Campus Clash
(17) Mississippi Stat Bulldogs at (11) Georgia Bulldogs
Mississippi State: You really can’t predict things in sports anymore. Coming into the season, the Mississippi State Bulldogs were projected to finished in sixth place in the always active conference known as the SEC. They haven’t looked like a sixth place team at all so far. After three games, which have all been wins, they are ranked 11th in the nation in scoring averaging 47 points per game and they lead the SEC in rushing as they run the ball and average 297 yards per game. It’s safe to say that the world of college football is unknown of this football team. They’ve quietly handled business and have won their first three games by a combined score of 143-28. What they did against a heavily favored LSU Tigers team at home on Saturday night told me a lot about them. Let’s talk about the quarterback, Mr. Nick Fitzgerald. He’s a dual-threat at the position and has been a problem for defenses since being named the starting quarterback last season. At 6’5 and 230 pounds, he’s a big kid with the ability to really be a game-changer and has accounted for a total of 51 total touchdowns. He’s able to run it, move the pocket, make a throw on the run and can fake an entire defense out with the hard play-action fake and he’s off to the races for a big gain and potentially six points. I really feel he’s a dark-horse Heisman contender. As explosive as their offense is, their defense has been no slouch either. They’re averaging 9.3 points per game on that side of the football. Dan Mullen has these guys playing with the utmost confidence right now. We thought they’d get a true test from LSU in week three and that was far from one, but on Saturday night, they’ll have one in Athens when they take on the Bulldogs of Georgia.
Georgia: This was my Summer pick to win the SEC East and when you look at that entire division as a whole, it’s extremely unpredictable because Florida has their issues offensively, Tennessee has problems getting off to fast starts, South Carolina and Kentucky are both on the up-rise, so I really think this is Georgia’s division for the taking. Kirby Smart has done a nice job with these guys since being hired as the head coach. Quarterback Jacob Eason has been sidelined with a knee injury and true freshman Jake Fromm has come in and filled in nicely for Eason. My biggest takeaway from Fromm is leading the Georgia Bulldogs into South Bend for a primetime game and coming away with a victory. It’s tough to get a win on the road in a primetime game, but he did just that. For years, I have raved about running back Nick Chubb and he’s finally staying healthy and when he does, he puts up big numbers like he did on Saturday against Samford. He led the Bulldogs ground attack with 16 carries, 131 yards rushing and two touchdowns. As an offense, they can score. They average 31 points a game and they aren’t a slouch either as they’ve allowed 14 points per game. It’s been a nice year so far in Athens with the win over Notre Dame in week two and they’re 3-0 to start everything off. This will be a tough challenge for them with a streaking Mississippi State coming to town for a prime-time showdown.
Mississippi State Player To Watch: Jonathan Abram– He began his collegiate career in Athens and after the coaching change, he decided to move on. He’s from Starksville, Mississippi so this was a natural choice. Every defense has that guy in the back end that wants to make a hit when it matters and is the enforcer, that’s him. I expect him to be all over the field on Saturday night getting to Chubb, defending a receiver in space and making a tackle.
Georgia Player To Watch: Lorenzo Carter– This is a kid that senses the ball, he gets there and then makes a play whether it’s a tackle, a strip, and fumble recovery or an interception. He does just about everything to get into the backfield to pressure the quarterback and stop the running back.
Final Analysis: This game is one that will have the eyes of the college football fan. Mississippi is ranked in the top ten in four of the major defensive categories and if they can keep this up, this could be the true threat to Alabama in the SEC. Dan Mullen’s club needs to make Georgia a passing team because they will want to come out and establish the run. Make that true freshman quarterback beat you by passing the football. Georgia will get a challenge with Nick Fitzgerald. That defensive front needs to take away the edges to where he has no type of space to run or move and contain him. For Georgia’s offense, I see the play action being their best friend on Saturday.
Prediction: Mississippi State 31 Georgia 21
