Live Drive: Mississippi State vs. Georgia

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Live Drive: Mississippi State vs. Georgia

November 12, 2022 | Football, Joel Coleman

Your headquarters for updates as the SEC’s two sets of Bulldogs square off. Refresh your browser for the latest updates.

By: Joel Coleman, Senior Writer

STARKVILLE – For just the 12^th time ever, Mississippi State battles the nation's No. 1 team as MSU hosts Georgia on Saturday. The two sets of Bulldogs square off in a 6 p.m. game at Davis Wade Stadium. The game is set to be televised by ESPN.

However, you can also keep it right here for the latest updates from Starkville including highlights, exclusive photos and commentary. Updates are posted in reverse chronological order, so the newest updates can be found first. Refresh your page for the very latest.

Mississippi State vs. Georgia Updates

- FINAL: Georgia 45, Mississippi State 19.

- Touchdown Georgia. 34-yard run. PAT makes it 45-19 Georgia with 2:04 left.

- 5:17 left. Still 38-19 Georgia.

- MSU drives inside the UGA 10 on the ensuing drive, but can't convert a fourth and short. UGA ball with 9:54 left. Georgia leads 38-19.

- Touchdown Georgia. Two-yard pass. PAT is good. 38-19 UGA with 14:55 left.

- END OF THE THIRD QUARTER: Georgia 31, Mississippi State 19 - UGA has it 2nd and goal from the MSU 2 when play resumes.

- Video evidence of that last MSU TD:

𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗖𝗛𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡,
MISSISSIPPI STATE!#HailState🐶 | 📺: https://t.co/QmpLbXjJEy pic.twitter.com/SYc2VA7OVW
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) November 13, 2022

- TOUCHDOWN MISSISSIPPI STATE! 6-yard pass from Will Rogers to Rufus Harvey. PAT is good and it's Georgia 31, MSU 19 with 5:17 left in the third quarter.

- Tyrus Wheat is just a playmaker. Gets a hand on a Georgia pass and intercepts it. MSU ball at the UGA 22!

- Nothing doing on the MSU drive. Punt. Georgia starts at its own 25.

- Touchdown Georgia. Seven play, 67-yard drive. Extra point is good. 31-12 Georgia is up with 9:19 left in the third quarter.

- MSU gets a first down, but is ultimately forced to punt. Georgia drive starts at its own 33.

- State drive starts at its own 25

- Touchdown Georgia. 70-yard TD run. PAT makes it 24-12 UGA over State with 14:13 left in the third quarter.

- Back underway...The MSU kickoff rolls through the end zone so Georgia starts at its own 25.

- HALFTIME: Georgia 17, Mississippi State 12

- Here's that punt return for a score that has Starkville rocking!

@ftfzayy_, 𝑻𝑶. 𝑻𝑯𝑬. 𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑺𝑬‼️#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/cbhKYZff9K
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) November 13, 2022

- TOUCHDOWN MSU!!! Yes, you read that right. State forces a three and out, then Zavion Thomas with a 63-yard punt return to the house! Two-point conversion attempt fails, but State now withiin five points. Georgia 17, MSU 12 with 3 seconds til half.

- FIELD GOAL MSU. Massimo Biscardi with a 36-yarder. Georgia 17, State 6 with 51 seconds left in the half.

- MSU fighting hard here before half. A 47-yard pass from Will Rogers to Jaden Walley gets State into the red zone as they look to answer the UGA TD.

- Touchdown Georgia. UGA answers the MSU score with an eight-play, 75-yard drive into the end zone. PAT is good. Georgia leads 17-3 with 2:29 left before the half.

- FIELD GOAL MSU. Massimo Biscardi hits a 25-yarder after a delay of game pushed him back five yards. Georgia 10, MSU 3 with 5:01 left until halftime.

- MSU drives to 3, but can't get it in. Gonna set up for a field goal.

- MSU starts at its own 30 after the kickoff.

- Georgia field goal gives UGA a 10-0 lead with 11:57 left in the second quarter.

- END OF THE FIRST QUARTER: Georgia 7, Mississippi State 0, UGA witth the ball on the MSU 25 when play resumes.

- Georgia has driven to the MSU 25.

- MSU goes three and out. Punt goes out of bounds at the Georgia 39.

- Interception for MSU! Tyrus Wheat gets pressure and alters the Georgia throw. Collin Duncan picks it off and returns it to the MSU 34.

- MSU gets across the 50 and goes for it on a 4th and short but doesn't convert. Georgia takes over on its own 48. Still 7-0 UGA with 3:43 left in the first quarter.

- MSU defense forces a Georgia three-and-out. Georgia punts. Zavion Thomas returns it to the MSU 43 and that's where State will start.

- MSU starts at its own 25 and drives to near midfield, but is ultimately forced to punt again. Punt rolls dead at the Georgia 12 and that's where UGA will start. Georgia up 7-0 with 7:21 left in the first quarter.

- Touchdown Georgia. UGA drove quickly down the field. State defense held strong and pushed UGA to a third and goal, but a 2-yard TD pass give Georgia the lead. PAT is good and Georgia leads Mississippi State 7-0 with 9:50 left in the first quarter.

- Starting from its own 25, MSU goes three-and-out on its first offensive possession. Punt puts Georgia at its own 28 to start its first drive.

- Mississippi State wins the toss and chooses to receive the opening kickoff. It's game time folks!

