Following a 3-0 non-conference start, the Georgia Bulldogs now start an eight-game set with teams from the SEC. With home wins over Appalachian State and Samford and a road victory over then No. 24 Notre Dame, the Bulldogs are 3-0 for the second straight year under Kirby Smart. When Georgia hosts Mississippi State on Saturday, it will be the first-ever meeting between the teams when both teams are ranked in the top 20 (Georgia enters the week ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll and No. 12 in the Coaches Poll; Mississippi State enters the week ranked No. 17 in the AP Poll and No. 19 in the Coaches Poll).
This will be Mississippi State’s first visit to Sanford Stadium since 2011 when Georgia beat the visiting Bulldogs 24-10 for their 10th win in the last 11 meetings in the series. Georgia has won the last nine meetings over Mississippi State in Athens. Mississippi State last beat Georgia in 2010 (24-12) in Starkville.
Mississippi State heads to Athens on a high note after a convincing 37-7 victory at home over the No. 12 ranked LSU Tigers. In the win over LSU, Mississippi State had 465 yards of total offense and registered its first win over LSU in Starkville since 1999. Mississippi State’s offensive attack is led by Richmond Hill, GA, native Nick Fitzgerald. The junior dual-threat quarterback enters the game with 7 passing TDs and 5 rushing TDs on the season. The visiting Bulldogs also have a legitimate running back in Aeris Williams. The junior running back enters the game averaging over 7 yards per carry in 2017.
The Mississippi State defense also performed admirably in the victory over LSU holding Heisman candidate Derrius Guice to 76 yards rushing and no scores. On the season, Mississippi State’s defense is only giving up 9.3 points per game which ranks as the No. 6 scoring defense in the NCAA.
Mississippi State is coached by Dan Mullen (64-42) who is in his ninth season at the helm in Starkville. Mullen is the SEC’s second-longest tenured current head coach behind only Alabama’s Nick Saban (11th year). Mullen’s staff includes Todd Grantham as its defensive coordinator, who held the same role from Georgia from 2010-2013.
Currently Vegas has the Georgia Bulldogs as a 4 point favorite with the total set at 47.5.
If you aren’t able to make it to Sanford on Saturday night, you can watch the game on ESPN at 7:00 PM.
