"UGA" Versus "Bully" by the Numbers: 7 Salient Stats for Saturday's Slugfest

Mississippi State comes out of the starting blocks strong. To this point, they have scored about 33 percent of their total points in the first quarter—41 of their 125 points.

While pretty fair first-quarter warriors themselves, having scored 44 of their 149 points in the first quarter, the Georgia Bulldogs, on the opposite end of the gridiron spectrum, have played their very best defense of the season during the first quarter.

So far, the Dawgs have allowed but one touchdown during the initial stanza of the game, that coming in the season opener against gun-slinging Kellen Moore and the Boise State Broncos. They seem to bounce around, pressure and tackle their best when they are fresh and focused.

While the Bulldogs in red tend to remain relatively balanced in their scoring over the remaining quarters, the Maroon Bulldogs have tended to fade as the game wears on through the second half. If Georgia can hold serve with this trend and slow State down in the first frame, the sledding for Chris Relf and crew should become tougher as the afternoon unfolds.

Murray Cashes in His Miles and Flies the Friendly Skies

While the per game passing yardage against State this season has been unimpressive—196 yards per game, the MSU secondary has allowed opponents to complete 70 percent of their passes, connecting on 91-of-131 tosses for five touchdowns. 

None of the Starkville Bulldogs opponents to date have possessed Georgia's ability to throw the football. Murray has thrown for almost 1,000 yards already this season. While there were preseason concerns about replacing AJ Green's yardage and threat to go deep, it seems clear at this point that the Dawgs still have big-play capability. Freshman Malcom Mitchell has shown Green-like flashes of brilliance through the early season.

State seems most susceptible underneath, which Georgia's evolving and improving short-passing attack should be able to take advantage of. Orson Charles provides a double threat, both short and deep, and Michael Bennett is developing into a nice option as a possession receiver.

Mike Bobo is beginning to utilize the backs more as receivers, and tailbacks Isaiah Crowell and Richard Samuel and fullback Bruce Figgins have had some nice runs after catches thus far.

Dinking the State secondary short should set them up to be torched by Mitchell and Charles as the game develops.

The Dawgs will put up the most yards that the Maroons have seen through the air in the skies over Sanford Stadium on Saturday.

Dawgs Will Hold on Loosely but Won't Let Go

In their first two games against Boise State and South Carolina, time of possession, or ball control, was foe rather than friend to the Bulldogs. Georgia did not grind out enough first downs to make enough encroachments into enemy territory, to deny the ball from the dangerous hands of the opponents' best players and to keep their own defense rested and on the sidelines.

While improving in this area the last two weeks, admittedly against weaker competition, the Bulldogs seem to be developing an attack more geared toward this end. Their rushing attack is gaining ground, and as mentioned, the short-passing attack seems to be taking shape.

This week, against MSU, the Bulldogs look to play keep away from Relf and Company and leave the defense fresh and ready to growl and prowl. State's opponents are averaging maintaining control of the pigskin a little over six minutes more per game—33:08 to 26:52. In addition, State's opponents have nearly as many first downs as do the Bullies—88 to 81. 

The Dawgs in silver britches are going to allow the defense to be rested and ready to run to Relf and top ground gainer, Vic Ballard. The more that they can force Relf into passing situations, the less in his element he will be.

Missing Person Case Solved

Here's a mind-boggling statistic for you—Blair Walsh is 5-of-10 so far this season. That's right—a paltry 50 percent between the 30 and 49-yard lines. This from a career 78 percent field goal kicker, who was 87 percent accurate last season and just under 91 percent as a sophomore.

While no one is perfect, Walsh has virtually been so, and without his sure-footedness, the Bulldogs are missing scoring opportunities that they typically cash in on.

That Walsh will remain MIA for the remainder of the season seems highly unlikely. The Bulldogs have an APB out on him and will appreciate the person or persons responsible for kidnapping the automatic version returning him by game time on Saturday.

Look for the real Blair Walsh to show against the Maroon pups this week.

Boykin Braced To Bust a Move on the Bullies

Brandon Boykin is a great kickoff returner. He is tied with Tennessee's Willie Gault and Arkansas's Felix Jones for most career kickoffs returned for touchdowns at four, has returned three for 100 yards and is the only SEC player to record two 100-yard returns in a single season.

Boykin is currently averaging 24.5 yards per return this season. He provides the Bulldogs offense with good starting field position, and of course, is a threat to break off a long return at the sign of any chink in the opposition's kickoff coverage.

Mississippi State is allowing over 21 yards per kickoff to opposing returners who are not named Brandon Boykin, while averaging only about 15 yards per return themselves. In front of a roaring, red-clad Sanford Stadium crowd, look for Boykin to give the Dawgs great field position and perhaps sole possession of the conference return for touchdown record against MSU during the afternoon. 

Dawgs Will Look To Ground State's Infantry in Favor of Its Air Force

The key to Mississippi State's offense is not rocket science. Thirty-eight percent of MSU's offense comes from tailback Vic Ballard and quarterback Chris Relf running the football. As long as they are effective, then the play action passing game is able to effectively supplement their productivity.

Georgia has yielded 479 yards rushing this season for an average of 119.7 yards per game. State averages 217.5 yards per game—almost 100 yards per game more. However, if you subtract out the 176 yards on 27 carries of Heisman candidate, Marcus Lattimore—who currently has 601 yards rushing and trails only Oregon's LaMichael James by two yards among FBS rushers—from Georgia's totals for the year, the Bulldogs are only surrendering 3.87 yards per rush.

Todd Grantham is most certainly aware of these facts. If he can force State and Relf into passing situations, the Maroon Dogs are far less in their comfort zone. Ballard and fellow running back LaDarius Perkina are Relf's most popular targets with eight receptions apiece out of the backfield.

The Bulldog "D" will look to shut down the Bulldog running attack and force them to the skies, perhaps even forcing State to play Tyler Russellthe better passer but lesser runner, instead of Relf. Forcing MSU to the air could result in opportunities for sacks and picks that could change the game. 

Dorothy Said,

It's just a fact that in football, as well as in most sports, for that matter, that most teams play better at home in familiar surroundings and in front of an adoring, supportive home crowd—most of the time, anyway. While never a sure thing, the home-field advantage of playing "between the hedges" has favored the Bulldogs against their opposition over the years.

This Saturday is no different. Georgia leads the overall series with Mississippi State 16-6, averaging 21.5 points per game while yielding but 12.73. Their advantage at home is even more substantial.

The Bulldogs have beaten MSU 11-of-13 as the home team, going 9-2 in Sanford Stadium. Two games, the 1959 and 1961 contests, were played in Atlanta. In the 11 games played in Athens, the Bulldogs have outscored State 20.3 to 7.3.

Georgia has not lost to MSU in Athens since it dropped the 1956 contest to the Bullies, 19-7.

The odds of history are in Georgia's favor on Saturday.

Un-n-n-n-fortunately, the games aren't played on paper, so when the two teams square off against one another on Saturday it is likely that the loser will be eliminated from any possibility of playing any other role but that of spoiler in their respective division races.

For the Bulldogs of GA, a win could help them climb one more rung on the ladder out of the football recession—http://bleacherreport.com/articles/853440-georgias-football-recession-an-analysis-of-causes-symptoms-and-prognosis - that has gripped the Bulldog nation since the same weekend in 2008.