ATHENS, Ga. — After going nowhere on its first four drives, it took an explosive play to unlock Mississippi State’s offense early in the second quarter.
Freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren’s protection held up, allowing him to complete a 72-yard deep ball to Mario Craver, who was in motion before the snap and beat defensive back Daniel Harris in single coverage. MSU then overcame a pair of penalties to pay it off when Van Buren connected with Kelly Akharaiyi for his first college touchdown pass, and the 34-point underdogs trailed by just three.
But MSU’s beleaguered defense could not back up the score with a stop. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck started his next drive with a completion to Dillon Bell, who found a soft spot in State’s zone coverage for 23 yards. Those two teamed up again four plays later for a 31-yard touchdown on play action, as Beck rolled away from linebacker Branden Jennings and Bell tapped his toe in bounds before tumbling out the back of the end zone.
Cornerback Brice Pollock, who made his first career interception earlier in the game, stumbled as he followed Bell into the end zone and had no chance to make a play on the ball. The scoring play helped No. 5 Georgia build a three-score lead by halftime, and despite a strong second half offensively, MSU fell short in a 41-31 loss.
“We’re just trying to get all our tools in the basket, keep sharpening them,” Jennings said. “We’re just going to keep fighting and we’re going to carry on to the next game and use this to our advantage.”
Interception caps rough first half for Van Buren
The freshman’s final numbers look perfectly solid — 20-for-37 passing, 306 yards, three touchdowns, one interception. In the first half, though, Van Buren was just 5-of-15, struggling to get on the same page with his receivers.
With MSU down 27-10, Van Buren tried to lead a two-minute drill and trim the deficit before halftime. He converted a third-and-1 on a scramble, then hit his top target, Kevin Coleman, for another first down close to midfield.
After a pair of incompletions, though, State was forced to take a timeout with the clock stopped, and then Van Buren threw into double coverage looking for Craver. Instead, he found Georgia safety KJ Bolden, who read the play perfectly and nabbed the first interception of Van Buren’s college career.
“It’s just me getting more comfortable, me settling down in the game,” Van Buren said. “I have to do a better job of being able to hit those (throws) right out of the gate.”
MSU capitalizes on red zone opportunities
Georgia’s defense entered Saturday having allowed just three touchdowns on 11 trips inside the red zone. MSU found the end zone all three times it crossed UGA’s 20-yard line, including on back-to-back drives in the third quarter.
State converted two third downs thanks to Georgia penalties, helping set up Johnnie Daniels’ 19-yard touchdown run, then got the ball back at its own 20 on DeAgo Brumfield’s end zone interception. It took just four plays for MSU to reach the UGA 7, with a perfect throw by Van Buren for a 42-yard completion to Coleman moving the ball deep into Georgia territory.
But three plays later, State faced a fourth-and-goal at the 2 after a screen pass to Coleman on third down went nowhere. Unfazed, Van Buren dropped back and hit a wide-open Davon Booth, who had come out into the flat from the backfield for the easy touchdown.
“(Van Buren) settled in there late in the first half and then played really well in the second half,” MSU head coach Jeff Lebby said. “He’s a young kid in an unbelievable environment where we have an opportunity to do some things and don’t hit on them. I have to continue to coach him better, put him in positions for success, but proud of him for getting himself out of that hole and answering the right way.”
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