Georgia and Mississippi State do not often meet on a gridiron, but when they do, the Georgia Bulldogs frequently come away victorious. Georgia leads the all-time series 20-6 with a 12-2 record at home. In the Kirby Smart era, the Bulldogs are 3-0 against Mississippi State, with a different quarterback under center for each matchup. Here is a flashback of all the meetings in the Smart era.
On the road, 2022: Georgia wins 45-19
The 2022 matchup is the forgotten child of the Georgia-Mississippi State games in the Smart era, but it was an important one with Georgia clinching the SEC East.
Bennett finished with three passing touchdowns and a rushing one as the Georgia offense continued to roll. Although his performance was near-perfect, it was a post game conversation with former Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach that stood out to Bennett — and almost made him late to the postgame meeting.
“I always thought he was the coolest guy in the world,” Bennett said on the Real Talk Podcast about the since de parted Leach. “So I ran up after him, and he talked to me for like 10 minutes, just about nothing. And I was like ‘Coach, you’ve got to go talk to your team, and I’ve got to leave. I’ve got to go the locker room.’”
A new hope, 2020: Georgia wins 31-24
Although Sanford Stadium was only around 20% capacity for the 2020 matchup, it got loud when JT Daniels was announced as the starting quarterback.
Georgia was scuffling heading into the game with two regular season losses for the first time since 2016. The Bulldogs also had inconsistency under center after starting D’Wan Mathis and Stetson Bennett for the first six games. Fans clamored for a change at quarterback, and against Mississippi State, Daniels did not disappoint.
With 401 yards passing and four touchdowns, Daniels became the first Georgia quarterback to throw for at least 400 yards since Aaron Murray did so in 2013. The Bulldogs did not dink-and-dunk either, as Daniels threw the ball into tight windows down the field.
His go-to receiver Jermaine Burton finished with 197 yards and a touchdown, while George Pickens recorded 87 yards and a score. The performance gave Georgia fans a new hope, as the Bulldogs earned a 31-24 victory in their black uniforms at Sanford Stadium.
A true threat, 2017: Georgia wins 31-3
The 2017 matchup, which marked the first time both teams were ranked, showed to college football that Georgia was a real contender. After an injury to quarterback Jacob Eason in the season opener, Jake Fromm and the Bulldogs’ potent
rushing attack of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel led Georgia to its third-consecutive 3-0 start.
The Bulldogs were coming off of wins against Appalachian State, at Notre Dame in South Bend and against Samford in Athens but were facing a hot Mississippi State team led by Dan Mullen.
Mississippi State was coming off a massive win against No. 12 LSU and also entered the game undefeated. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald appeared to provide a legitimate threat, as Mississippi State led the SEC with 47.7 points and 493 yards per game.
Due to its offense, many within college football projected Mississippi State to win the battle. However, Georgia quickly silenced the noise on its first offensive play. Fromm handed the ball to Chubb, who quickly tossed it back for a flea flicker. The true freshman quarterback then hurled the ball down the field to an open Terry Godwin for a 59-yard touchdown.
“And guess which Dogs are barking first,” Joe Tessitore, sports caster, exclaimed on the broadcast, as pandemonium ensued throughout Sanford Stadium.
Georgia rolled to a 31-3 victory, as the defense proved to be one of the best in the country. The Bulldogs’ offense, specifically its running game, scored over 30 points against Mississippi State for the first time since 1997, showcasing why many within the Georgia locker room believed it would be a special season.
Georgia quarterback JT Daniels (18) during a game against Mississippi State on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. PHOTO COURTESY/TONY WALSH, UGAAA
Bulldogs unleashed
Georgia faces Mississippi State at Sanford Stadium
Ansley Gavlak
It will be the battle of the Bulldogs on Saturday when Georgia welcomes Mississippi State into Sanford Stadium for its second home SEC matchup of 2024. The game is set to start at 4:15 p.m. With both teams now knee deep in SEC play, No. 5 Georgia is holding onto a 4-1 overall record and 2-1 record in conference play, while Mississippi State sits 0-2 in the SEC and 1-4 overall.
The last time these two teams met was in 2022 in Starkville, where Georgia won the dogfight by a mile, taking home a 45-19 victory.
For Georgia, this game is sandwiched between back-toback Alabama and Auburn battles and the back half of its grueling schedule featuring Texas, Florida, Ole Miss and Tennessee. Mississippi State is coming off of two conference losses to Florida and Texas. Following a bye week, it would like nothing more than to punch its first conference win of the season against a dominant Georgia.
