Orange Bowl 2014: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More

If the initial College Football Playoff games are the main course for the New Year’s six bowls, an Orange Bowl showdown between Georgia Tech and Mississippi State is a worthy appetizer.

The Yellow Jackets will test their effective and difficult-to-prepare-for triple-option offense against the stout SEC defense of the Bulldogs. On the other side, Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott will look to put the cherry on top of what has been a special season. 

Here is a look at the essential information for Wednesday’s game.

2014 Orange Bowl

Matchup: Georgia Tech vs. Mississippi State

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 31

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN 

Spread: Mississippi State (-7), via Odds Shark, as of Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. ET

Injury Report (via USA Today)

Player	Pos.	Date	Details	Status	Injury
Jabari Hunt-Days	DE	12/30/2014	is expected to miss the Orange Bowl Wednesday against Mississippi State	Out	eligibility
Jalen Johnson	S	12/25/2014	is questionable for the Orange Bowl Wednesday against Mississippi State	Questionable	neck
Austin McClellan	RB	12/25/2014	is questionable for the Orange Bowl Wednesday against Mississippi State	Questionable	concussion
Nick Menocal	LB	09/03/2014	has left the team	Out	personal
Michael Preddy	DL	12/25/2014	is questionable for the Orange Bowl Wednesday against Mississippi State	Questionable	foot
Rusty Scott	LB	12/25/2014	is questionable for the Orange Bowl Wednesday against Mississippi State	Questionable	ankle
DeAndre Smelter	WR	12/25/2014	is expected to miss the Orange Bowl Wednesday against Mississippi State	Out	knee
Broderick Snoddy	RB	11/16/2014	is expected to miss the remainder of the season	Out	leg
Brady Swilling	QB	12/25/2014	is questionable for the Orange Bowl Wednesday against Mississippi State	Questionable	hand
Roderick Tyler	DB	12/25/2014	is questionable for the Orange Bowl Wednesday against Mississippi State	Questionable	ankle
Tony Zenon	RB	12/25/2014	is expected to miss the Orange Bowl Wednesday against Mississippi State	Out	knee

Player	Pos.	Date	Details	Status	Injury
Shelby Christy	WR	08/31/2014	will miss the entire season	Out	knee
Justin Cox	S	11/21/2014	is suspended indefinitely	Suspended	disciplinary
Dezmond Harris	LB	10/20/2014	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	knee
Cedric Jiles	CB	08/15/2014	is out indefinitely	Out	hamstring
Damien Robinson	T	08/19/2014	will miss the entire season	Out	knee

Preview/Prediction

When Mississippi State gets the ball, it starts and ends with Prescott under center.

He finished with 2,996 passing yards, 939 rushing yards and 37 total touchdowns on the season and was a Heisman Trophy contender midway through the year when his team was 6-0 with impressive wins over LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn.

However, he threw three crippling interceptions in the loss to Alabama and did not touch 100 yards rushing in any of the final six games of the season.

Prescott isn’t the only Mississippi State offensive star who started off on fire and then cooled off down the stretch. Running back Josh Robinson finished with 1,128 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, but 887 of those yards came in the first seven games of the year. He did not hit the century mark in the final five games, which was another reason the Bulldogs missed the initial College Football Playoff.

Mississippi State could bounce back in this bowl game against a Yellow Jackets defense that finished a measly 71st in the country in rushing defense, so there will be opportunities for both Prescott and Robinson to make plays on the ground.

Of course, the Georgia Tech secondary also finished 63rd in the country against the pass, so if the Yellow Jackets have to stuff the box to stop the run, it could open up some play-action passes for Prescott and the Bulldogs in the second half.

If there is one thing Georgia Tech can point to on defense, it is the ability to convert turnovers into points. Only Washington finished with more defensive touchdowns than the Yellow Jackets, which is an X-factor to watch in this one. 

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

If Georgia Tech is going to score, though, it will be with the triple-option that finished third in the nation in rushing yards per game and 18th in scoring offense. With so much misdirection and speed all over the field, the Yellow Jackets should be able to make some big plays on the ground.

Martin Rickman of Sports Illustrated believes that Mississippi State defensive end Preston Smith is one of the X-factors for this game against the triple-option:

"

Stopping the option takes patience and discipline, and maintaining gap control will be critical if the Bulldogs hope to slow down Georgia Tech on New Year’s Eve. Good thing Mississippi State has Smith, a first-team All-SEC player who had nine sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss on the year.

"

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

Mississippi State’s only chance in this one is for Smith and the rest of the defense to make the Yellow Jackets one-dimensional. The Bulldogs were 25th in the country against the run but haven’t faced an offense like Georgia Tech's this season. It is almost impossible to prepare for the number of different directions that the Yellow Jackets can go with their attack, even with extended time.

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson discussed his offense against the strong Mississippi State defense, via Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press: "We're going to do what we do and they're going to do what they do. It's going to be a big challenge for both teams, I think. And it'll probably end up somewhere in the middle."

Even with all the attention on the triple-option against Mississippi State, the opportunistic Georgia Tech defense that has thrived off creating scoring opportunities will ultimately take advantage of a Mississippi State offense that was much less effective down the stretch of the season.

Look for a Bulldogs turnover late in the fourth quarter that sets the triple-option up in favorable field position. That will be enough to pull off the upset for the ACC. 

Prediction: Georgia Tech 27, Mississippi State 21

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