Oct 102 min read

Battle of the Bulldogs: Georgia Meets Mississippi State

Kirby Smart | Georgia Head Coach — ©Joshua L. Jones/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) look to keep up their winning ways as they host the Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-4, 0-2) at 4:15 p.m. EST on Oct. 12 at Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.

Georgia is coming off a 31-13 victory over the Auburn Tigers (2-4, 0-3), while Mississippi State had a bye last week.

The Stakes

Georgia looks to extend its 27-game home winning streak to 28 and to keep its postseason hopes alive. Mississippi State is searching for its first conference win this year. In looking for the upset, MSU hopes to continue its excellent special teams play, highlighted by two blocked punts—tied for seventh-best nationally in that category.

Key Players: Georgia

QB Carson Beck, WR Arian Smith

After Georgia's heartbreaking loss to No. 7 Alabama (4-1, 1-1) in Week 5, Beck had quite the bounce-back game against the Tigers on Oct. 5, completing 23 of 29 passes for 240 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Smith only had 1 catch in the game against the Tigers but has been quite efficient this season, with 18 catches for 278 yards and 2 TDs.

DL Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, LB Chaz Chambliss

Ingram-Dawkins shined against the Tigers, making 2 quarterback sacks. Chambliss also had a sack in the Auburn game. Through the first five games, both defenders have been steady performers, tallying 10 and 12 tackles, respectively.

Key Players: Mississippi State

WRs Mario Craver, Kevin Coleman Jr.

Craver is an impressive freshman receiver, tied for second among frosh pass-catchers in the SEC with 2 TDs this year. Coleman is a steady performer for Mississippi State. He has caught at least 1 pass in 22 straight games and has 28 receptions this season for 344 yards and 3 TDs.

LB Brandon Jennings, DB Isaac Smith

Jennings has been a workhorse for the Bulldogs' defense in 2024, leading the team in sacks with 1.5 and tackles for loss with 2.5. Smith has also made an impact on the Bulldogs' defense, leading the SEC with 51 total tackles, despite missing the last game against the No. 1 Texas Longhorns (5-0, 1-0).

Trends to Watch

Georgia is currently rated No. 13 nationally in defensive scoring and looks to climb the rankings in that category.

The field possession battle will be critical in this matchup, and in that struggle, Mississippi State features a strong punting game, currently ranked No. 15 in the country.