Georgia cruises to blowout win in top-25 clash with Mississippi State
It hasn't been that electric inside Sanford Stadium in quite some time.
But after Georgia's defense opened the game with a three-and-out, offensive coordinator Jim Chaney dialed up an old staple trick play for his young quarterback to run.
Chaney called the flea-flicker, with freshman quarterback Jake Fromm lining up under center. He took the snap and handed the ball off to running back Nick Chubb. The Mississippi State defense closed in, thinking it was a run. But suddenly, Chubb pitched the ball back to Fromm, who then bombed a deep ball down the field to a streaking Terry Godwin.
Godwin caught the pass and ran the rest of the way for a 59-yard touchdown. The near-93,000 person crowd erupted with the early strike. That play was the first of No. 11 Georgia's five scores of what turned into a 31-3 blowout win over No. 17 Mississippi State.
Georgia (4-0, 1-0 SEC) dominated the game from start to finish, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald was held to 83 passing yards and 47 rushing yards without a touchdown. This game occurred after Mississippi State (3-1, 1-1 SEC) blew out LSU a week ago.
As an offense, Georgia finished the game with 404 total yards.
Four who mattered
Fromm: Fromm finished the game 9-of-12 passing for 201 yards and two touchdowns. The second touchdown was thrown to a wide-open Isaac Nauta but while taking a shot. Still, the ball got there perfectly and without an issue. Fromm has made more than a case to remain Georgia's quarterback when sophomore Jacob Eason is full-go again.
Chubb: Chubb set the tempo in the run game in a backfield that rotated quite a bit. Chubb led ball-carriers with 15 carries for 81 yards and two touchdowns.
Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker: Baker had perhaps his best game in a Georgia uniform. Baker broke up two passes thrown to his side of the field and came down with Georgia's first interception of the season.
Georgia inside linebacker Roquan Smith: What else is there to say about Smith? He was once again all over the football field in Georgia's win, getting to the Mississippi State skill position players before they could get going down the field. He finished with eight total tackles.
Turning point
Georgia held a lead the entire game but only held a 14-3 advantage at the half. But Georgia effectively put the game away in the third quarter when Nick Chubb took a direct snap and went untouched for 28 yards into the end zone.
Observations
Fromm's accuracy: Fromm was on fire from the start. Two of his incompletions were dropped by his receivers, which would have made him 11-of-12 passing. The lone incompletion that didn't come near a receiver was a good decision on a ball he purposefully was throwing away. It was a superb night for the true freshman.
Dominant defense: Mississippi State added some yardage to its stat sheet in the fourth quarter but could not do much against yet another top-notch performance from the Georgia defense. And this time, the Bulldogs came away with two interceptions -- its first two of the season.
Breaking a tendency: Entering Saturday's contest, Fromm had only thrown the ball from under center once in the past two games. Early against Mississippi State, Georgia watched the SEC West Bulldogs load the box when Fromm got under center. And Fromm made them pay with some accurate throws. Putting that on film will make things more difficult for upcoming opponents to prepare for.
Worth mentioning
Blankenship continues to shine: Place-kicker Rodrigo Blankenship once again had every single kickoff go for a touchback. He also tied his career high with a 49-yard field goal, which he boomed with plenty of distance through the uprights.
Kindley injured: While Georgia put in a fine performance all around, it did lose Solomon Kindley early in the fourth quarter. Kindley appeared to have suffered a right leg injury and needed to eventually be carted into the Georgia locker room. Dyshon Sims came in to replace him on the offensive line.
Dodging a bullet: For a brief moment in the fourth quarter, Georgia had to hold its breath on an officials' review. Outside linebacker Davin Bellamy was flagged for a targeting foul on a fourth-and-goal at the UGA 11. On review, however, it showed Bellamy shoved quarterback Nick Fitzgerald in his shoulders. The flag was picked up and Bellamy will be available for next week's entire game.
What’s next?
Georgia travels to Knoxville, Tennessee to take on the Volunteers at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
This story was originally published September 23, 2017 at 10:15 PM with the headline "Georgia cruises to blowout win in top-25 clash with Mississippi State."