Orange Bowl 2014: Keys for Each Team in Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech

While most college football fans have their eyes set on the College Football Playoff games, the Orange Bowl might end up being the best matchup of the entire bowl season.

Mississippi State was one of the best stories of 2014, as the Bulldogs came out of nowhere to reach the No. 1 spot in the polls. Losses to Alabama and Ole Miss knocked the team out of the playoff picture, but it still proved to be one of the best squads in the nation.

Georgia Tech didn't reach those heights, although the Yellow Jackets were a few plays away from potentially beating Florida State in the ACC Championship Game. After consecutive losses to Duke and North Carolina earlier in the year, earning one of the New Year's Six bowls is an impressive accomplishment for Georgia Tech.

Although neither program has as much history as those competing for a national championship, these unconventional teams will be just as much fun to watch.

The question is which team will be able to secure a prestigious win to end the year. In a close game, it will likely come down to which side does a better job of following these keys to victory.

Mississippi State

Stick with the Run

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One of the biggest mistakes successful teams make when they go down is abandoning the run. After Florida State's Dalvin Cook rushed for 177 yards against Georgia Tech in the ACC title game, though, we know Mississippi State has to rely on the ground attack as much as possible.

Quarterback Dak Prescott is known for his ability to make plays with either his arm or his legs, but he was asked to do too much in losses to Ole Miss and Alabama. Running back Josh Robinson, who seemed headed for stardom at the start of the year, has averaged only 9.3 carries in the last four games.

Of course, it's important to remember how talented the junior running back can be when he gets a chance. Chase Goodbread of NFL.com makes a quality comparison:

Meanwhile, this play against Kentucky made Robinson look like Marshawn Lynch at his best:

Obviously, Prescott will need to have a major role in this game for the Bulldogs to win. However, leaning on Robinson as well as Ashton Shumpert and Brandon Holloway will help the team in this one.

Create Penetration on Defense

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Stopping the triple-option attack from Georgia Tech is not easy. It's even harder without a defensive coordinator, which is the case for Mississippi State after Geoff Collins left to coach at Florida.

Head coach Dan Mullen recently explained that challenge, per Alex Scarborough of ESPN.com:

"

They’re just unorthodox. Everyone has their own unique style of offense, but often times there’s a lot of crossover. Today, people are going to run this play under center, from the shotgun, from four-wide, from three tight ends, but the schemes are similar. When you play Tech, it’s very, very unique in their schemes and how they do things—all the chop-blocking they do and all that stuff is just something that’s very, very different that you don’t see on a weekly basis.

"

While everyone seems to have his or her own strategy for slowing down the option, the best chance you have is to get penetration into the backfield. You need defenders to blow up the play and force the quarterback to make a quick decision, if you even give him a chance to decide.

Players such as Preston Smith and linebacker Benardrick McKinney have to get into the opposing backfield and tackle the ball-carrier before he is able to turn up the field. 

If the Bulldogs sit back and wait for the play to come to them, Georgia Tech will run all over them.

Georgia Tech

Force Interceptions

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Every defense wants to get interceptions, but it's another thing to aggressively go after them. That is what Georgia Tech has done for most of the season, grabbing 17 in the first 12 games to rank among the best in the nation.

Unfortunately, the Yellow Jackets couldn't get any turnovers against Florida State, which is amazing considering Jameis Winston's struggles with controlling the football going into the day.

Prescott hasn't thrown an interception in the last two games, but this came after a stretch of eight picks in four games against SEC opponents. Heather Dinich of ESPN.com noted the quarterback cost his team a chance at a win against Alabama late in the year:

Georgia Tech can change the game by getting interceptions, ending drives and setting up the offense for easy points. The secondary has built itself to succeed in this way, and Prescott can fall into the trap.

The key is to make the necessary plays, even if it means being overly aggressive looking for the turnover.

Finish Drives

Georgia Tech might rely too much on the run, but the squad knows how to move the ball up and down the field. That helps the unit average 37 points per game to rank 19th in the nation.

The amazing thing is this team could be so much better. The Yellow Jackets rank just No. 86 in FBS in red-zone scoring, getting points on just 79.7 percent of drives.

In 69 possessions inside the opponent's 20-yard line, Justin Thomas and Co. have gotten into the end zone just 47 times. That is a lot of touchdowns, but imagine how successful this squad would be if it was scoring at a higher rate.

Of course, it will be even tougher against Mississippi State, which has excelled at coming through when it matters most, as noted by Tyler Duffy of The Big Lead:

"

Mississippi State was 13th nationally in opponent 3rd down conversions. No. 1 nationally in opponent Red Zone TD percentage.

— Tyler Duffy (@tyduffy) December 16, 2014"

Only 60 percent of drives into the red zone result in any points against the Bulldogs. They force turnovers and make stops to keep opponents off the board and stay in the lead.

If Georgia Tech fails to take advantage of long drives and falls short of the end zone, this will be an easy win for Mississippi State.

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