State Pulls Away From Georgia For 24-12 Triumph

Saturday, September 25

Starkville

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

2-2 , 1-2

Georgia

1-3 , 0-3

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Georgia

Mississippi State

State Pulls Away From Georgia For 24-12 Triumph

September 25, 2010 | Football

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Not since 1951 had Mississippi State fans enjoyed a win against Georgia at Scott Field. And not since 1974 had they witnessed a victory against UGA anywhere.

But on a hot and humid Saturday night, that all changed when the homestanding Bulldogs sent Georgia packing following a dominating 24-12 victory to the delight of an enthusiastic crowd of 56,721, the third-largest in school history.

The win snapped a nine-game losing streak to the visiting Bulldogs, while improving MSU's record to 2-2 overall, 1-2 in SEC play.

The Bulldogs, who are back at home next Saturday for an 11 a.m. showdown with Alcorn State, set the tone early by scoring on their first possession.

After forcing Georgia to punt on its first drive, MSU drove 53 yards in four plays and took the quick lead following a 13-yard pass from Chris Relf to Vick Ballard with 12:17 to play in the opening quarter.

For MSU, that would be their last points until the 13:59 mark of the fourth quarter, when Sean Brauchle drilled a 44-yard field goal for a 10-6 advantage. It was his first made field goal of the season and the second longest of his career.

But then again, thanks to a staunch defensive performance, Mississippi State didn't need to score a lot of points.

When the outcome was in doubt, Georgia (1-3, 0-3) managed only two scoring drives, which ended with second-quarter field goals by Blair Walsh covering 25 and 35 yards.

Georgia had a touchdown denied in the opening quarter when State freshman defensive back Nickoe Whitley forced the ball loose, one of two UGA fumbles on the night, at the goal line and recovered it to preserve the MSU lead.

Still, the victory wasn't sealed until MSU orchestrated an impressive drive late in the game to thwart any comeback the Dawgs might have had.

Starting at the 10:07 mark, Mississippi State marched 93 yards in 10 plays, capping the drive when Chris Relf hit Arceto Clark across the middle for a 33-yard touchdown, sending the diehard MSU fans into a frenzy.

And as they had done all day, the defense punctuated the victory with another stout series that kept the Georgia offense at bay.

Four plays. No first downs. MSU ball at the 21.

Then came the dagger, delivered emphatically by Ballard on a 1-yard plunge for the Bulldogs' final points of the evening.

Georgia would score again on a 40-yard reception by Tavarres King, but it was too little, too late.

MSU finished the game with 321 yards of offense, while Georgia manufactured 387, with 90 coming on its final possession with the outcome already decided.

Relf posted one of his more effective games, completing 9 of his 14 passes for 148 yards. Chad Bumphis accounted for 64 of those yards on four catches. Relf also rushed for 109 yards on a career-high 20 carries, giving him a career-best 257 total yards of offense. Ballard grounded out 77 en route to scoring two touchdowns.

Defensively, Charles Mitchell paced Mississippi State with 10 tackles, while K.J. Wright and Chris White were each credited with seven.