Sitting atop the College Football Playoff rankings, the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (9-0) will visit the Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-3) on Saturday night in Starkville.
UGA is rolling: five straight SEC wins, including last week’s 27-13 triumph over former No. 1 Tennessee. MSU is coming off a 39-33 overtime win over Auburn in Week 10.
The game is set to kick off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Georgia is a 16.5-point favorite, per BetMGM. The over/under is set at 53.5.
Here’s how Mississippi State could keep the game close.
5
Air it out
Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach is widely known for his potent air-raid offensive scheme.
The Bulldogs from Starkville love to put the football in the air and do it well behind the arm of junior quarterback Will Rodgers, who has had a big season.
Rogers put up 2,912 yards with 26 touchdowns to five interceptions on the season.
Eight MSU receivers have more than 20 catches and five have over 30 receptions.
Georgia’s secondary will be forced to cover the entire field against this offense, which is putting up 325 passing yards per game (second in SEC).
4
Turnover Margin
Mississippi State comes into Week 11 with a plus-3 turnover margin, which ranks 40th in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
After not committing a turnover through the first three games of the season, Georgia has dropped to 73rd in the nation with a 0 turnover margin.
In UGA’s close games this season, the Bulldogs were plagued with turnovers. MSU will have to force mistakes if it is going to keep this game close.
3
Respectable defense
On defense, Mississippi State is sixth in SEC, averaging 360 yards allowed per game and 24 points (eighth).
MSU allows 210 yards passing a game (seventh in SEC) and 150 yards on the ground per game (eighth).
It will be a tall task for Mississippi State’s defense to stop the powerhouse Georgia offense, but UGA will have to respect this unit and avoid mistakes.
MSU cornerback Emmanuel Forbes leads the SEC with five interceptions.
2
On the road in the SEC
The last time we witnessed Georgia visit an opposing SEC team at night was Missouri in Week 5.
The Tigers led the Bulldogs until late in the fourth quarter when UGA sneaked by with a 26-22 win.
While Georgia has returned to form since that matchup, Mississippi State has the home-field advantage here and that should be noted.
1
Let down game?
Georgia is coming off a win in its biggest game of the season and possibly the biggest game in Sanford Stadium history in the victory over Tennessee last Saturday.
No matter how you swing it, that level of emotion and energy into one game doesn’t help stamina the following week.
Coach Kirby Smart will have to keep UGA players focused on the task at hand to avoid a lackluster showing on Saturday.
We’ve seen crazier things happen on the road in the SEC.
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