ATHENS, Ga. — Just after halftime, it appeared Mississippi State had given up in a very literal sense.
No. 5 Georgia had taken a 17-point lead into the locker rooms, and the hosts extended that lead in just three plays to start the second half. Quarterback Carson Beck connected with Arian Smith deep down the field, with safety Brylan Lanier in position to make a touchdown-saving tackle. But after initially wrapping up Smith, Lanier loosened his grip and let go, allowing Smith to coast into the end zone for a touchdown.
MSU now trailed by 24, and it seemed that all the progress State had made two weeks ago at Texas had not carried over following a bye week. But with freshman Michael Van Buren at the controls, MSU’s offense refused to concede. Van Buren recovered from a rough first half and led his team to touchdowns on three of four second-half drives.
In the end, though, it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback in Georgia’s 41-31 victory. Behind Beck’s career-high 459 passing yards, UGA put up 605 yards of total offense to send MSU (1-5, 0-3 Southeastern Conference) to its fifth straight loss.
“Our guys responded. They answered the challenge,” State head coach Jeff Lebby said. “They answered the bell. I hate that we’re sitting here disappointed and frustrated that we’re not on the right side of it. But our guys are continuing to fight like heck for each other, and I’m proud of them for that.”
It was a rough first half for Van Buren, who completed just five of 15 passes for 116 yards in the first two quarters. More than 60 percent of those yards came on a long bomb to fellow freshman Mario Craver that set up his first collegiate touchdown pass, a 24-yarder to a wide-open Kelly Akharaiyi. Prior to that drive, MSU had mustered just 12 yards of offense on 12 plays, failing to pick up a first down on its first four possessions.
Van Buren also miscommunicated with his receivers on several occasions, throwing behind them on slants and crossing routes. His final throw of the half was intercepted by KJ Bolden on a play where Van Buren badly missed Kevin Coleman.
“I just started off slow. I have to do better with that,” Van Buren said. “Once I got that first long throw in, it’s just ball at that point.”
MSU caught an early break when Beck’s second pass of the game was batted up by linebacker Branden Jennings, and cornerback Brice Pollock hauled in the interception to set up a field goal that gave State its first lead since Week 1 against Eastern Kentucky. After that, Georgia (5-1, 3-1) scored on its next five possessions as Beck completed his last 12 passes of the first half and his first four of the second half.
UGA’s defense completely stonewalled MSU’s running game in the first half to the tune of 14 yards on 13 carries, but State began opening up some lanes in the third quarter. Junior college transfer Johnnie Daniels bounced outside to the right and followed his blockers for a 19-yard touchdown that cut Georgia’s lead to 34-17.
“He’s continuing to get better and better,” Lebby said. “(Davon Booth) and Johnnie, we’ve got a solid one-two punch. Those guys will continue to come on for us and be huge for us down the stretch.”
Georgia drove into the red zone again in just three plays on the ensuing drive, but Beck’s completion streak came to an end when cornerback DeAgo Brumfield, making his MSU debut after transferring from Memphis and missing the first five games of the season with an injury, jumped in front of tight end Lawson Luckie for the interception.
MSU did not have an interception from a cornerback all of last year, but Saturday two different corners intercepted a quarterback who had thrown just three picks entering the game.
“We’ve been missing (Brumfield) for a while,” Jennings said. “I was real excited to see him out there. I knew he was going to make a play, and he did. He made a big impact today.”
State capitalized off the turnover, driving 80 yards in eight plays and finding the end zone when Van Buren hit a wide-open Booth in the flat on fourth-and-goal from Georgia’s 2-yard line. The MSU defense then forced UGA to punt for the only time in the game, getting the ball back for the offense with a chance to cut the deficit to one score.
A crucial holding penalty on left guard Jacoby Jackson derailed the drive, though, and Georgia proceeded to take nearly seven and a half minute off the clock before icing the game on a Trevor Etienne touchdown run. Still, MSU was not out of fight — Van Buren’s last pass was a 35-yard dart to Akharaiyi for his third touchdown of the game.
“The team just rallied around (Van Buren), making sure he’s comfortable over there. He just made plays and we helped him out,” Akharaiyi said. “He’s a young man playing in a big game. Once he calmed down, he could compete with anybody.”
The rally stalled there as Georgia recovered MSU’s onside kick and kneeled out the win. Questions remain about State’s defense and its ability to slow down any offense in the SEC, but halfway through the season, and even with a true freshman replacing a redshirt senior at quarterback, MSU is slowly but surely finding its offensive identity under Lebby.
State returns to Starkville for the first of three straight home games next Saturday against No. 15 Texas A&M.
“These last two weeks for Mike, they’ve been monumental for his growth,” Lebby said. “What he’s having to go through over the last two weeks as a football player, I can’t imagine it being any tougher ever in his career. I’m excited about what’s going to be able to get done for us. I know we’re all looking forward to getting back to Davis Wade.”
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