Three Keys to Dawgs Domination in Mississippi State vs Georgia

Brooks Austin | 5 Hours Ago

Georgia coach Kirby Smart rects on the sideline during the second half of a NCAA Aflac Kickoff game against Tennessee Tech in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Georgia Bulldogs and the Mississippi State Bulldogs will face off for the 27th time on Saturday afternoon inside Sanford Stadium. The Georgia Bulldogs lead the series (20-6) having won the last four matchups. The last time these two teams faced off back in 2022 in Starkville, Mississippi, Georgia won (45-19).

There's been plenty of change since then for both football programs, most notably for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Mike Leach was the coach that season in 2022, but since his passing, Will Arnett has been hired and fired, now Jeff Leby is in year one as the head coach.

Georgia is a considerable favorite in the contest, north of 30+ points on most sportsbooks. So, here's how they handle business on Saturday.

Three Keys to Dawgs Domination on Saturday

Three and Outs
This Mississippi State offense plays in hyper-speed on the offensive side of the ball. "They are faster than Tennessee, they are faster than Ole Miss, in terms of pace," said Kirby Smart this week when talking about this unit. So, if you're going to rack up a lead quickly against this team — as Toledo, Florida, Arizona State, and Texas have managed to do — the key is to stack three and outs on defense. If you allow the chains to move, they will stack explosives offensively and when they get int he redzone they score. They've only managed to create 14 redzone possessions, but they've scored 11 TDs to just 3 FGs.

Maintain Possession
There's going to a point in this football game where Mississippi's defense is going to have been on the field for what feels like the entirety of a quarter. Even in a game in which they won against Eastern Kentucky 56 to 7, Mississippi State managed to lose the Time of Possession battle 38 minutes to just 22. You will inevatibly break this defensive unit if you're keeping them out on the field even more than their offense already does. They've allowed at least 120 yards on the ground in each game they've played this season, allowing 256 yards per game vs Power4 opponents.

Killshots
It can't just be methodical Saturday right? Eventually there's going to have to be some type of explosive play made by this Georgia offense. The passing attack's efficiency of late has been riddled with drops and misses. That's led to a bit of a staggering of the run game due to teams being able to overcommit to the run. However, Mississippi State ranks 123rd in explosive plays allowed on defense. If you can't get loose and confident in this football game, it's on you.

Other Georgia News:

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  Georgia Stays Put in Latest AP Poll Rankings
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• Georgia Bulldogs Open As Massive Favorites Over Mississippi State

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