After knocking off Florida last Saturday, No. 5 Georgia will face Mississippi State on the road this week.
The Bulldogs of Starkville (5-4, 1-4) got their first conference win last week, defeating Arkansas 38-35 in a thriller.
Georgia’s Kirby Smart said he respects how fast Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby has turned the team around.
“I know Jeff well. He’s a good guy and has done a great job with the energy and enthusiasm coming out of that program,” Smart told reporters on Monday. “You can see it in the way their kids play. They’ve got no quit in them; these guys have competed. They have been in every game they’ve played.”
However, the Maroon Bulldogs have been on the losing end of three games decided by seven points or less. Their luck changed drastically against the Razorbacks last week, though, as they managed to pull out the close win.
Smart expects that success will provide Mississippi State with a lot of confidence coming into Saturday’s matchup.
“It shows hard work pays off,” Smart said. “They’ve continued to work hard. They’ve stayed true to themselves. All you’ve got to do is watch the tape. They’ve been in every game. They’ve had several games they should’ve won — games they could’ve won — but they didn’t.
“Obviously, it didn’t slow them down, even against Arkansas. Every game they’ve been in, they’ve scored tons of points. They’re a hard team to beat.”
Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen leads an offense that averages 33.22 points per game, ranking them eighth in the SEC.
The Maroon Bulldogs run a pass-first offense, averaging just over 250 yards per contest. Through nine games, Shapen has completed 65.1% of his passes for 2,148 yards, 15 touchdowns, and six interceptions this year.
Mississippi State also uses backup Kamario Taylor in running packages. He’s rushed for 147 yards and two scores.
“He’s got great arm talent, great vision, and quick release, which is critical in their offense,” Smart said of Shapen. “He can spin it. He understands their system and knows where to go with the ball; he makes all the decisions in terms of running, throwing, and box counts. He’s a very experienced, talented player, and he’s also got great legs, and they’ve got another quarterback (Taylor) who is a really good player as well.”
Former Georgia wide receiver Anthony Evans III and Brenen Thompson are Mississippi State’s leading receivers. The two playmakers have combined to catch 93 passes for 1,369 yards and 10 touchdowns this year.
The Maroon Bulldogs also have two solid options at running back in Fluff Bothwell and Davon Booth.
Defensively, Mississippi State has struggled at times, giving up an average of 24.67 points a game. However, the unit is known for being “disruptive” up front, with 18 sacks and 45 tackles for loss so far this season.
Smart said the Maroon Bulldogs’ defensive strengths are getting after the quarterback and creating turnovers.
“They’re very disruptive. They confuse you with different packages. They have some different looks they use. They’ve got some long length,” Smart said. “I haven’t seen this kind of length in a long time. That corner and safety in terms of length allows you to tip balls, knock balls down, and intercept balls.
“They’ve done a really good job this year creating those turnovers. They’re plus in the margin and any time you’re plus in the margin, in our league that’s winning, because it’s a really competitive league in terms of turnovers.”
Georgia and Mississippi State will kick off at noon EST Saturday.