#11 Georgia Bulldogs Capture Decisive Win, 31-3, Over #17 Mississippi State

Georgia (4-0) Moves To Knoxville Next Saturday To Face Tennessee (3-1) At Neyland Stadium

  • Sunday, September 24, 2017
  • special report
Dawgs dominated in front of a capacity crowd of 92,746 at Sanford Stadium.
Dawgs dominated in front of a capacity crowd of 92,746 at Sanford Stadium.
photo by UGAA

ATHENS, Ga. — The Georgia Bulldogs were impressive in nearly every phase of the game Saturday evening as they took down Mississippi State, 31-3. The MSU Bulldogs came into the game after upsetting LSU, 37-7, last week

For the first time in the series, both teams entered the game ranked in the top 25, and it was No.

11 Georgia with a victory over #17 MSU. 

Georgia leads the all-time series 18-6, including 10 in a row in Athens. Saturday's win marked the biggest margin of victory over MSU since a 47-0 shutout here in 1997.

Freshman QB Jake Fromm connected with junior Terry Godwin for a 59-yard touchdown on the Bulldogs’ first play from the line of scrimmage and Georgia never looked back.  The pass came after Fromm handed off to senior Nick Chubb and he tossed it back to Fromm.  This was a career long for both Fromm and Godwin.  This was the first time the Bulldogs scored on the game’s opening play since Isaiah McKenzie took a hand-off 55 yards for a score in 2016 against Louisiana.

The Bulldogs from Athens improve to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in Southeastern Conference action this season, while Mississippi State picked up its first loss of 2017 to fall to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in league play.

In an all-around sound performance, Georgia out gained Mississippi State yardage wise by a 404 to 280 total. MSU came into Saturday’s contest averaging an SEC-best 47.7 points and 493 yards per game.

Fromm hit 9-of-12 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns, while a balanced rushing attack featured a quartet of Bulldogs that included Chubb with 81 yards, D’Andre Swift with 69, Sony Michel with 32 and Brian Herrien with 21.

Definsively, redshirt-sophomore defensive back J.R. Reed led Georgia with 10 tackles, while both Deandre Baker and Dominick Sanders recorded interceptions — Georgia’s first of the year. On special teams, sophomore place kicker Rodrigo Blankenship continues his torrid pace on kickoffs with six touchbacks and added a 49-yard field goal.

“We came out and played with a lot of toughness,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “Our mantra all week was discipline, discipline, discipline. I thought we executed pretty well.”

It took just 10 seconds for Georgia to get on the board on its first offensive possession thanks to the flea-flicker play and pass Fromm to Godwin.

On the next offensive possession, Georgia put the ball in the end zone once again — this time Chubb ran it in from 7-yards out to cap off an 8-play, 78-yard drive.

The Bulldogs from Starkville added a field goal in the second quarter and the two teams went to the half with Georgia leading 14-3.

The second half started much like the first for the SEC East Bulldogs. This time, Chubb took a direct snap 28 yards on UGA’s first possession to give the home team a 21-3 lead.

As was the case most all night, Georgia’s defense came up with a big play as Baker picked off a Nick Fitzgerald pass to set the Bulldogs up in Mississippi State territory. Georgia converted on a 3rd-and-1 as Fromm hit sophomore tight end Isaac Nauta across the middle on a play action pass to put UGA up 28-3.

Not to be outdone, Baker’s teammate Sanders picked off a pass on MSU’s next possession to set up a 49-yard field goal by Blankenship. The Marietta, Georgia native connected from that distance to give Georgia the final 31-3 advantage.

Sanders now has 13 interceptions in his career, tying him for the top spot on the NCAA active list, and along with head coach Kirby Smart and three others for fifth in the school record books.  Sanders returned the pick 15 yards.  He now stands No. 2 on the school’s all-time list with 311 return yards behind Hall of Famer Jake Scott (315).

“We finally had a couple of turnovers,” Smart added. “It’s been a long time coming. I can’t say enough about our defensive staff. They have worked really hard with the defensive group.”

MSU came into the game averaging 47.7 points/game (No. 1 in SEC/No. 9 nationally) and 493 yards/game and tonight was held to just 3 points and 280 yards of total offense, the first time in the Dan Mullen era they’ve been held under 300 yards. 

In the first half, Georgia limited MSU to only 133 yards and a field goal. Also, the game ended with a stop by the UGA defense at the 2. Reed led the Bulldogs with a career-high 10 stops while junior ILB Roquan Smith had eight stops.

Sports
Chattanooga Women Third At Spring Break Shootout
  • 3/18/2024

The Chattanooga Mocs got off to a solid start at the Spring Break Shootout. The ladies are 4 under on Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club’s South Course carding 280 over the opening 18 and 284 ... more

Sweetwater's Keke Norfolk Signs With Cleveland State
Sweetwater's Keke Norfolk Signs With Cleveland State
  • 3/18/2024

Keke Norfolk of Sweetwater High School signed a National Letter of Intent with the Cleveland State women’s basketball team this past week. Norfolk a 5’9” guard/forward, becomes the first signee ... more

Vol Baseball Win Streak Ends At 17 At Alabama
  • 3/18/2024

No. 5/5 Tennessee's 17-game winning streak came to an end with a 6-3 loss to No. 12/14 Alabama on Saturday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide (16-3, 1-1 SEC) ... more