Unanswered questions
Georgia experienced its first regular season loss against Alabama in Week 5, which also snapped its 42-game regular season win streak. After that emotional loss, Georgia returned to Athens for another rivalry game against Auburn. Georgia bounced back with a 31-13 win where Trevor Etienne rushed for two touchdowns and Carson Beck completed 23 of his 29 attempts for 240 yards and two touchdowns.
Georgia held Auburn to just 4-of-13 on third downs but did allow 137 rushing yards and were frequently gashed on outside run plays. The Bulldogs were also penalized seven times for 85 yards.
Mississippi State’s offense is coming off of an impressive performance against No. 1 Texas, considering its circumstances.
Starting quarterback Blake Shapen suffered a season-ending injury against Florida, leaving true freshman Michael Van Buren as the starting quarterback against Texas. He finished 12-of-23 for 144 yards with a touchdown run, despite a struggling offensive line in front of him. The true freshman will step into Sanford Stadium with a top-five matchup already under his belt, but Mississippi State’s offensive line may give Georgia’s defense an easier run for its money.
Offense looking to put it all together
Carson Beck nearly mounted an incredible comeback two weeks ago, but his four turnovers are a big part of the reason why Georgia was in such a big hole in the first place. Without star guard Tate Ratledge, the offensive line has struggled at times as well.
Receivers Arian Smith and Dominic Lovett have seen most of the targets, but dropped passes, penalties and issues communicating with Beck have led to far from
flawless performances.
The group appeared to turn a corner together in terms of chemistry late against Alabama, but a larger sample size is still needed. Smith caught just one pass for four yards against Auburn, but Dillon Bell and Lovett both scored touchdowns.
Trevor Etienne has been the lead back for most of the season and has had some tough yards for Georgia. Freshman running back Nate Frazier was impressive in Week 1 but has seen his play time drop off since.
Mississippi State’s defense had its best performance of the season against Texas, holding them to three straight scoreless drives at one point in the first half. Mississippi State forced two fumbles and looked much cleaner than it did in other games such as Florida, where they allowed 45 points and 503 total yards.
They also forced a couple of turnovers against the Longhorns and made some key stops, but it still gave up 35 points and 522 yards. The team will have to play even tougher against Georgia if they want to prevent the yards from racking up yet again.
Georgia’s offense needs to get cleaned up before its strenuous back half of SEC play and its matchup against Mississippi State is the last chance to do so.
Prediction Georgia is likely to dominate this matchup, and is currently a 34.5 favorite. Georgia will need to take advantage of the opportunity to improve on both sides of the ball against an unranked Mississippi State before heading to Austin, Texas to face the No. 1 Longhorns. However, as Georgia learned in its battle against unranked Kentucky earlier this season, anything can happen in SEC play.
Georgia 31, Mississippi State 17
Georgia players sack former Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers during the Georgia vs. Mississippi State game in Athens, Georgia on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. FILE/STAFF
Former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) throws the ball during the Georgia vs. Mississippi State game in Starkville, Mississippi on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. PHOTO/JESSICA GRATIGNY
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck (15) prepares to throw the ball during the Georgia vs. Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. Alabama won 41-34.
How do you respond?
Quarterback Carson Beck must step up for Georgia
Entering the 2024 season, all the hype in the world surrounded Georgia quarterback Carson Beck. He was coming off an impressive first season as the Bulldogs’ starter, where he led the team to a 13-1 record and Orange Bowl victory. His return to Athens was much-celebrated, and it didn’t take long for Heisman talks or whispers about being the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft to materialize.
Fast forward to six weeks into the 2024 season, and those murmurs have died down quite a bit. Beck had the worst outing of his Georgia career in a narrow 13-12 win over unranked Kentucky and threw three interceptions in Georgia’s loss at Alabama, including a crushing final one in the end zone that sealed the Bulldogs’ fate.
Beck looked like a different passer in those two games than before. He got rattled early in both and looked scared at times, rushing throws or sometimes even directly forcing them. The quarterback who made his name on his poise and accuracy looked unrecognizable, and it cost the Bulldogs dearly.
Beck later steered the Bulldogs towards the win against Kentucky, and nearly mounted an incredible comeback against Alabama, but the concerns remain. The slow starts from him and the rest of the offense aren’t going to fly in December or January.
For the first time in Beck’s career, he’s having to deal with backlash from fans rather than the relatively unanimous acclaim he enjoyed before. That will happen when
you throw three picks on a national stage. The rest of this season will say a lot about the type of player Beck is. The quarterbacks who are built for postseason success and the pro game are the ones who bounce back from adversity like this. It’s time to see what Georgia’s blue chip quarterback is made of.
