Saturday, September 23

Athens, Ga.

7:00 PM

University of Georgia

Mississippi State

Tickets

Notes: Georgia Opens SEC Slate Against Mississippi State

September 18, 2017 | Football

Live Stats Live Blog Live Video Live Audio

The Georgia Bulldogs vs. The Mississippi State Bulldogs

Game & Broadcast Info

Game 4: Georgia Bulldogs vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Kickoff: Saturday, September 23 - 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Sanford Stadium (92,746) - Athens, Ga.
2017 Records: Georgia 3-0 (0-0 SEC), Mississippi State 3-0 (1-0 SEC)
2016 Records: Georgia 8-5 (4-4 SEC), Mississippi State 6-7 (3-5 SEC)
Rankings: Georgia #11/12, Mississippi State #17/19
TV: ESPN - Joe Tessitore (PxP), Todd Blackledge (analyst), Holly Rowe (sideline)
Video Stream: WatchESPN.com
Radio: WSB AM 750 - Bulldog Network | Affiliates| Scott Howard (PxP), Eric Zeier (Color), Chuck Dowdle (sideline)
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com | Mobile
Satellite: Sirius 98, XM 192
Web Stats: Live Stats
Twitter: #MSSTvsUGA
ReBroadcast: SEC Network: TBA

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Georgia	2017 Averages	Miss. State
31.0	Scoring Offense	47.7
14.3	Scoring Defense	9.3
-2	Turnover Margin	+2
384.3	Total Offense	493.0
230.0	Rushing Offense	297.7
154.3	Passing Offense	195.3
5.8	Punt Returns	11.4
25.3	Kickoff Returns	19.8

Bulldog Showdown

Georgia (3-0, 0-0 SEC) welcomes Mississippi State (3-0, 1-0 SEC) Saturday, and it will be the first-ever matchup when both teams are ranked in the top 25. Georgia leads the all-time series 17-6, including 10-2 in Athens. The Bulldogs are 3-0 for the second straight year under Kirby Smart. Georgia has home wins over App State and Samford and a road victory over #24 Notre Dame. This will be MSU's first visit to Sanford Stadium since 2011. That year, the host Bulldogs registered a 24-10 victory for their 10th win in the last 11 meetings in the series. Georgia has won the last nine meetings over MSU in Athens. MSU last beat Georgia in 2010 (24-12) and that game was in Starkville. MSU is riding high following an impressive 37-7 thrashing of No. 12 LSU. At 3-0, the Bulldogs are off to their best start under head coach Dan Mullen since the 2014 campaign in which they rose to No. 1 in the AP top 25 poll. This past Saturday, MSU tallied 465 yards of total offense and collected its first win over LSU in Starkville since 1999. Dual-threat quarterback Nick Fitzgerald headlines the offense that has outscored its opponents 143-28. Also, MSU is surrendering just 9.3 points per game. MSU limited Tiger Heisman candidate Derrius Guice to 76 rushing yards and no scores. MSU's defensive coordinator is Todd Grantham, who was at Georgia in that role from 2010-13.

SEC Slate Begins

Following a 3-0 start versus non-conference competition, the Bulldogs now start an eight-game set with teams from the SEC. Georgia opens with the SEC West's Bulldogs before taking to the road to face Tennessee and Vanderbilt from the SEC East in consecutive weeks. After returning home against Missouri on Oct. 14, the Bulldogs will have their one bye of the year on Oct. 21 and will then make the annual trip to Jacksonville, Fla., to take on Florida. South Carolina (Nov. 4) and Kentucky (Nov. 18) in Athens and a trip to Auburn, Ala., to face the Tigers on Nov. 11 rounds out Georgia's conference slate. The Bulldogs last opened their SEC schedule with Mississippi State in 1989. Georgia hosted MSU in the second game of the year and registered a 23-6 victory in Sanford Stadium.

FLASHBACK: Georgia Leaves MSU Behind In 2011 Matchup

The last time Georgia and Mississippi State matched up was in Athens in 2011. The SEC East Bulldogs rolled over MSU 24-10 in Sanford Stadium. Georgia scored 14 points in the opening period before adding another touchdown in the second quarter and a Blair Walsh field goal in the third period. Georgia forced MSU to punt on its first possession and Brandon Boykin promptly returned the ensuing punt 30 yards to set up UGA's first touchdown. QB Aaron Murray connected with his former high school teammate Orson Charles three plays later for a 21-yard touchdown. Murray would finish the day 13-of-25 for 160 yards and two scores but also had three interceptions. Carlton Thomas also had a 7-yard scoring run to highlight Georgia's victory. Current Cleveland Brown Isaiah Crowell led Georgia with 22 carries for 104 yards while current New England Patriot WR Malcolm Mitchell also added a touchdown catch. On defense, ILB Michael Gilliard totaled a team-high nine tackles. Current Cincinnati Bengal S Shawn Williams added five tackles, a forced fumble and an interception while Sanders Commings posted three stops, a fumble recovery and an interception. Additionally, current Chicago Bears DL Cornelius Washington and Jarvis Jones had two sacks each.

