ATHENS — Daylen Everett couldn’t explain what happened to Georgia in the second half. The Georgia defensive back was speechless when asked to explain what happened, watching his once commanding lead shrink to a rather uncomfortable margin.
That was a defining moment. Even though Georgia won 41-31, the game was much more unpleasant than expected.
“I don’t think we’ve played complete football yet, and that’s really frustrating,” safety Malachi Starks said.
Georgia finished with 605 yards of offense. Arian Smith and Carson Beck both had career-best days in terms of yards. KJ Bolden made his first career interception.
But none of those positive marks accurately depict what happened Saturday.
That was clear from Kirby Smart’s exasperated tone to reporters afterwards.
“They just couldn’t seem to beat us. We gave them two plays,” Smart said. “Our play on the sideline, and it was a touchdown. And then the other drive was a third down. That one drive has two third downs. So we’re off the field and We actually got a penalty, but I don’t want to call it an indisciplined penalty, but it was just bad timing.”
Georgia was a much better team than Mississippi State on Saturday. Entering the third quarter, the Georgia Bulldogs led 34-10. I can understand why some fans started heading for the exits.
But then a Chris Cole pass interference penalty and a Chazz Chambliss facemask extended Mississippi State’s drive, leading to a touchdown. Both of these penalties occurred on third down. In the second quarter, Damon Wilson committed a penalty for roughing the passer, turning Smart into a drill sergeant straight out of a Vietnam War movie.
In the fourth quarter, Smart was desperately trying to get defensive coordinator Glenn Shuman’s attention. But Smart ended up pushing Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren. After the game, Smart didn’t even know he had shoved Van Buren.
As with the push, Georgia will want to put the game against Mississippi State on the back burner. The better team won on Saturday.
But for Georgia to become a better winning team, it will need to make notable improvements heading into next week’s game against No. 1 Texas.
“It’s definitely fun to play on the road in a larger environment,” Beck said. “I mean, that’s what you play in the SEC for. That’s why you come to Georgia to play important games. Starting tonight, we’re going to watch the film and try to get better and make the little mistakes that we might have made.” We’re going to work out what went well and move forward to prepare for next week.”
Georgia’s offense produced some frustrating moments Saturday. The Bulldogs had to settle for an early field goal, and Beck was intercepted on Georgia’s first drive of the game.
Then, in the third quarter, he had a chance to extend the lead to 24 points with a first down and a successful interception in the red zone. That’s something to expect from freshman Van Buren, who is starting his second career. Not someone like Beck, who made his 20th career start on Saturday.
“Stuff is going to happen. Balls are going to get hit in the air, guys are going to play defense,” Beck said. “I mean, we’re playing against SEC defenses. The guys are going to make plays. They’re talented, they’re athletic, so that’s a good thing. Just play the game. Please continue.”
Georgia did just that and won. The Bulldogs completed a 16-play, 81-yard drive in 7 minutes, 26 seconds. Even that drive was emblematic of the night in Georgia.
Running back Trevor Etienne appeared to miss fourth-and-goal, but that would have put Mississippi State back within 10 points.
But Etienne kept his feet moving and Georgia’s offense brought him into the end zone. This pushed the score to 41-24 and gave Georgia another victory.
Even if this team has yet to put together the great four quarters of football.
“Our offense got into a rhythm and did a really great job in pass pro,” Smart said. “Carson was in a rhythm and was great at getting guys moving. But we have to continue to work on some of the frustrations.”
