
Here are three keys to victory for the Bulldogs against UGA.
Get Fluff and Booth going
The return of Fluff Bothwell at Arkansas was positive, but the performance on the ground was not.
MSU totaled 106 yards on the ground, with the leading rusher being Kamario Taylor on just six carries. When the freshman quarterback had to take over in the third quarter, his presence forced the Razorbacks to respect all aspects of the attack, opening up lanes for the backs and for Taylor himself to take the space offered.
Apart from those drives, the running game stalled out.
Bothwell and Davon Booth combined for just 30 yards on 19 carries. The team averaged 2.0 yards per carry. If that happens again, the chances of beating Georgia at home are slim to none.
UGA has one of the best run defenses in the country, but the MSU game plan is not shying away from that. Lebby spoke twice this week about the value of finding more balance and learning from the Arkansas game, and it has to show up with more push in the run game.
“The better (the teams) you play, the better you have to be fundamentally,” he said. “We targeted runs the right way, but we did not play clean, which we’re going to have to do this weekend. We continue to talk about the ability to have great balance because that helps every part of what we want to get done. It’s a huge key in us finding a way to be plus-one.”
Learn from Green
The MSU defense endured a difficult stretch against the Razorbacks.
Arkansas may only have two wins, but it is losing despite remarkable offensive production led by quarterback Taylen Green. He led six scoring drives on seven possessions between the end of the first quarter and the start of the fourth quarter, aided in large part by chunk plays and broken-play opportunities. Wide receiver Raylen Sharpe averaged 16.8 yards per reception and had a run of 41 yards as well. Mike Washington Jr. crossed the century mark on the ground on 6.1 yards per carry.
The Bulldog defense struggled because there was so much to keep track of in Green’s game, but the quarterback finished with just 194 passing yards and 46 yards on the ground. The production around the quarterback was still there for the Razorbacks, and while the MSU defense did eventually crack the code in the fourth quarter, they had let up 35 points in the process.
Gunner Stockton may not be a dual threat on Green’s level yet, but he’s been a big reason why UGA is playing winning football in late-game situations.
“Incredible competitor, and a guy who has continued to make plays when he’s needed to make plays most,” Lebby said of Stockton. “Able to extend, they use him in the run game situationally, and he has found ways to make the plays to go win a game. You can tell he has great command of what they’re doing every snap.”
Be ready for the moment
Being ready to take control of a game and execute in close-out scenarios is a test that MSU has failed in all three phases of the game time and again in SEC play this season. They shook that on the road in Fayetteville last week, but it’s a much different ask to do so against No. 5 Georgia this weekend.
UGA is a college football powerhouse in every sense, and the execution on the field has endured roster changes. The new players understand and meet the standard.
Georgia is 7-1 despite some close calls, and the ability to focus and execute in high-pressure moments is a big factor in their push for another SEC crown.
“When you look at them this year, both sides of the football, they’ve been really good situationally,” Lebby said. “That’s the thing to me that pops, and what has given them opportunities to win games in the fourth quarter. How they’ve played offensively on third down, defensively, how they’ve gotten off the field, I think that’s a huge part of their success.”
The Bulldogs have to be at their best even to have the sort of chances they had against Tennessee and Texas late in the game. The ability to do so has just become the nature of life in the Georgia program. The players know what to do when they get punched in the mouth, they have the discipline to steady the hand when they’re down in the fourth quarter or to see out a game when they have the lead. MSU hasn’t shown that against the best of the best… yet.
To get there, the Bulldogs have to seize the opportunity.
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