Head Coach Kirby Smart

When Georgia looked for a new head football coach after the 2015 season, the arrows pointed to Kirby Smart, longtime University of Alabama defensive coordinator and former UGA player and assistant. After one season, he has not disappointed.

In his first year leading the Bulldogs, Georgia extended its school record to 20 consecutive bowl appearances and posted five fourth-quarter comebacks including wins over No. 8 Auburn and No. 22 North Carolina. He led UGA to an 8-5 final record, which included a victory over TCU in the Liberty Bowl.

He has also made an immediate impact in recruiting circles posting the nation's third-ranked class in 2017 following his first class in 2016 generally considered among the top ten. In addition to his coaching duties, Smart oversees the Kirby Smart Family Foundation, which is focused on being champions in the community by supporting and giving back to needy children and families.

Smart officially came home to Georgia on Dec. 6, 2015. But he still had unfinished business at Alabama, which was chasing a national title. He juggled two jobs for a month until January 11, 2016, when the Tide won its fourth national championship in a seven-year span. Twelve hours later, he was at work in Athens, where he is one of nine head coaches at schools from Power 5 conferences that are coaching at their alma mater.

Did You Know?
Kirby Smart is one of nine head coaches at schools from Power 5 conferences that are coaching at their alma maters.

The complete list:
Paul Chryst (Wisconsin) Barry Odom (Missouri)
Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern) Mark Richt (Miami)
Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State) David Shaw (Stanford)
Jim Harbaugh (Michigan) Kirby Smart (GEORGIA)
Cliff Kingsbury (Texas Tech)

Top Ind. Single-Game Performances Under Smart
Rushing Yards: 222, Chubb vs. #22 UNC (9/3/16)
Rushing TDs: 2, Chubb vs. Samford (9/16/17), Chubb vs. App State (9/2/17), #22 UNC (9/3/16), @ SC (10/9/16); Herrien @ #21 OM (9/24/16)
Longest Rush: 55-TD, Chubb vs. #22 UNC (9/3/16); 55-TD, McKenzie vs. LA (11/19/16)
Passing Yards: 346, Eason vs. VU (10/15/16)
Passing TDs: 3, Fromm vs. Samford (9/16/17), Eason @ Missouri (9/17/16)
Receiving TDs: 2, Godwin vs. Samford (9/16/17), McKenzie @ Missouri (9/17/16)
Longest TD Pass: 66-TD, Eason to McKenzie vs. Nicholls (9/10/16)
Longest Pass: 77, Eason to McKenzie vs. TCU (12/30/16)
Tackles: 13, R. Smith vs. Georgia Tech (11/26/16)
Sacks: 3, T. Thompson vs. TCU (12/30/16)
TFL: 3, Thompson vs. Nicholls (9/10/16)

Quick Facts

Led UGA to its first win over a ranked team in a season opener away from Sanford Stadium in school history, posting a 33-24 win over #22 UNC during the 2016 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic
In head coaching debut, Bulldogs overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half and scored the final 19 points of the game in a win over the #22 Tar Heels in the Georgia Dome in 2016
Became first UGA football coach since Joel Hunt in 1938 to start his career 3-0 after winning his first 2016 SEC game on the road with a 28-27 victory over Missouri
Five fourth-quarter comebacks, including wins over #8 AU & #22 UNC

Defense/Special Teams Scores
2016: Safety vs. #22 UNC; Lorenzo Carter 24-yd fumble recovery for TD vs. Nicholls; Terry Godwin 43-yd KOR for TD @ SC; Maurice Smith 34-yd INT return for TD vs. #8 Auburn; Isaiah McKenzie 82-yd PR for TD vs. UL Lafayette

6 Victories When Tied Or Trailing Late
Year	Opponent	Start of 4th Qtr.	Final
2016	%#22 UNC	Trailed 24-23	33-24
2016	@ Missouri	Trailed 27-21	28-27
2016	@ Kentucky	Trailed 21-16	27-24
2016	#8 Auburn	Tied 7-7	13-7
2016	^TCU	Trailed 23-21	31-23
2017	#24 Notre Dame	17-16, trailed 19-17 with 10:21 left	20-19

%Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic, Ga. Dome; ^Liberty Bowl, Memphis, Tenn.

