1. Special Teams, Turnovers and Tackling – Mississippi State’s clearest path to a win in Athens starts with the kicking game and turnovers. When you combine the two and get the turnover in the kicking game that really opens the door. During the incredible Kirby Smart era, Georgia has turned special teams, once a weakness and constant source of angst, into a weapon. Winning the kicking game is a must. So is getting, at worst, a push in the turnover column. A physical, sure tackling, hard-striking performance is always a top priority for Smart’s Dawgs. Bring the fight, be more physical and don’t open the door with costly miscues.

2. Call Me Uncle Rico, Livin’ in ‘82 – My favorite Georgia-Mississippi State game came on October 2, 1982. I will never forget it. My dad and I were watching the Falcons the Sunday prior. Georgia had just defeated South Carolina 34-18 the night before in Columbia to make it 3-0 on the season. Coming back from commercial break, here came the promo… “Next Saturday, College Football on CBS, Herschel Walker and Georgia battle John Bond and Mississippi State.” I was so excited. I’d get to watch the game with the Mighty Munson on the radio in full stereo. Mississippi State was very talented. Bond, like Georgia’s starting quarterback John Lastinger, and his predecessor Buck Belue, was a Valdosta High School Wildcat. State had a fantastic running back, first round pick Michael Haddix, a speedster wide receiver Danny Knight and future Buffalo Bills All-Pro Center Kent Hull. It was a Southeastern Conference classic, between No. 6 Georgia and No. 18 MSU. Might I add, it was the first ever nationally televised game in Starkville. Georgia prevailed in a back-and-forth affair 29-22, with Herschel, Lastinger, Terry Hoage, Kevin Harris, Catfish Jackson and Jimmy Harrell highlighting the heroes.

‌3. 26-20… in Hoops – Nine months earlier in Starkville, on January 13, 1982 to be exact, the Bulldogs and Maroon Bulldogs combined to score five fewer points on the hardwood than were tallied in the aforementioned great gridiron clash. Georgia beat MSU 26-20… in basketball. It set all kinds of records for fewest points, and those records still stand for Georgia. Unless we do away with the shot clock and three point line, this one figures to be in the books forever. State coach Bob Boyd took the air out of the ball. He felt the only chance at victory against the legendary Hugh Durham’s Dunkin’ Dawgs was to go into a straight stall. What makes this score all the more bizarre is that the game featured two of the greatest players and most prolific scorers in SEC history, Georgia’s Dominique Wilkins and Jeff Malone of Mississippi State, both of whom would go on to tremendous careers in the NBA. Georgia, featuring ‘Nique, James Banks, Vern Fleming, Terry Fair, Lamar Heard, Derrick Floyd and the Sky Dawg Eric Marbury —amongst others— narrowly missed an NCAA Tournament bid. The Big Dance featured only 48 teams back then. Georgia went to the NIT Final Four, and the next year, Durham’s Dawgs beat St. John’s and North Carolina to advance to the 1983 Final Four in Albuquerque.

4. Fun Baseball Weekend – SEC baseball weekends are tremendous. I would suggest for any Georgia fan, if you love baseball, take in a Dawgs road series in addition to your regular visits to beautiful Foley Field. Especially if it’s in the West, which technically doesn’t exist anymore, but you know. Places like Starkville, Oxford, Baton Rouge and Fayetteville are just exceptional to visit for a big SEC series. My lovely wife Emily made the Starkville trip with my friends John and the Judge of E&P Sports, and the Judge’s beautiful bride Sandra Kate. They chartered a plane and we had a great time. State wound up winning two of three, but it was a tremendous trip. Plus my crew got to eat at two of my favorite places in the SEC … Little Dooey and Harvey’s.