FAST FACTS
X Carson Beck led the SEC in passing yards last year with 3,941.
X Beck’s three interceptions against Alabama were the most by a Georgia quarterback in one game since 2020.
X Beck is currently third in the SEC in passing touchdowns with 12.
Luckily for Beck, he has plenty of opportunities to redeem himself. Georgia has another high-profile road test coming up in mid-October with a trip to Texas, another one at Ole Miss in November and a home date with Tennessee. Beck’s performances against Kentucky and Alabama need to be his worst of the year. It can only be up from here. Otherwise, the Bulldogs could be in trouble.
NUMBERS TO KNOW: Week 6
#1
Georgia running back Trevor Etienne
After missing the season opener against Clemson, Etienne has been a reliable contributor in the Georgia backfield, averaging almost six yards per carry as the primary ball carrier. While Etienne put together respectable statlines of 78 and 79 yards against Tennessee Tech and Kentucky, he has yet to have a true “takeover” game. This is the game to do it, as Mississippi State is allowing the most rushing yards per game of any SEC team.
Mississippi State wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr.
Coleman has been Mississippi State’s most dynamic offensive weapon this season.
The No. 1 recruit in Missouri in 2022 finally found a home at Mississippi State after a short time at Jackson State and Louisville. His team-leading 28 receptions and three touchdowns have already eclipsed his totals from last season, and he is averaging nearly 20 yards per punt return. Coleman has been a security blanket for true freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren, so Georgia will need to shut him down to make Van Buren uncomfortable.
#11
Georgia outside linebacker Jalon Walker
#3
Walker has been an unstoppable force in Georgia’s pass rush this season. The former five-star recruit’s 1.5 sacks isn’t eye-popping, but sacks don’t tell the whole story. Walker has been incredibly disruptive when rushing, as evidenced by his eight quarterback pressures against Kentucky, the most of any player in college football that week. Mississippi State’s pass blocking has been atrocious, allowing the fourth-most sacks per game in the FBS, including six in its last game against Texas. It is shaping up to be a perfect storm for Walker.
Mississippi State running back Johnnie Daniels
Daniels started 2024 as Mississippi State’s third back, but after starter Keyvone Lee got injured against Florida, Daniels has seen his workload increase significantly. Although he is splitting carries with senior Davon Booth, Daniels has been far more productive, gaining 41 more yards on seven less carries and averaging 1.4 more yards per carry. Daniels is a hard-nosed, explosive runner. The Georgia defense has struggled mightily with tackling, so it could be a huge day for Mississippi State’s breakout tailback.
Georgia tight end Oscar Delp
#4
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#20
Delp has had a quiet start to the season, after being the understood heir apparent to the two-time Mackey Award winner Brock Bowers. He has recorded just three receptions for 25 yards and did not even draw a target against Clemson or Alabama.
Though he has been an effective blocker, the offense needs a consistent pass catcher, and Delp could finally emerge in a favorable matchup against Mississippi State.
Mississippi State safety Isaac Smith
After starting all 12 games in his freshman season, Smith has burst onto the scene as arguably Mississippi State’s best defensive player in 2024. Smith was leading the nation in tackles after recording 11, 17 and 15 tackles in the team’s first three games, but an injury suffered against Florida sidelined him for most of the second half and the Texas game. The sophomore standout will be back against Georgia and ready to wreak havoc once again.
CORRECTIONS
By Owen McDaniel
Bo Underwood
Sports
A big dill
Dylan Fairchild’s journey from the scout team to the starting lineup
Bo Underwood
Arriving at a football program like Georgia means even the most heralded recruits are immediately at the bottom of the totem pole. You’re expected to come in and sit behind the guys who have put the work in to earn it.
That was true for Dylan Fairchild, a four-star guard who joined Georgia in 2021 as the nation’s second-ranked interior offensive lineman and a state champion wrestler. Even with all the physical tools in the world — and a 47-0 record as a wrestler — Fairchild couldn’t get anywhere near the field.
Instead, he was relegated to the scout team for his first two years as a Bulldog. He wasn’t even able to travel with the team. Suddenly, one of the biggest guys on the team felt small.
“Part of my why is going through that. Just going through that hard time, being asked a question every day, ‘who are you going to be?’ and having an answer,” Fairchild said. After two years with his head down, things began to turn around for Fairchild. He appeared in all 14 games and started 10 of them as a redshirt sophomore in 2023. His hard work started to pay off, and he was even named a preseason second-team All-SEC selection in 2024. But, perhaps more importantly, he had earned the respect of those around him.
