Georgia Bulldogs Football: Mississippi State Bulldogs to Know for Saturday

The Georgia Bulldogs head to Starkville, Mississippi on Saturday trying to avoid their first three-game losing streak since 1990.

Here Are a Couple of Stats from This Season for You:

Georgia just lost at South Carolina for the first time in 10 years.

Georgia lost to Arkansas for the first time in 17 years.

Georgia is 0-2 in SEC play for the first time in 17 years. 

Those Are the Negatives, But There Are Some Positives as Well:

Georgia has not lost to Mississippi State in 36 years.

Georgia has not lost in Starkville in 59 years.

Now, despite those two additions, the Bulldogs still go into their third SEC showdown as a one-point underdog. One would think that the Dawgs are a superior team, but this season has been so crazy that it's hard to tell.

This game should provide clarity to fans. It's still possible that Georgia is a good football team and South Carolina and Arkansas are just in a different class this season. But it is just as possible that Georgia is not quite up to its normal standards this year. 

Join me on the next few slides as we examine the players who will play a key part for Mississippi State this Saturday. 

Chris Relf

Last Week

5-of-8, 35 yards, 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions

7 carries, 46 yards

This Season

24-of-43, 261 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions

28 carries, 92 yards

The Reaction

Chris Relf, to put it bluntly, has not been very good this season. 

In fact, after he took a big hit in the opening drive of the second half against LSU, Relf was benched by head coach Dan Mullen. He had to watch from the bench as backup Tyler Russell threw three more picks.

Mississippi State thus far is tied with Idaho for the honor of having thrown the most interceptions this season. 

His receivers are also not extraordinarily good. Chris Bumphis, Leon Berry, and Patrick Hanrahan don't exactly strike fear into opponents' hearts. 

This is most likely not going to be the game in which Relf turns it all around. 

Vick Ballard

Last Week

11 carries, 28 yards, 1 touchdown

This Season

23 carries, 101 yards, 4 touchdowns

1 reception, 22 yards

The Reaction

It's never a good thing when your leading rusher took three games to break the 100-yard mark. For comparison's sake, Mark Ingram took all of three carries. 

Mississippi State is still struggling to replace its best running back from last year, Anthony Dixon. Ballard, though a true freshman, is the one upon whose shoulders that massive task has been placed. 

Georgia has shown vulnerability to the run, especially when Marcus Lattimore and South Carolina pounded the ball all game. This could be a breakout game for Ballard, but Georgia will do everything it can to see that the result is a favorable one for the defense. 

Pernell McPhee

Rick Dole/Getty Images

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 24: Quarterback Tim Tebow # 15 of the Florida Gators is rushed by Pernell McPhee # 90 of Mississippi State, resulting in an interception return for a touchdown, during the second half, at Davis Wade Stadium on October 24, 2009 i

Last Week

7-29 loss to LSU

4 tackles, 2 solo, 2 assisted

This Season

13 tackles, 6 solo, 7 assisted

The Reaction

After Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray went down six times last week against Arkansas, the Mississippi State defensive front has to be licking its collective chops. 

The guys up front on D only have four sacks all season and McPhee doesn't have any, but this could be the week. McPhee, a junior college transfer, is the biggest every-down threat for the Bulldogs from Starkville. 

Corey Broomfield

Last Week

4 tackles, 3 solo, 1 assisted

This Season

8 tackles, 5 solo, 3 assisted, 2 passes defensed 

The Reaction

As a freshman last season, Bloomfield tied for the eighth-most interceptions in the country. He had six that year, but has yet to record a single pick in the three games of this year's campaign.

Without A.J. Green again, the Georgia pass attack could struggle once more. Bloomfield will definitely be trying to pressure Murray into making mistakes. 

If Bloomfield gets those picks he desires so much, the Bulldogs from Mississippi State could be victorious. 

Johnthan Banks

Last Week

6 tackles, 3 solo, 3 assisted

This Season

13 tackles, 7 solo, 6 assisted, 1 sack

The Reaction

Johnthan Banks, the free safety for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, leads the team in two different ways.

One is his play on the field, where he is both a leader of the squad and one of the unit's best players.

The other is on the roster, where he wins the prize for having one of the coolest names, due to the four-straight consonants in the middle of his first name.

Last year, in the best game of his short career (Banks is only a sophomore), the free safety picked off Tim Tebow twice and returned both for touchdowns. 

He hopes to have a similar performance this year against Aaron Murray. Expect the freshman quarterback to throw to whichever side of the field Banks is not patrolling.