Mississippi State vs. Georgia: UGA Defense Stout in the Win, Offense Sputters

Another game in Athens, another must win for the Georgia Bulldogs.

That was the theme against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday, because if Georgia came out of the game with a loss, its dream of a SEC title will be over.

But thanks to an impressive defensive performance and a solid running game, UGA was able to come away with its third consecutive win.

Before the season began, there were questions about the Georgia defense because they were a letdown last year. But now with this season five games in, it looks like the defense for Georgia is coming together.

Last year, Georgia allowed Mississippi State quarterback Chris Relf to throw for 150 yards and rush for over 100 yards. In the game on Saturday, Relf was able to throw for 150 yards, but he was held to only yards rushing.

Mississippi State could never get anything going on offense and the reason for that is the UGA defense played what could be its best game of the year. From the defensive line, linebackers and secondary, the unit was on point for all 60 minutes.

But there were a few players that stood out for Georgia. Michael Gilliard, who has stepped in at inside linebacker for an injured Alec Ogletree, was outstanding on Saturday. Gilliard led the team with nine tackles.

Outside linebacker Jarvis Jones and Cornelius Washington are getting better each week. Each had two sacks and both were giving the Mississippi State offensive line.

Sanders Commings was the top defensive back as he intercepted a Relf pass and recovered a Mississippi State fumble. Commings got off to a rocky start at the start of the season, but it seems he has learned from his mistakes and playing with more confidence.

As good as the defense was, the offense struggled to get anything going in the second half. One could argue Georgia was playing conservative in the second half because the defense was playing so well. But they would have liked to put more points on the board just to prove that they could.

Aaron Murray did throw for two touchdowns, but he did throw three interceptions which is something that he rarely does. He was sharp in the beginning of the game, but when Mississippi State adjusted to Murray, he struggled to keep drives going.

It was good to see the running game working—Isaiah Crowell was able to rush for 104 yards. Thank makes it the third time in five games Crowell has rushed for over 100 yards.

Overall, the offense has to play all four quarters in order to win on a consistent basis. They were able to get away with it because the defense was on fire, but odds are that won’t happen again this season, especially facing offenses like Florida and Georgia Tech down the road.

This was a good win for Georgia and they should build on it.

But they know they have to play better each week because the schedule will get tougher, and if they want to win the SEC, they have to make it a goal to play their best football from here on out.

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