The No. 5 ranked Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 41-31 in their second home SEC matchup of the season on Saturday afternoon. Here are some observations from the Red & Black.
Despite a tipped interception from Carson Beck on the first drive of the game, Georgia’s offense finally saw some first half momentum that carried into the second half. A big part of that was Georgia’s dominant passing game, racking up 459 receiving yards.
After Colbie Young’s indefinite suspension, there were some questions about Georgia’s wide receiver room going into today’s game. But Beck was still dependent on his receivers, throwing the ball to ten different Bulldogs in the first half alone.
Arian Smith led the room with a career-high 134 yards and 1 touchdowns, despite early troubles with holding onto the ball. This is Smith’s third game recording over 100 receiving yards. Dillon Bell, who has been dominant on Georgia’s offense all season, recorded several receptions, including a phenomenal 31-yard touchdown catch late in the second quarter.
Georgia’s running back group took a hit with Branson Robinson leaving the game early in the second quarter with a right knee injury, but Trevor Etienne and Nate Frazier were able to keep the run game moving decently.
Etienne finished the game with 35 yards on 11 carries and a score, producing another solid day on the ground for Georgia.
Although the Bulldogs allowed 385 yards of total offense, Georgia started to show some signs of the dominant defenses that they have had in the past, finishing the game with 39 tackles. The Bulldogs have faced some tackling issues earlier this season, but showed more aggressiveness and consistency this afternoon.
Mississippi State struggled to move the ball down the field in the first quarter, failing to pick up a first down until the second quarter, but picked up momentum in the second quarter after Kelly Akharaiyi scored on a 24-yard catch that soared over Daylen Everette’s head.
Malaki Starks led the defense with 7 tackles, while Dan Jackson recorded 5 tackles. Jalon Walker and Joenel Aguero also found themselves all over the field with 4 tackles as well.
KJ Bolden recorded his first-career interception with 27 seconds left in the first half while also picking up two tackles.
Mississippi State’s offense has struggled this season, with its starting quarterback Blake Shapen facing a season-ending injury. True freshman Michael Van Buren Jr. took on the starting role and had a solid showing, finishing the night 20-37 with 3 touchdowns.
After seeing some inconsistency in games against Kentucky and Alabama, Georgia’s offensive line was a crucial part of its dominance throughout the game. Beck completed 36-of-48 passes, and had plenty of time to do so. The offensive line’s blocking allowed Beck the time he needed to find open receivers, a huge reason why the offense saw such success.
Despite an interception in the end zone of what could have been a pull-away touchdown in the third quarter for the Bulldogs, Beck threw for 459 yards, his longest pass being a 55-yard bullet to Smith to open up the second half, setting up for an early touchdown.
Beck’s 317 yards in the first half were good for the third most first-half yards in an SEC game.
Though the offensive line has seen its biggest struggles when trying to get the ball downfield, they’ve allowed Beck plenty of time in the pocket when attempting deep balls down the field.
