What just happened: Georgia wallops Mississippi State in rout

When Nate Frazier cut behind Micah Morris’ block, there was no stopping him.

Monroe Freeling and Oscar Delp were at the second level laying blocks as well, with Frazier needing to beat one man to reach the end zone on this carry early in the third quarter. Frazier ran toward the sideline, turned up field, beat the defender and completed a 59-yard rushing touchdown. This score proved to be the kill shot against Mississippi State, with Georgia eventually winning 41-21.

This game was much different than most of Georgia’s other conference games. Five of Georgia’s previous six SEC contests were decided by one score, with Georgia winning four of them. Although Georgia’s road trip to Mississippi State had trap game potential, it turned out to be anything but that.

After a shaky first defensive series, which saw Mississippi State go up 7-0, Georgia took care of business the rest of the way. Georgia reeled off 38 unanswered points before Mississippi State answered.

Frazier, who in recent weeks had taken a backseat statistically to Chauncey Bowens, exploded for 12 carries for 181 rushing yards and the touchdown. Bowens rushed seven times for 28 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Gunner Stockton completed 18 of 29 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns.

On the other side of the ball, Georgia’s defense did a great job against an offense that has put up plenty of yards and points in recent weeks. Georgia sacked Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen twice and forced a fumble from him in the first quarter.

What it means

Georgia will remain in the top five of the College Football Playoff rankings. The offense continues to keep teams off balanced, which will keep the Bulldogs, at minimum, in every game they play the rest of the season.

This performance was as close to a complete game as Georgia has played this season. While Mississippi State has not been good at finishing games, it has been competitive. The only team to blow out Mississippi State this season was Texas A&M in a 31-9 win. Georgia’s victory was on par with Texas A&M’s and put the conference on notice about a program that just might be peaking at the right time.

A question that needs answering

Has Georgia’s defense figured itself out?

It’s easy to jump to conclusions based off one game, especially in a sport that only plays one game per week. But Georgia’s defense sure looked night and day compared to most of its other games this season.

The reason for potential hope is that this outing follows last week’s showing against Florida, which saw the defense make strides, both in third-down stops and in the secondary. Mississippi State has thrown for a lot of yards this year, so to limit this group the way Georgia did is both impressive and possibly a sign of things to come.

Of course, next week against Texas will truly determine whether the Georgia defense has righted the ship.

Three important plays

First-quarter forced fumble: Following Georgia’s second sack of the first quarter, Mississippi State faced a third-and-19 and had Shapen carry the ball with hopes of adding some extra room to punt the ball away. Instead, Quintavius Johnson forced a fumble, which was recovered by KJ Bolden. This turnover led to a Bowens touchdown just four offensive plays later.

Mississippi State hates points, apparently: Down 17-7, Mississippi State drove the ball down to the Georgia 23-yard line. Even though it has a solid kicking game, Mississippi State elected to go for it on fourth-and-5. Mississippi State was unable to convert, allowing Georgia to keep its 10-point lead.

Fourth-down chess match: With 30 seconds to go in the second quarter and facing a fourth-and-3 from Mississippi State 38-yard line, Georgia lined up to go for it before calling a timeout. It brought the punt team out but subbed the offense back on to confuse Mississippi State, which forced head coach Jeff Lebby to call a timeout. Georgia’s offense then came back on the field and drew Mississippi State offside. This exceptional coaching maneuver led to a Zachariah Branch touchdown just three plays later to put Georgia up 24-7 at the half.

Grading Georgia

Offense: A

Even with Dillon Bell’s lost fumble in the first quarter, the offense was magnificent. Georgia may not load up on explosive plays but it moves the ball methodically down the field like no one else in the country. Perhaps this is a hot take but Georgia has the most balanced offense in the country. And it’s only getting better.

Defense: B+

Things are beginning to trend up for the Georgia defense, which has put together two solid showings in a row. The Bulldogs only gave up one touchdown when the game mattered. A major test against Texas awaits next week.

Special teams: B

Peyton Woodring had another kickoff go out of bounds, which needs to be eliminated. Those are the miscues that can cost you in close games. Thankfully for Georgia, this game was never in doubt.

Season grades to date

Offense: B

Defense: C

Special teams: A-