Mississippi State may have tried to make a game of it down the stretch, but the unsurmountable lead Georgia built in the first half and beyond proved to be too much for the SEC's other Bulldogs. Georgia improved to 8-1 on the year and an impressive 6-1 in SEC play after their breezy Week 11 win over Mississippi State, 41-21. One of the reasons why Georgia won so easily was its great play at tight end.
Of Gunner Stockton's 18 completions on the day, four went to tight ends. He had an easy connection with Oscar Delp all afternoon long, as he was able to haul in four grabs for 41 yards and a touchdown. Stockton also completed one of the most impressive passes of the season. Elyiss Williams came up with a sensational 24-yard catch on a third-and-long that set up a goal-to-go situation for Georgia.
Unfortunately, while Delp and Williams contributed massively to Georgia's big win over Mississippi State, they lost Lawson Luckie right before halftime. He suffered a game-ending injury on a hit that was deemed targeting from Mississippi State safety Jahron Manning. With the game getting out of hand shortly before halftime, Luckie's day obviously ended after that play. He may be out for a bit...
For now, Georgia has to keep its high level of focus ready for the huge one coming up next vs. Texas.
Georgia inches closer to College Football Playoff berth after latest win
What else did we expect? Kirby Smart does not lose to unranked teams leading Georgia. In fact, the last time he lost to an unranked team, it was at home to SEC rival South Carolina in double overtime. Mississippi State was thought to be capable of pulling off the massive home upset on account of Jeff Lebby's team starting to play well, as well as Georgia potentially overlooking them with Texas looming.
Overall, Saturday showed us that Georgia can do some things offensively that the opposition more often than not just cannot contain. When its trio of tight ends can impact a game quite like this, or during the Ole Miss game at home, few SEC defenses are going to be able to stop them. Think back to Luckie dominating the Rebels in the receiving game in Georgia's best victory of the season so far...
Ultimately, Georgia needs to play as close to a full four quarters to hold off Texas at home in the Longhorns' upset bid. It seems as though the national media will be all over the Longhorns winning and covering, as they are coming off a bye and are playing for their playoff lives already. However, Georgia is one of the most difficult teams to beat in the country. They are 8-1for a reason, folks!
Georgia put forth its most impressive performance of the season so far in a major look-ahead spot.