- Getting closer. All out. All night. Fight for Mississippi State.

Will Rogers

- A special Dawg Walk on Military Appreciation Night:

- What's State wearing tonight? This right here. Maroon helmets, maroon tops, white pants:

𝑇𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡'𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠.#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/qYfxc8LnYL
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) November 12, 2022

- Take a look at tonight's game program:

📖 Tonight's game program is 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄.#HailState🐶
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) November 12, 2022

- Check out some of the storylines heading into tonight's game:

MSU is facing the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 for the 12th time in its history. Eight of those meetings were against Alabama, two against Tennessee and one against LSU. State has never faced Georgia as the nation's top team.
State upset No. 1 Alabama in 1980, winning 6-3.
MSU is now bowl eligible and will play in a postseason game for the 13th straight season, which is a program record. Entering the season, only eight schools had active streaks of at least 12 seasons and only Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M joined MSU from the SEC.
Mike Leach will now have taken 19 of his 21 teams to bowl games, including eight straight seasons.
Saturday's game marks the 62nd contest in which the Bulldogs have met a team sharing their name or mascot. There are 14 Bulldogs among NCAA Division I schools (FBS and FCS), and State has played five with a 36-24-1 all-time against fellow Bulldogs.
WR Austin Williams was named one of 12 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy. He is MSU's fifth finalist and the only finalist this season with a perfect 4.0 GPA every year of his career. The last Bulldog finalist was Taveze Calhoun (2015), who now serves on staff as a graduate assistant.
In 2022, MSU is outscoring opponents 76-14 in the first quarter. The Bulldogs are 13-4 when scoring first under Mike Leach.
MSU defeated Auburn in overtime on Nov. 5. It was the 11th overtime game in school history (6-5) and the Bulldogs' first overtime win since defeating Ole Miss (17-10; 1OT) on Nov. 28, 2013. MSU has won four of its last five overtime games.
State's kickoff return unit leads the nation, averaging 29.0 yards per return. WR Lideatrick Griffin leads the nation in yards per kick return (33.2), and his career average (33.8) is tops among active FBS players.
WR Lideatrick Griffin returned his second career kickoff for a touchdown (92 yards) against Auburn (Nov. 5). That return tied him with Leon Berry (2009-10) and Kevin Prentiss (1997-98) for the MSU career record.
Griffin finished the game against the Tigers with 144 yards on three kick returns, giving him five career games with 100-plus kick return yards, which is also tied for an MSU career record (since 1979).
QB Will Rogers broke a pair of Dak Prescott's (2012-15) MSU career records against Auburn (Nov. 5). He threw his 71st touchdown and surpassed Prescott's 9,376 passing yards. Rogers now boasts 73 touchdowns and 9,627 yards passing.
Rogers has thrown for 300-plus yards and at least three touchdowns in 15 of his 31 career games, which is tied for 14th in the FBS since 2000.
RB Jo'quavious Marks has caught a pass in 32 consecutive games, which is the second-longest active streak in the SEC and tied for No. 14 nationally. He has at least one reception in every game of his collegiate career. The MSU school record is 35 games set by Fred Ross (2013-16).
Mike Leach and Mason Miller's offensive lines since 2018 lead the nation in lowest tackles for loss percentage allowed (6.8 percent) and are fifth in sacks percentage allowed (3.7 percent).
Five State receivers have caught at least 30 balls. Georgia and Texas A&M are the only other SEC schools with more than two.
WRs Austin Williams (78) and Jaden Walley (76) are the SEC's active career leaders in first-down receptions.
Of the Bulldogs' 210 first downs this year, 137 have come through the air, which is tied for fourth in the FBS.
WR Rara Thomas turned in his second career multi-touchdown game against Auburn (Nov. 5). He has matched his total from last season (5) and now has 10 career receiving scores.
MSU is leading all Power 5 teams in yards after catch (1,704) after leading the nation in 2021.
WR Caleb Ducking's eight receiving touchdowns are tied for second in the SEC and tied for 10th in the FBS.
Four current Bulldogs are now among the top 10 in MSU career history for total receptions: RB Jo'quavious Marks (2nd, 179), WR Austin Williams (6th, 140), RB Dillon Johnson (8th, 137) and WR Jaden Walley (10th, 128).
The Bulldogs have a 90.2 special teams grade from PFF, which ranks third in the FBS.
The Bulldogs have collected at least one takeaway in 26 of 33 games under defensive coordinator Zach Arnett with 49 total takeaways in that span.
CB Emmanuel Forbes leads the nation with five interceptions and is second with 11 total passes defended. He boasts the No. 4 coverage grade (84.7) in the conference per PFF, and his 83.3 overall defensive grade ranks eighth.
LBs Nathaniel Watson and Jett Johnson lead MSU in tackles with 78 stops this season, which is third in the SEC.
Watson now has seven career double-digit tackle games, which is tied for ninth-most by a Bulldog since 1988. Johnson boasts six career games with 10 or more tackles, which ranks 12th.
LB Tyrus Wheat is tied for fifth in the SEC with 5.0 sacks and now has 17.5 career sacks, which is ninth in MSU history. His 0.56 career sacks per game mark ranks 13th among active players.
Since their freshman year in 2020, RBs Jo'quavious Marks and Dillon Johnson are the only active SEC players with more than 1,000 career yards after catch.
Under Mike Leach, the Bulldogs are 13-0 when scoring at least 30 points and 13-4 when scoring first.