Mississippi State travels to Athens, GA Saturday to take on the #5 Bulldogs. The initial MSU vs. Georgia Availability Report was released Wednesday and updated Thursday night. The outcome shows State a little healthier than they were in its matchup with Texas. It didn’t hurt that they had a bye week as well. Georgia is only missing five of their players.
The SEC first mandated these reports this year, and only if the games are between two SEC schools. They are initially released Wednesday evening by 8:00 pm ET, then updated Thursday, Friday, and 90 minutes before kickoff. Schools that don’t provide timely or accurate reports may be subject to fines of $25 thousand for the first offense, and up to $ 100 thousand for subsequent offenses.
MSU Offensive Report
Blake Shapen’s immediate future is known since shoulder surgery took him out for the season. His replacement, Michael Van Buren Jr.. is healthy for Saturday’s game between the hedges.
The State Bulldogs have been improving in their running game, especially against Texas. But one of the main contributors before that was running back Keyvone Lee. He was injured in the Florida game along with Shapen and will continue to be out for the Georgia game.
Wide receivers Creed Whittemore and Trent Hudson are listed as out, but not because of injury. They opted to take a redshirt after four games. and are sitting out the remainder of the season. They continue to practice with the team, as part of the scout squad.
On the Defensive Side
State’s overall report is down from 11 players to seven from the week before. Those listed as out this week were on the list against Texas. The four returning will be adding to the defensive effort, and three to the sorely lacking secondary.
Cornerback DeAgo Brumfield, and safety Chris Keys Jr. will be coming back as well as the Bulldogs’ leading tackler, safety Isaac Smith. He was not listed as out on last week’s report either, which would lead one to believe he was back. However following the contact portion of the warmups at Texas, he decided he wasn’t good to go. Given an additional week to heal and the fact he stayed in Starkville during the break to work on Georgia, it is felt he will be ready.
Remaining out are defensive lineman Kalvin Dinkins and cornerback Traveon Wright. Dinkins was injured in the Eastern Kentucky game after recording his first career sack. Wright made his debut at Arizona State where he was injured.
Georgia’s Short List
For Georgia’s report, the question wasn’t who was on the report, but who wasn’t. Wide receiver Colbie Young was suspended indefinitely for assault and battery but is not listed as out.
Next to the quarterback, the center is the leader of the offensive line. Jared Wilson was the starting center for the Georgia Dawgs but suffered a foot injury against Alabama. Drew Bobo, the son of offensive coordinator, Mike Bobo, came in for Wilson and got his first start against Auburn last week. Wilson is listed as questionable for the State game; thus it is expected that Bobo will start against State.
Also listed as questionable is defensive lineman Jordan Hall. At 6’4” and 320 pounds, the sophomore hasn’t played all season due to stress fractures in both legs and surgery to insert rods.
The following Georgia players are also listed as out for the contest. These three were out for the Auburn game as well.
- LB Smael Mondon, foot
- OG Tate Ratledge, ankle
- RB Roderick Robinson, foot
Another Dawg Fight
When the Dawgs face each other on Saturday, it will only be the 27th time since their meeting in 1914. They would skip 34 years until they played again in 1950. The overall record for Mississippi State is six wins and 20 losses. The last time State won was in 2010, Dan Mullen’s second year as head coach.
This year, the Bulldogs from Mississippi are 34-point underdogs. However, several oddsmakers doubt the Bulldogs to the east will cover the spread. Perhaps they are looking at last weekend and the upsets that happened to #2 Alabama, #4 Tennessee, and #9 Missouri in the SEC. Then, #10 Michigan and #15 USC of the Big Ten fell to unranked teams. Granted, the teams that upset those highly-ranked teams were not in a rebuilding year, with a first-time head coach. But, one can never know in college football.
Kickoff is set for 3:15 CT. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
