One Theory on Georgia-Mississippi State Showdown

I’ve got a theory on this second straight match-up of Bulldogs. See if this makes any sense to you.

Mississippi State head football coach Dan Mullen confers with LSU head football coach Ed Orgeron following their NCAA college football game. Mississippi State won 37-7. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mullen’s Mississippi State Bulldogs are coming off a blowout victory over LSU. For State, a win like this is huge for the program. The LSU Tigers had won 20 of the last 21 games against Mississippi State. So, emotionally they spilled their guts last Saturday, in order to get the job done. Also, they must have revealed a lot on both offense and defense. They went “all in” against LSU and it certainly paid off, but can they match that intensity and focus this week, on the road? I have my doubts.

Meanwhile, Georgia “chilled” against Samford. Kirby got up early and coasted to an easy win. Sony Michel rested that sore ankle. The puppies got a lot of playing time. Chaney and Tucker did not reveal anything in their gameplans. I bet they were busy preparing for Mississippi State last week (which gives them 2 weeks to prep). Advantage Georgia!

This has the look of a 31-13, convincing win for the ‘Dogs in red.

Georgia running back Nick Chubb (27) runs in the first half of an NCAA college football game against the Samford Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Mel Tucker’s defense is off to a fast start. Roquan Smith, Trent Thompson, Lorenzo Carter and the boys are playing with an “edge.” There is some hitting going on, in the Front 7! Are these guys up to the challenge against State’s QB Nick Fitzgerald? I’d answer yes to that question. Fitzgerald is a breakout performer in the SEC. He’s a talented runner and he has polished up his passing ability into this season, but I can’t see the State O-Line winning their battle up front.

Jim Chaney’s offense will try to get the run game cranked up, by featuring Chubb & Michel. It appears that Solomon Kindley has impacted the performance of the O-Line in a positive way. He is a massive lineman, who looks good teaming up with the center on combination blocks (knock the nose back off the ball), where he gets to the second level and blocks the inside linebacker. Terry Godwin has earned the title of the ‘Dogs “Go-To Wide Receiver,” by delivering some awesome catches. This team has multiple playmakers, which they need to continue to develop.

The big question right now centers on the QB position. Jake Fromm has stepped in and done the job. He should be proud of his performances against Notre Dame and Samford. But now Eason is almost back. So, what happens now?

Does Jacob Eason get his starting job back? The guess here says as long as Fromm is improving and helping the team win, Eason will be the back-up. If not, Eason steps back into the job. Stay tuned. This is going to be interesting.

Join The Buck and Kincade Show weekdays, 12-3. We’ll be on this topic.

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