“Toughness, character, what he stands for, just as a man — I have a lot of respect for Dylan and the way he’s gone about his approach,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “He stood up in front of the team and told his story. He talked about the years he spent on the scout team and how much it meant to him to earn what he’s gotten here and how hard he’s had to work for it.”
It’s a good thing to have people like Dylan Fairchild in the line. That’s why you come here to Georgia, to compete with good people at your position.
EARNEST GREENE III | OFFENSIVE LINEMAN, #71
Once Fairchild got on the field, he made it a point to pave the way for the younger Bulldogs who were now in his shoes. He wanted to be an example for the scout team guys that hard work can get you on the field.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that are going to go through the same thing I did, and just being able to be a leader to them and being able to tell them, ‘I did the same thing,’ it means a lot to me,” Fairchild said.
Fairchild has earned his stripes as much as any other player on the team, and with that status comes a new moniker: Pickle. Fairchild said it came from former Georgia tackle Amarius Mims as a play on “Dill Pickle.” Tackle Earnest Greene III let the nickname slip earlier this year in fall camp.
“Pickle’s a strong man on campus,” Greene said. “That’s kind of his motto. Really aggressive in the run game, active, a good technician, everything. It’s a good thing to
have people like Dylan Fairchild in the line. That’s why you come here to Georgia, to compete with good people at your position.”
The Bulldogs are hurting on the interior offensive line, with fellow All-SEC guard Tate Ratledge sidelined for several weeks with an ankle injury and center Jared Wilson out from an injury he suffered during the Bulldogs’ loss at Alabama. What Georgia needs is consistency from its interior line, and Fairchild might have to be the one to provide it.
“We need to perform more dominantly,” Fairchild said. “We need to be able to make those adjustments sooner. It’s a big part of football — being able to make those after one or two plays is a lot better than after a couple drives.”
Georgia offensive lineman Dylan Fairchild (53) during the Georgia vs. Alabama game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. PHOTO COURTESY/CONOR DILLON, UGAAA
Andy Mathis
Georgia football is notorious for producing teeth-bashing, hard-hitting defenders.
In fact, since head coach Kirby Smart’s hiring in 2015, he has produced 32 NFL prospects on the defensive side of the ball alone — including 11 in the first round.
The Bulldogs’ defense seemed to be on track for another standout run this year, after clobbering Clemson 34-3 in the season opener and routing Tennessee Tech a week later, 483. Then the Bulldogs traveled to Kentucky to take on the Wildcats and everything seemed to go downhill.
Despite holding Kentucky to only 12 points, the defensive line struggled to contain the run all night, surrendering 98 yards to Wildcats running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye and 170 total on the ground.
Though some wrote it off as a fluke game, the issues persisted when Georgia traveled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to take on Smart’s former employer — the Crimson Tide.
Alabama immediately rifled off 28 unanswered points to start the game, and quarterback Jalen Milroe finished the contest with 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns — including a 36-yard balancing act down the right field hash on fourth down that put the Tide up four scores.
“The common fan likes to talk about contain, but contain is built on the call and a lot of things outside of just
keep contain. It’s not that simple,” Smart said after the loss to Alabama. “There are defenses where you’re built to go underneath, defenses where you’re built to keep it with the secondary. Sometimes it’s a corner, sometimes it’s a linebacker, sometimes it’s a defensive end. It’s a shared responsibility that we all have to get better at.”
The line looked no better in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry against the Auburn Tigers, surrendering 137 yards on the ground and a touchdown as well. Auburn’s Jarquez Hunter finished the night with 91 yards and a score on just 13 carries. Despite the win, Georgia’s line looked worrying at times which brings concerns with better competition looming.
For now, however, Georgia shifts its attention to the other set of Bulldogs — who have already amassed 683 yards on the ground this far into the season. Although not necessarily eye popping, Mississippi State has a solid one-two punch in Johnnie Daniels and Davon Booth, who have scored a combined four times through five games.
The Georgia defensive unit is allowing a little over 128 rushing yards per game and four touchdowns over its last two competitions. Helmed by seniors Nazir Stackhouse and Warren Brinson, the line was expected to be one of the
line who has stepped up in Williams’ absence, has confidence in the unit though.
“I
Georgia defensive lineman Tyrion
(93)
The University of Texas looks forward to welcoming Bulldog players, coaches and fans to DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium!
We are honored that the nation’s eyes will be on Austin as two storied programs become SEC rivals. Let’s have a great game!
