Know the Foe: No. 13 Georgia

Feb 18, 2024

It’s been two weeks but Mississippi State is back in action after dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak/contact tracing. The team is still on the verge of the available players to play but they are still on for Saturday as they travel to No. 13 Georgia.

What:. Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-4) vs. No. 13 Georgia Bulldogs (4-2)

When: Saturday, November 21 at 6:30 p.m. CT (SEC Network)

Where: Athens, Ga.; Sanford Stadium (25% of 92,746 capacity)

Series Record: UGA leads 18-6

The Last Time: UGA 31, MSU 3 in Athens, 2017

MSU entered one of the hottest teams in the country against UGA at No. 17 with a 3-0 start. State had won the first three games by a combined score of 143-28 including a 37-7 beatdown of No. 11 LSU the week before. But the other group of Bulldogs provided a different outcome in game four.

Right off the bat, UGA hit a big pass play and took a 7-0 lead. They led 14-0 after one quarter when State’s defense settled in, but MSU couldn’t put together any offense in the game. UGA scored 17 more points in the third to push the lead out.

The difference was MSU’s inability to throw the ball or move it down the field rushing either. State had 103 yards passing in the game with two interceptions and averaged just 3.1 yards per attempt. Nick Fitzgerald finished 14-for-29 yards and those two picks and had 10 carries for 47 yards. State’s leading rusher was Nick Gibson with five carries for 52 yards.

Jake Fromm was 9-of-12 for 201 yards and two scores while Nick Chubb had 15 carries for 81 yards, D’Andre Swift 10 carries for 69 yards and Sony Michel seven carries for 32 yards. All three players are in the NFL.

Coaching

It was quite the first head coaching gig to accept for Kirby Smart when he left his spot at Alabama to come to UGA. Not only was UGA a big job in the Southeastern Conference, but it was Smart’s Alma Mater.

Bainbridge, Ga., native played for the Bulldogs from 1995-98 and was first-team All-SEC during his senior season finishing his career with 13 interceptions. He got his first on the field coaching job just two years after graduation when he took over the defensive backs at Valdosta State in 2000 and then became the team’s defensive coordinator the next season.

Smart went to graduate school at Florida State in 2002 and coached under Bobby Bowden for two seasons before moving into a prominent role as the defensive backs coach for Nick Saban at LSU in 2004 in a relationship that would prove to be big down the road.

After serving on the offensive side of the ball as running backs coach at UGA, Smart followed Saban to the Miami Dolphins and coached safeties there before returning to the college game the next season as the coach took over Alabama. For the first time in his career, Smart would stay put for some time.

From 07-2014, Smart was a part of building the Crimson Tide into a dynasty. The coach became defensive coordinator in 2008 and remained in that post for the next seven seasons before he was ready to take over for the successful Mark Richt at UGA.

One of the main things that Smart has done is elevate the recruiting profile for the Bulldogs even beyond where it was. UGA has consistently produced top 5 signing classes under his watch and the wins have followed. He’s 48-14 in his first five years with a 30-12 record inside the conference.

Since finishing 8-5 in his first season, Smart has produced three-straight seasons of double digit wins. That won’t happen this season due to the shortened schedule and his team could be on the outside looking in for the SEC Championship as well after losing to Alabama and Florida marking the first time in the last four seasons they won’t be playing in Atlanta.

Still, Smart has been the closest of the former Saban proteges to beating the coach including in the College Football Playoff and SEC Championship game. So far, though, it hasn’t happened.

Offense

Things have been unsettled for UGA this season at the quarterback position. They brought in two transfers in Jamie Newman from Wake Forest and JT Daniels from USC. Newman was slated to be the team’s starter and a Heisman candidate but he opted out of the season before it began. Daniels wasn’t cleared health wise to play right away which put the Bulldogs in a pickle.

The team started redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis in game one and junior Stetson Bennett started in the next five games before he was injured against Florida two weeks ago. After the bye, a report surfaced this week that Daniels is expected to make his debut as the starter against MSU. The California native had 2,887 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in two seasons for the Trojans and enters as a redshirt sophomore with the Bulldogs.

While it’s unknown just how effective Daniels may be due to not seeing him in action in some time, he’s got plenty of talented players around him. UGA has one of the best programs in the country in producing running backs and has the next man up in Zamir White. This season the sophomore has 97 carries for 509 yards and seven touchdowns. They’ve also got James Cook, Kenny McIntosh and Kendall Milton completely capable of making plays.

At receiver, the big name the last two years has been George Pickens but he’s third on the team this season with 13 catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns after missing the last two games with injuries. Kearis Jackson has been leading the way in his stead with 27 catches for 396 yards and two scores.

UGA has tight ends that can do some work too and they will both in the run game and passing attack. John FitzPatrick, Florida State transfer Tre’ McKitty and Darnell Washington have had 10 catches this season and a touchdown.

Defense

Things haven’t slowed down too badly for the Bulldogs during the pandemic year though they’ve had some hit or miss performances as everyone has. Top to bottom, they have possibly the most talented defensive unit of anyone in the SEC, however.

They’re tops in the SEC in points per game at 20.8 and second in sacks with 18.0. Alabama and Florida have inflated their point total on the year as both scored 40-plus points but the Bulldogs have allowed 40 total in the four wins they’ve had. The rushing defense is tops in the league at 82.8 yards per game and they’re one of only two teams in the SEC to hold teams under 100 yards a game.

A lot of the success is due to an extremely talented linebacker crew. Monty Rice has 35 tackles this season, Azeez Oulari has a team-leading 6.5 tackles for loss with 3.5 sacks and three forced fumbles on the year. Nakobe Dean from Horn Lake is the team’s leading tackler at 49 stops on the year and then there are others that have stepped up behind those players like Nolan Smith and Jermaine Johnson. It’s an extremely deep and talented group.

The defensive line has had some injuries like starters Jordan Davis and Julian Rochester but Davis is listed as a starter this week at nose tackle bringing a big 6’6, 320-pound presence inside. There’s also seniors Devonta Wyatt and Malik Herring on the ends as well.

In the secondary, the Bulldogs return both starters at corners from last year in Tyson Campbell and Eric Stokes and also have starters back at safey with Chis Smith, Mark Webb and Lewis Cine. The team lost a key presence in the secondary a couple of weeks ago when All-American Richard LeCounte had a motorcycle wreck after the Kentucky game. He had three interceptions on the year and had 14 tackles and a forced fumble during the game against the Wildcats.