Postgame Notes: Mississippi State at Georgia
November 21, 2020 | Football
GENERAL
- MSU won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff.
- MSU's game captain was LB Erroll Thompson.
- Today's attendance was 20,524.
- Mississippi State led in Athens for the first time since at least 1989, after taking a 3-0 lead on its opening drive.
- LB Nathaniel Watson made his first career start against Georgia, bringing the Bulldogs' season total to 20 in 2020.
- CB Jay Jimison made his Mississippi State debut against Georgia, bringing the season total to 22 first-time players in 2020.
OFFENSE
- The Bulldogs' opening drive ate 8:06 of clock over 15 plays (71 yards), marking their longest drive by time of the season and tying their longest drive by plays.
- Resulted in a 22-yard field goal by Brandon Ruiz.
- State later added a touchdown drive of 7:04, marking the first time with multiple seven-minute drives in a game since meeting Arkansas (Oct. 3)
- MSU has now completed 258 passes in 2020, which ranks third on State's single-season leaderboard.
- The school record is 331 completions in 2015.
- Completed 41 passes, which ranks second in MSU single-game history.
- Five of MSU's top six single-game completion marks have come in 2020.
- WR Jaden Walley posted MSU's fourth individual 100-yard receiving game of the season, which is the most such games in a year since 2016 (4).
- School record is seven games set in 2015.
- True freshmen accounted for 61 percent of State's total offense tonight (217 of 358 yards).
- 195 of 336 receiving yards (58 percent).
- 22 of 22 rushing yards (100 percent).
DEFENSE
- The Bulldogs held Georgia to just eight yards rushing and 0.3 yards per carry.
- That marks the fewest rushing yards allowed by MSU since holding Iowa to minus-15 yards in the 2019 Outback Bowl.
- It is also the fewest rushing yards MSU has allowed to an SEC opponent since at least the 2006 season.
- Lowest available total: 30 vs. LSU on Sept. 26, 2009.
- The last time Georgia was held to fewer than 30 rushing yards was against No. 20 Florida on Oct. 29, 2016 (21).
- With LB Erroll Thompson's sack in the fourth quarter, State now boasts three players with 20.0 or more career tackles for loss (DE Marquiss Spencer and DE Kobe Jones), which is the most in the SEC entering the weekend.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Caught a career-high three passes.
- Scored a career-high two rushing touchdowns.
- Became the first MSU freshman running back to score multiple rushing touchdowns in a game since Ashton Shumpert did so against Alcorn State on Sept. 7, 2013.
- Matched his career high with seven receptions.
- Completed 41 passes in the game, breaking his own freshman record of 35 set in MSU's last game against Vanderbilt.
- His 336 passing yards rank second in program history among freshmen behind only Wesley Carroll's 421 yards vs. Arkansas on Nov. 17, 2007.
- Threw for 210 yards in the first half (24-of-29), which surpassed his total yardage in each of his first three career games.
- Completed his first seven pass attempts of the game.
- Posted career highs in receptions (7) and receiving yards (115).
- Posted State's fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season, marking the most such games for the Bulldogs since 2016.
- Became first true freshman to reach the century mark since Chad Bumphis recorded 123 receiving yards against Georgia Tech (Oct. 3, 2009).
- Just the sixth true freshman to reach the mark in program history.
- Grabbed a then-career-long 20-yard reception on State's first drive of the game.
- Catch was MSU's longest passing play since a 32-yard reception by WR Malik Heath against Texas A&M (Oct. 17).
- Later made a career-long 51-yard reception for his first career touchdown.
- Touchdown was MSU's second-longest play of the season, and longest since a 75-yard touchdown reception in the season opener at LSU.
- Made his first career tackle for loss, and finished with 1.5 tonight.
- Matched his career high with 1.0 sack and now has 3.0 for his career.
- Picked up 0.5 sacks and now has 2.5 on the season.
- Matched his career high with 1.5 tackles for loss.
- Made a career-high 11 tackles, all solo stops, to lead the team.
- Broke up a career-high four passes, including two on back-to-back throws to the end zone in the fourth quarter.
- Picked up 0.5 sacks and now ranks second on the team with 3.0 on the season.
- Picked up a nine-yard sack in the fourth quarter.
- Now boasts 20.5 career tackles for loss and is the third player on the team to reach the mark, which would lead the SEC entering the weekend.
- Made his first career start.
- Made a career-high 1.5 tackles for loss.
- Booted his fourth punt of 50 or more yards this season and the fifth of his career.
- Boasts an active streak of 107 consecutive extra points made in his career.
- Made the 105th, 106th and 107th tonight.
- Is now 5-of-6 on field goals this season.
Players Mentioned
P
/ Football
LB
/ Football
S
/ Football
DT
/ Football
CB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
CB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
DE
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
/ Football
K
/ Football
DE
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ FootballFOOTBALL | Zakari Tillman Game Week vs. Georgia
Monday, November 03
FOOTBALL | Malick Sylla Game Week vs. Georgia
Monday, November 03
FOOTBALL | Blake Shapen Game Week vs. Georgia
Monday, November 03
FOOTBALL | Trevion Williams Game Week vs. Georgia
Monday, November 03