Georgia gains momentum ahead of Texas showdown, dominates Mississippi State
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Georgia bullied the home team in the battle of SEC Bulldogs, as UGA became the ninth FBS program with 900 or more all-time wins.
The No. 5 Bulldogs from Georgia notched a 41-21 win over Mississippi State at Davis Wade Stadium on a sun-splashed Saturday afternoon in Starkville.
Sophomore Nate Frazier rushed for a career-high 181 yards as UGA piled up a season-high 567 yards offense while holding MSU to 322 yards.
Gunner Stockton was 18-of-29 passing for 264 yards and three touchdowns — also rushing for 31 yards — before leaving the game at the 10:02 mark with Georgia up 41-14.
The win gives UGA (8-1, 6-1 SEC) momentum heading into next week’s 7:30 p.m. showdown with No. 11 Texas (7-2, 4-1), which did not play a game this week.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart suggested the Bulldogs have maintained an even-keel level of preparation throughout the season regardless of opponent.
“We’re not a roller-coaster program,” said Smart, whose UGA team has appeared in seven of the last eight SEC championship games. “We have a process we believe in. We don’t get caught up in the moments of wins and losses.
“I mean, we just keep chopping wood.”
The Bulldogs chopped up the Longhorns twice last season, winning 30-15 in Austin and then 22-19 in overtime in the SEC championship game.
It’s a Texas team fighting for its College Football Playoff life. A third loss would likely eliminate the Longhorns from consideration to make the 12-team playoff field.
Texas has won four straight and seven of its last eight since entering the season as the preseason No. 1-ranked team and losing at Ohio State in its opener.
Georgia, like the Longhorns, is aiming to secure a CFP bid. A second loss would likely eliminate UGA from SEC championship game consideration and drop UGA in the CFP rankings, which come out at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
A Georgia win over Texas, however, would put the Bulldogs in position to carry a high enough seed into the playoffs to host a first-round game — with wins over Charlotte (1-7) and Georgia Tech (8-1) — even if UGA does not play in the SEC title game.
First things first, Smart had to have his team dialed in on Saturday for an upset-minded Mississippi State team (5-5, 1-5).
“I thought that was a total team effort, really tough place to play,” Smart said. “They’ve been in every game they’ve played.”
The Maroon Bulldogs held a 17-point lead over Texas in the fourth quarter of those teams’ game two weeks ago before the Longhorns won in overtime, 45-38.
Mississippi State led Georgia on Saturday, too, but only for one quarter.
UGA rallied with three touchdowns in the second quarter, holding the home team scoreless in the second stanza, taking a 24-7 lead into halftime.
Georgia, which entered the day with just four plays of 40 yards or more in its previous six SEC games, opened the second half with explosive touchdowns on its first two drives.
Frazier broke loose for a 59-yard touchdown run that made it 31-7, and then Noah Thomas scored on a 64-yard catch-and-run, weaving through the Mississippi State defense as UGA’s lead went to 38-7 less than six minutes into the second-half action.
“So proud of the middle eight minutes,” Smart said of the end of the first half and beginning of the second half, as Georgia scored 21 points in less than six minutes of game action.
“I think that was the difference in the game.”
Georgia didn’t attempt its first punt of the game until later in the third quarter on its eight drive of the game.
However, UGA did turn the ball over once when officials ruled Dillon Bell fumbled at the MSU 1 on Georgia’s second drive of the game.
Peyton Woodring closed out Georgia’s scoring with his second field goal of the day — following his first-quarter 49-yard field goal — with a 46-yarder in the fourth quarter that made the score 41-14.
MSU backup quarterback Kamario Taylor, who opened the day’s scoring with a 4-yard touchdown run, also closed the scoring, running in from 2 yards out with 4:47 left.
Taylor was 6-of-10 passing for 87 yards and rushed 12 times for 53 yards and three touchdowns.
Mississippi State starting quarterback Blake Shapen was 10-of-15 passing for a season-low 86 yards and was sacked twice before leaving the game late in the third quarter with an undisclosed injury.
About the Author
Mike is in his eighth season covering SEC and Georgia athletics for AJC-DawgNation and has 30 years of collegiate sports multimedia experience, 25 of them in the SEC including beat writer stops at Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee and now Georgia. Mike was named the National FWAA Beat Writer of the Year in January, 2018.
