It was an inspiring and reassuring sight on the opening series of the game as the Mississippi State offense methodically drove down the field, using Jerious Norwood’s slashing maneuvers and Omarr Conner’s elusive pocket-presence to march 58 yards on 11-plays, ending with always reliable kicker Keith Andrews’ 34-yard field goal: 3-0 State.
State’s West Coast offense had kicked into gear, and early, stifling what was the 12th-ranked defense in the nation with six rushing plays and four passing calls on that impressive opening drive.
Although UGA’s defense held State to only three points, it was an exceptionally pleasing sight that proved Mississippi State, offensively, could move the ball on a football team that Sylvester Croom said “will be in the running for a national title at the end of the season.”
State had a chance to beat that team. They had a chance to ruin all national title hopes Georgia had. They would just have to create more drives like the first.
But they couldn’t. It didn’t happen again until there was seven minutes left in the game, when it was out of reach and lost to the Maroon and White. The offense had failed … again.
“We’re going to run the West Coast offense. That’s not going to change. We’re just not executing it right now,” an animated and emphatic Sylvester Croom said after State’s disappointing, but not quite embarrassing 23-10 loss to No. 7 Georgia on national television. “We’re going to get people in here who can run (the West Coast offense). We’re going to get protection; we’re going to get receivers in here who can catch the football, and we are going to run that offense because it’s the offense I believe in.”
That offense has yet to find consistency when playing quality opponents-like Auburn and Georgia. Sustaining drive has been a major shortcoming.
After that stellar opening drive, only two-the last two-of State’s remaining 11 drives went for more than 25 yards. They had a horrendous stretch of offense in the second quarter, which included five drives, each lasting no more than three plays and totaling a combined 10 yards. That’s an average of .67 yards per play. A pitiful and disgraceful showing for a team that just marched down the field.
“They (Georgia) were running just base things. We just had a miss block here or have our hat placement wrong there. It was always just something little,” MSU center Chris McNeil said, trying to explain the offensive’s fall out.
The offensive line gave little time to Conner, who sometimes was unable to even set his feet in the pocket before he was dancing around, avoiding UGA tacklers. Conner, who finished 19 of 32 for 205 yards, was sacked four times for a loss of 27 yards. After completing two of his four attempts on the opening series, he hit only one of his next nine targets.
“(UGA’s) defensive front is probably one of the more talented groups I’ve ever played against,” McNeil added.
After racking up 30 yards on four carries in State’s first drive, Norwood gained 24 yards the rest of the night, including a miserable five-yard second half performance.
“We moved the ball on the first drive,” said tight end Eric Butler, who had four catches for 53 yards, including the Bulldogs’ only touchdown. “But in a game like this you have to take advantage of the opportunities you get. They (UGA defense) gave us a couple different looks that we didn’t really work on in practice. We had to make adjustments at halftime.”
The adjustments apparently didn’t work. Two of State’s five second-half drives ended in punts, another with an interception and another in a fumble.
“We had opportunities early to make plays,” Croom said, “But we didn’t do that.”
Defense stands tall without much help
With the offense floundering and giving little rest to their tired and worn down counterpart, Mississippi State’s defense kept the Bulldogs in the game by forcing Georgia to attempt five field goals, along with causing a fumble in the red zone.
“The defense was outstanding all night long,” Croom said. “They played hard, and they were out on the field for a long time because (the offense) didn’t convert some third downs.”
Mississippi State was five of 15 on third downs.
UGA was inside the Mississippi State 10-yard line on four occasions. State forced a fumble once and kept the visiting Bulldogs out of the end zone the other three times, allowing only field goals.
“Even if they get in the red zone, our (the defense’s) whole purpose and goal is to stop them,” MSU linebacker Anthony Littlejohn said. “No matter what, stop them, no matter who it is.”
The MSU defense was out on the field for 35 minutes of the 60-minute contest. In the second and third quarters combined, State’s offense had the ball for only nine minutes out of a possible 30, leaving the defense exhausted. But still they only allowed 61 yards to Georgia in the second stanza.
“We just need the offense to help us out a little bit by giving us a little rest,” State corner back David Heard said. “The offense had a lot of three and outs, but conditioning-wise everybody (on the defense) felt pretty good.”
D.J. Shockley’s arm proved to be more potent than presumed. Shockley, who averaged 53 rushing yards a game before Saturday night, only rushed for six yards and was sacked three times by a fierce State defense. Though, he passed for 312 yards and had two touchdowns.
“He threw the ball a lot better than I thought he would going into the game,” Croom said. “That was our plan to try to stop him running.”
Again, the defense executed, stopping Shockley’s legs, but his arm is what eventually hurt MSU, completing 21 of 36 passes. The 6-foot-1, 206-pound senior began the night seven of seven for 124 yards. His first incomplete pass came early in the second quarter.
“He’s a great athlete. He can throw the ball, and he can run,” State defensive end Willie Evans said of Shockley. “The key thing we tried to do is contain him, but he still managed to make plays.”
Coming into Saturday’s game, Georgia’s rushing offense was ranked 17th in the nation, averaging 237 ground yards a game. State held Georgia to 94 yards on the ground, stuffing the visiting Bulldogs’ trio of running backs: Danny Ware (nine carries, 43 yards), Kregg Lumpkin (six carries, 36 yards) and starter Thomas Brown (nine carries, 22 yards).
UGA had only six yards rushing on seven carries after the first quarter and 33 yards at halftime. Heard puts it best when he said, “I felt like (Shockley) was the only player really doing something on offense. If they didn’t have Shockley, it would have been completely different.”
MSU/UGA miscellaneous notes
? The last time Mississippi State beat Georgia in Starkville was in 1951 in a 6-0 win.
? UGA head coach Mark Richt is now 16-2 in SEC road games.
? Georgia has won its first four games of the season for the third time under fifth-year coach Mark Richt.
? MSU is now 23-30-3 (.445) in home SEC openers.
? Mississippi State has been victorious in only one of their last eight games televised by ESPN2.
? Quarterback Omarr Conner has already matched last year’s touchdown high. Conner, who threw seven TD’s last season, threw his seventh of this short season Saturday night.