Fromm Filling In As Eason Sidelined

It's been an eventful three weeks for true freshman QB Jake Fromm who has been filling in for sophomore Jacob Eason. After Eason went down with a knee injury in the first quarter versus App State in the season opener, Fromm has been at the controls of the Bulldog offense. In that span the Bulldogs are 3-0 and Fromm is 34-for-57 for 449 yards, 5 TDs and 1 INT.

Fromm is only the seventh true freshman Bulldog quarterback to start a game, including just the second to do it on the road in his first career start. True freshman Georgia quarterbacks to start include Johnny Rauch (1945), Joe Dupree (1990), Eric Zeier (1991), Quincy Carter (1998), Matt Stafford (2006), Jacob Eason (2016) and now Fromm. Fromm joined Zeier as the only true freshmen to have their first career start on the road. Zeier led #22 Georgia to a 37-17 win over #23 Ole Miss in Oxford. In that game, Zeier was 18-for-30 for 216 yards.

Against No. 24 Notre Dame, Fromm finished 16-for-29 for 141 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT in the win which featured a fourth quarter comeback. Trailing 19-17 with 6:47 left in the contest, Fromm directed a nine play, 63-yard drive to set up the go-ahead field goal. He was 3-for-4 for 45 yards during the drive.

Fromm, a January early enrollee from Warner Robins, Ga., was a Parade All-American in 2016 after passing for 12,745 yards and 116 touchdowns in 46 games for Houston County High School. Eason had served as the starter since the second game of the 2016 season before his injury. In addition to the comeback over the TCU in the 2016 Liberty Bowl, Eason led the Bulldogs last season to three victories with game-winning drives in the fourth quarter. He notched his first win over a top-10 opponent in a 13-7 victory over #8 Auburn. In the road win over Kentucky, Eason directed the game-winning drive in the fourth quarter that started at the UGA 25 with 2:47 left. He was 4-for-4 for 42 yards before PK Rodrigo Blankenship's 25-yard field goal as time expired for a 27-24 victory.

The first career fourth quarter comeback for Eason came in the 28-27 win at Missouri in just his second career start. He finished 29- for-55 for 308 yards and three touchdowns (all were career highs). In the win over Mizzou, Eason and the Bulldogs converted a 4thand- 10 with 1:29 left that resulted in a 20-yard scoring strike to Isaiah McKenzie. This game-winning TD capped an 80-yard drive in 10 plays that took 2:03.

Jacob Eason (2016 UGA)
2016	Att	Cmp	TD	Int	Yds	Sk	Eff.
vs. *#22 UNC	12	8	1	0	131	1	185.9
NICH (W)	20	11	1	1	204	1	147.2
@ MIZZOU (W)	55	29	3	1	308	4	114.1
@ #23< om="">	36	16	0	1	137	3	70.9
#11 UT (L)	28	17	2	1	211	3	140.4
@ SC (W)	17	5	1	1	29	1	51.4
VU (L) 40	27	1	0	3	46	1	148.4
vs. #14 UF (L)	33	15	1	0	143	2	91.9
@ UK (W)	31	17	1	0	245	0	131.9
#8 AU (W)	31	20	0	0	208	2	120.9
LA (W)	19	13	2	1	165	0	165.5
GT (L)	27	14	1	2	139	0	92.5
^TCU (W)	21	12	2	0	164	3	154.2
2017	Att	Cmp	TD	Int	Yds	Sk	Eff.
vs. App State (W)	3	1	0	0	4	1	44.5

*came in as a reserve

Year	G/GS	Cmp.	Att.	Pct.	Yds.	INT	TD	Eff.	LG
TOTAL	14/13	205	373	55.0	2,434	8	16	119.6	77TCU

Jake Fromm (UGA Career)
2017	Att	Cmp	TD	Int	Yds	Sk	Eff.
ASU (W)	15	10	1	0	143	0	168.7
@ #24 ND (W)	29	16	1	1	141	2	100.5
SU (W)	13	8	3	0	165	0	244.3
TOTAL	57	34	5	1	449	2	151.3

Chubb, Michel Highlight Bulldog Rushing Attack

The centerpieces of the Bulldog backfield are seniors Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. Chubb ranks fifth nationally (first in the SEC) in career rushing yards among active players with 3,714 while Michel is 16th (third in the SEC) with 2,571. The Bulldogs are the only school with two players in the top 16.

