UGA's next opponent: Mississippi State
Georgia's next opponent: Mississippi State
When: Noon Saturday
TV; radio: Fox Sports South; 750, 95.5
Mississippi State's record: 2-2, 0-2 SEC
Last time played: Sept. 25, 2010, when Mississippi State defeated Georgia 24-12 in Starkville. Georgia trailed throughout the game and squandered an early scoring chance on a Washaun Ealey fumble at the goal line.
Mississippi State on offense: Senior quarterback Chris Relf had a rocky game against Louisiana Tech last week but wound up throwing a touchdown pass for a 26-20 win in overtime. He is a dual-threat quarterback who has four career 100-yard rushing games, including last season's game against Georgia. Coach Dan Mullen's spread offense likes to use a strong running game to set up the pass. Mississippi State has two threats at running back: Vick Ballard, who rushed for 968 yards and scored 20 touchdowns last season, and LaDarius Perkins. They shared the carries last week, with Ballard getting 17 and Perkins 12 for a combined 122 yards.
Mississippi State on defense: Junior cornerbacks Johnthan Banks and Corey Broomfield have combined for 19 career interceptions (10 and 9, respectively). Senior linebacker Brandon Wilson had a career-best 18 tackles last week, the most by any SEC player in a game this season. Mississippi State had three defensive players taken in this year's NFL draft.
Mississippi State on special teams: Chad Bumphis returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown last week. Derek DePasquale has made 27 of 32 career field-goal attempts, with a long of 48 yards.
What you should know: Mississippi State, which last season defeated Georgia for the first time since 1974, hasn't won in Athens since 1956 and hasn't won back-to-back games against UGA since 1951 and '56. Georgia had won nine in a row against MSU before last season and is 15-3 in the series since 1959.
Coach: Dan Mullen, previously the offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer at Florida, is in his third season at Mississippi State and has a 16-13 record.
-- Tim Tucker
About the Author
Tim Tucker, a long-time AJC sports reporter, often writes about the business side of the games. He also had stints as the AJC's Braves beat writer, UGA beat writer, sports notes columnist and executive sports editor. He was deputy managing editor of America's first all-sports newspaper, The National Sports Daily.
