Another win in the books for Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs. It may not be pretty, giving up 385 yards and 31 points of total offense to one of the lesser teams in the Southeastern Conference; however, with seemingly every top-ten team narrowly escaping with wins against unranked teams over the last few weeks, getting a win in the SEC is always satisfying. Georgia played well on both sides of the ball in the first half, taking a 27-10 lead into the locker room. As the game progressed, Mississippi State fed off of poor performances from the Georgia secondary, making it a 10 point game with 2:40 to go in the third quarter. There seems to still be a bit of a tackling problem across the Dawgs’ defense as Mississippi State seemed to fight through the Dawgs defense. The “other” Bulldogs fell to 1-5, but a lot of credit goes to State for fighting until the very end in a road matchup with the No. 5 team in the land.
Oddly, Georgia continues to be one of the most penalized teams in the nation. The team averages 7.17 penalties for 71.5 yards per game. At the same time, teams tend to be penalized less when they play Georgia. This being said, Mississippi State did have more flags called on them than Georgia did. Henceforth, at a certain point in last weekend’s game, the officiating crew called for holding on a Mississippi State run play. The replay showed a clear hold. After the play, the crew picked up the flag and got rid of the penalty. Penalties need to get under control as the team heads into a slate of very meaningful games.
As most know, Georgia still has one of the most challenging remaining schedules in college football. Looking into the much anticipated matchup with the No. 1 Texas Longhorns, this will likely be the toughest opponent that the Bulldogs face the rest of the season. Georgia is an underdog for the first time since the Dawgs’ 2021 season opener against the Clemson Tigers. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has built one of the best programs in the country over the last few seasons, and they’re looking to be the next team to take down Kirby Smart. With one of the top scoring offenses in the country, along with a stout defense, Georgia will need to play at the highest level they’ve played all season if they want to leave Austin with a win.
On the bright side, the atmosphere was much improved after last week’s poor performance from the fans. It took Coach Smart calling out the fanbase for there to be any sort of notice on the issue that has risen from complacency. His first words in the press conference after the game were positive reinforcements regarding the fans making this feel like much more of a home game. Unfortunately, the upper student section was once again about a quarter full entering the fourth quarter with only a two possession lead. Now, Georgia fans won’t have the chance to show up again at home until November 16 against Tennessee. By then, everyone will know what this team is made of, there will likely be no more complacency from the fans.
Hot take of the week:
Carson Beck played a very efficient game of football against Mississippi State. He may have thrown two interceptions, but Beck completed 36 total passes on 48 attempts. Mike Bobo gave him every opportunity in the world to sling the rock. This being said, Beck’s deep ball seems to have drastically improved over the past few weeks. In addition, Arian Smith continues to consistently make plays down the field. Smith leads the receiving room by over 100 yards. This week, our hot take is that Carson Beck will eliminate turnovers against Texas. If Beck can keep the turnovers off the stat sheet, the Bulldogs will have a great shot at pulling off a monumental victory. The take may be extra hot as Texas has an incredible defensive line. All the pressure in the world will be on Beck at 7:30 P.M. EST on October 19.