The road was not too friendly to the Bulldogs, but this week Mississippi State returns home to face Georgia in its third straight announced home sellout. MSU 1-2 (0-2) desperately needs a SEC win after opening strong against Memphis but faltering against SEC opponents the following weeks. 
Things look to get a little easier against the Bulldog counterpart of the SEC, Georgia, as Auburn and LSU are both top 15 teams.
Dan Mullen does not expect the other Dawgs to be pushovers, however, considering MSU is on an 0-9 cold streak against Georgia, and its head coach Mark Richt is on the hot seat after another slow start, 1-2 (0-2) to be exact. 
Mississippi State should not worry about the opponent as much this week because there is some correction to be made to the man in the mirror. Since busting out of the gate against Memphis with 569 total offensive yards, MSU has only amassed 514 yards combined in the last two games. Mullen is optimistic about the offense, however, and attributes the offensive woes to inconsistency.
“The weaknesses are we just have no consistency. We had one offensive penalty the other night, coming after our longest play of the game, a 22 yard gain, and then we jump offsides. That is what great offenses don’t do. They capitalize on one play after another and play with consistency,” Mullen said. “We watched [the film] as a whole offense yesterday, and we’re not far off we just need to be more consistent.”
One thing has been consistently good for MSU though, and that is the play of the offense coming out of halftime. According to MSU media relations, MSU has scored out of the gate in its last five games and seven out of its last eight — tough to ignore for opposing teams. When asked about the magic that Mullen spreads in the locker room at the half, senior running back Robert Elliot explains it’s really quite simple.
“[Mullen] comes in there and gets on us. He tells us we’re good players and gives us confidence. Then we come out and execute and do anything that he tells us to do,” Elliot said. “When we do our job, we see what we can do. We can go out there and execute and drive 80 yards.”
The MSU Bulldogs are hoping to establish this type of confidence during other drives of the game in the coming weeks, because from here on out, they believe each game and, more specifically, each drive, is vital.
Georgia’s offense has not lulled as much as MSU’s since SEC play has started, but it has not been much better. The absence of superstar receiver A.J. Green is surely taking a toll, especially with a freshman quarterback in Aaron Murray.
Georgia’s woes will not be helped by the fact Mississippi State’s 27th-ranked defense has been putting the clamps on opponents this season, holding LSU under 300 yards. 
Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and co-coordinator Chris Wilson are pleased with the effort and results thus far, but they desire more negative plays. The opportunity may not be there as much this week though, considering what Diaz expects out of the Georgia offense.
“They do what they do, and what they’ve done for years and years … that has made them successful,” Diaz said. “They’re going to get in the ‘I’ and pound that rock and try to get people close to the line of scrimmage and then try to throw it over your head [with the play action pass].”
This is similar to LSU’s offense this season, except Georgia lacks the firepower at receiver for the play action pass, and the quarterback is not nearly as mobile as LSU’s Jordan Jefferson. Those two factors play into MSU’s hands, because the pressure style defense Diaz and Wilson have implemented should have an easier time hitting home against a more statue-like Murray.
One of the MSU Dawgs hoping to meet Murray on Saturday night is K.J. Wright. Wright’s athleticism is being used to rush the passer early and often, which he is fully on board with.
“I’m getting real comfortable at it,” Wright said. “I really like it a lot; it is a real opportunity to make a lot of plays on defense. On third down, they’ve got me rushing the passer, giving me different spots so I can be effective.”
Diaz has another advantage working for him; he once coached with Richt at Florida State, so he has seen firsthand and even had in-depth discussions with Richt about the overall philosophy of his offense. During that time, Diaz impressed Richt.
“Everything he was given he’s done a great job at, and he was able to move into the position he’s in right now,” Richt said.
Mullen also has some familiarity with Richt because Mullen’s previous employer, Florida, is a big rival of Georgia’s. Mullen also knows what to expect out of Georgia this weekend, and expects the fans to come out in support for the MSU Bulldogs in what appears to be a must-win game.
“We are going to have our hands full with a very talented Georgia football team coming here, but we are excited to get back home in front of our fans,” Mullen said. “They put guys out there on the field that can run, and they’re always one of the fastest, if not the fastest team in the SEC year-in and year-out. It’s a big game for us this weekend back at home and we’re looking forward to playing another tough team.”