Here's the top five active rushing leaders in NCAA FBS:

1.	Royce Freeman (Oregon)	Sr.	42 games	4,606 yards	53 TDs
2.	Justin Jackson (Northwestern)	Sr.	41 games	4,377 yards	34 TDs
3.	Larry Rose III (New Mexico St.)	Sr.	34 games	3,846 yards	27 TDs
4.	Jarvion Franklin (W. Michigan)	Sr.	43 games	3,723 yards	41 TDs
5.	Nick Chubb (Georgia)	Sr.	35 games	3,714 yards	33 TDs
*16.	Sony Michel (Georgia)	Sr.	35 games	2,571	19 TDs

During the 2017 opening win over App State, the Bulldog duo combined for 183 yards and three touchdowns to pace Georgia's offense. In the road win over #24 Notre Dame, they tallied 136 yards on 26 attempts with one TD. Michel missed the Samford game while Chubb posted a season-best 131 yards and two touchdowns.

In his career, Michel now has 2,571 yards and that is good for 10th in school history. He went for a career-high 170 yards on 19 carries (8.9 avg.) and a touchdown in last year's game versus Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs are the only school in the FBS to have two active rushers each with more than 2,000 yards. They lead the nation in combined yardage at 6,285. Chubb and Michel are the first Bulldog teammates to each have 1,000-yard rushing seasons in their career. Michel became the 10th Georgia player in history to rush for more than 1,000 yards while starting six games in 2015.

Career Rushing For Sony Michel
Year	G/GS	Att.	Yds	TD	LG	Rec	Yds	TD	LG
2014	8/1	64	410	5	75	7	106	1	33
2015	13/6	219	1,161	8	66	26	270	3	48
2016	12/2	152	840	4	42	22	149	1	33
2017	2/0	29	160	2	44	1	-2	0	--
Total	35/9	464	2,571	19	75	56	523	5	48

Career Rushing For Nick Chubb
Year	G/GS	Att.	Yards	Per/Att.	Per/Gm.	TD	LG
2014	13/8	219	1,547	7.1	119.0	14	83 CSU
2015	6/6	92	747	8.1	124.5	7	83 ALA
2016	13/11	224	1,130	5.0	86.9	8	55 UNC
2017	2/0	29	160	2	44	1	-2	0	--
Total	35/9	464	2,571	19	75	56	523	5	48

Career Receiving For Nick Chubb
Year	G/GS	Rec.	Yards	Per/Rec.	Per/Gm.	TD	LG
2014	13/8	18	213	11.8	16.4	2	27 AUB
2015	6/6	4	32	8.0	5.3	1	24 SU
2016	13/11	5	86	17.2	6.6	1	49TD LA
Samford	3/3	16	131	2	32	0	0	0	0
TOTAL	3/3	44	290	4	32	1	11	0	11

A Look At The Offensive Line

One of the storylines for the Bulldogs this season was the development of the offensive line. Through the first three games, Georgia has used three different starting lineups. The Bulldogs have started the same combination at LT, C and RT with senior Isaiah Wynn, junior Lamont Gaillard and freshman Andrew Thomas, respectively. Thomas became the first true freshman to start on the offensive line for the Bulldogs since John Theus in 2012 while Wynn and Gaillard started a majority of the 2016 season. Gaillard started all 13 games last year at right guard before moving to center in the offseason. Wynn lined up at left guard for 11 games in 2016 and was the starting left tackle for the 2016 Liberty Bowl. The guard spots this year have rotated between senior Dyshon Sims, junior Kendall Baker, redshirt sophomore Pat Allen and redshirt freshman Solomon Kindley through the first three games.

An Array Of Targets

A dozen Bulldogs have caught a pass this season but no one has more than six total catches. Junior Terry Godwin, senior Javon Wims and sophomore Mecole Hardman share the team lead with six catches each and all have at least one touchdown. Godwin leads the squad with three touchdowns all coming in the last two games. He made an acrobatic onehanded grab for a five-yard TD at No. 24 Notre Dame. His catches was No. 1 on ESPN SportsCenter's "Top-10 List"

Tough Test Up Next

Georgia opens SEC play against the league's top-rated offense as 17th-ranked MSU leads the league and is ranked ninth nationally in Scoring Offense at 47.7 ppg. In 2017, Georgia welcomed back its entire starting defensive unit except STAR Maurice Smith, who completed his graduate transfer season and earned one of the team MVP awards. Four out of the top nine tacklers from 2016 were the Bulldog linebackers and all are back in 2017. Junior DB Deandre Baker worked himself into a starting roll last year and is teaming with a veteran defensive backfield in seniors Dominick Sanders and Aaron Davis and first-year starters J.R. Reed, Tyrique Mc- Ghee and Richard LeCounte.
This Bulldog group will be having to deal with MSU's dualthreat QB Nick Fitzgerald, a 6-5, 230-pounder. Fitzgerald is averaging 80 rushing yards per game in 2017 and is averaging 181 yards through the air.
During preseason camp, senior DB Malkom Parrish, a two-year starter, went down with a broken bone in his foot and has yet to make his 2017 debut. Parrish has 108 tackles, including 8.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four interceptions in 37 games during his Bulldog career.

