Grading the game: As complete of a game in the Kirby Smart era
Here is how Georgia graded after Saturday's 31-3 win over Mississippi State.
Offense: A
The offense achieved an excellent display of balance, with 203 rushing yards and 201 passing yards. Head coach Kirby Smart even joked there could have been a little more balance, alluding to distributing one yard away from the rushing category to passing.
But Jake Fromm was nearly perfect, connecting on 9 of his 12 throws. Two of his passes fell incomplete due to drops, although neither drop came with the game remotely in question. While D'Andre Swift did fumble to ball, the call itself was questionable while referees missed a horse collar penalty before the ball came loose.
The offense put in its best performance of the season and rolled against what was considered a good Mississippi State defense.
Defense: A+
When the second unit in the game late, Georgia's youngsters wanted to do everything they could to prevent Mississippi State from scoring a touchdown. With the clock ticking down, linebacker Monty Rice made a tackle for a loss to keep the opposition out of the end zone.
This marked the first time all season that Georgia prevented a touchdown in a game. It also marked another performance where the opposing team failed to reach 300 total yards. While Mississippi State accrued some yardage late, its 177 rushing yards were well below its season average. The lack of a run game made the passing game borderline impossible for quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who completed only 48 percent of his passes for 83 yards.
Georgia's secondary also came up with its first two interceptions of the season. J.R. Reed has gone from Tulsa transfer brought in to help secure Deangelo Gibbs' commitment to full-blown star who has the makings of being drafted in the NFL.
Through one-third of the regular season, Georgia's defense has established itself as one of the elite units in all of college football.
Special teams: A
When place-kicker Rodrigo Blankenship made his 49-yard field goal at Kentucky last season, the ball barely made it over the uprights. He later missed a 49-yarder short against Auburn.
Uh, against Mississippi State Saturday? This 49-yarder was crushed through the uprights with plenty of distance to be good from 55. As good as Georgia's defense has been, Blankenship is arguably Georgia's most improved overall player from last season's roster. He once again notched a touchback on every single kickoff he attempted. His output has been incredibly valuable to Georgia in the first four games.
Punter Cameron Nizialek once again put in a top-notch performance too. Nizialek averaged 45.5 yards per punt with a long of 54. Mississippi State did not return one punt due to Nizialek's leg and Georgia's coverage unit. I'm not sure Georgia has ever featured a faster coverage unit than the one it is fielding now.
Coaching: A
From the first defensive series, to the first offensive play call and through the remainder of the game, it was a brilliant coaching job from Georgia's staff.
This story was originally published September 24, 2017 at 11:57 AM with the headline "Grading the game: As complete of a game in the Kirby Smart era."