Georgia’s Keys to Victory Against Mississippi State

A battle of Bulldogs is on the docket this Saturday. Georgia football hosts Mississippi State for the first time since 2017. The Bulldogs from Starkville are a completely different team this time, thanks to new head coach Mike Leach and his trademark pass-happy offense. Here’s what Georgia needs to accomplish this Saturday to add another mark in the win column.

Rush the passer and create turnovers

Mississippi State is all in on Leach’s air-raid offense. Gone are the days of the zone read in Starkville, as the Bulldogs pass the ball over 50 times per game. That doesn’t mean Mississippi State is great at passing the ball.

Quarterback K.J. Costello has a very good completion percentage (64.7), but that’s all he has going for him. Costello has just 1,283 yards in five games, with six touchdowns and a whopping 10 interceptions. Costello is currently out after suffering a head injury in his last outing. Likely starter Will Rogers hasn’t fared much better. In four appearances, he has 536 yards on 83-of-116 passing, with two scores and four picks.

The key for Georgia’s defense is simple: put pressure on Rogers and force him to make the bad decisions that have hurt Mississippi State all season. Star cornerback Eric Stokes already has three interceptions this year on ill-advised throws, and he’s scored touchdowns on two of those picks. Cornerback Tyson Campbell and safety Christopher Smith are in need of confidence boosts after they struggled against Florida’s pass defense two weeks ago. What better way to gain confidence than to intercept a pass or two?

Georgia’s pass rush will come into this game hungry after failing to put pressure on Florida quarterback Kyle Trask. Nose guard Jordan Davis’ injury slowed down the Bulldogs’ rush in that game, and his return against an inferior offensive line should allow Georgia’s edge rushers to wreak havoc all game long.

Get the quarterback settled in early

Saturday could be the beginning of a new era for quarterbacks at Georgia, or the start of the 2021 battle. Regardless, the Bulldogs want a smooth transition from Stetson Bennett to JT Daniels or D’Wan Mathis.

Daniels is the expected starter, but head coach Kirby Smart hasn’t named a starter yet.

Star wide receiver George Pickens should be healthy and ready to play. His return will go a long way in helping Daniels and/or Mathis settle into the game. Pickens has the largest catch radius on the team, he’s physical and is great in traffic. Having a guy like that can raise the confidence of any quarterback. Pickens’ return will also help fellow receivers Kearis Jackson and Jermaine Burton. Both have seen their targets decrease since Pickens’ has been injured.

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