Productive Start To 2017 For OLBs

Senior OLBs Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy wreaked havoc at #24 Notre Dame, as the defense forced their first two turnovers of the year. Carter followed up that performance by notching two more sacks and four tackles in the win over Samford. Carter now has 12.5 career sacks, including three this season. He was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week after posting seven tackles, including a sack for loss of 12 yards, forcing two fumbles and recovering a pair of fumbles against the Irish. Bellamy finished with six stops, including a sack and 1.5 TFLs, and forced a fumble at Notre Dame. His sack came on Notre Dame's final possession with under two minutes left and Carter pounced on the ball to clinch the victory.

Junior ILB Roquan Smith led the team in tackles with 95 in 2016. This marked the first time a sophomore led UGA in tackles since 2008 (Rennie Curran, 115). This year, Smith again has the most tackles of any Bulldog with 19, including a teamhigh six versus Samford.

Experienced Group For New Defensive Line Coach

The Bulldog coaching staff has one new face this season in defensive line coach Tray Scott, and he inherited an experienced unit. The elder statesman is senior nose John Atkins while the other returning starter is junior Trenton Thompson. Atkins has tallied three tackles in the first two games and added a fumble recovery in the win over Samford. Thompson is a presence in the middle who is fourth on the team with 12 tackles, including three TFLs. Georgia is ranked second in the SEC in Rushing Defense, allowing just 71.0 yards/game.

In Georgia's 20-19 road win at #24 Notre Dame, the Irish totaled only 55 yards on the ground, the least recorded by the Irish since 2011.

Reed Between The Lines

Newcomer J.R. Reed added a blocked field goal against Samford to his early season contributions to the Bulldogs. Reed, whose father Jake played receiver in the NFL for 12 years and whose uncle Dale also played in the League, redshirted the 2016 season after transferring from Tulsa. In his debut, Reed had five tackles in the opener before leading his team with a career-high nine stops in the 20-19 win over the Irish. He also had a sack and a forced fumble in the same play against the Mountaineers and added a TFL versus Notre Dame.

Sanders Closing In On School Record

Senior safety Dominick Sanders is one of four members of Georgia's defensive backfield who returns in 2017 along with Baker, Parrish and Davis. Sanders finished with a team-best three interceptions in 2016. He had an SEC-leading six picks in 2015 and finished that season with a UGA single season record of 205 interception return yards, which ranked fifth in SEC history. Sanders stands in third place for Bulldog Career Interception Yardage, just 20 yards from establishing a record. Last season, Georgia tied for third in the SEC with 15 INTs.

UGA RECORD BOOKS - INT RETURN YARDS (CAREER):
1. 315 - ^Jake Scott (16), 1967-68 {fifth in SEC history}
2. 303 - &Scott Woerner (13), 1977-80
3. 296 - Dominick Sanders (12), 2014-
^2011 College Football Hall of Fame; &2016 College Football Hall of Fame

Nizialek Earns Punting Job

Graduate transfer Cameron Nizialek (NYE-zuh-lek) arrived in Athens during the preseason and earned the starting punting job. This year, he has posted a 44.3 average on 15 punts, including placing eight inside the 20. Opponents have had four punt returns for -4 yards. Georgia ranks 2nd nationally in fewest punt return yards allowed at -1.0. MSU ranks fifth in the SEC in Punt Returns with an 11.4 average.

Nizialek spent his first three seasons at Columbia University where he finished with a degree in Economics. In his career with the Lions, Nizialek averaged 41.3 yards on 149 punts in three seasons. He averaged 44.8 on his punts in 2016.

Blankenship Earns Starting Spot, Scholarship

Redshirt sophomore Rodrigo Blankenship earned the starting job before the 2017 opener and received the news before the Notre Dame game in week two that he had been awarded a scholarship. He hit the game-winning 30-yard field goal at the 3:34 mark in the fourth quarter on the road versus #24 Notre Dame and connected on both of his PATs. Blankenship had a career-high seven kickoffs against Samford, resulting all in touchbacks.

Blankenship emerged onto the scene last year and was named to the Freshman All-SEC team after connecting on 14- of-18 field goals and all of his 26 PATs. Blankenship drilled a game winner at Kentucky last year and booted a career-long 49 yarder versus the Wildcats as well.