Mississippi State
1-5 , 0-3
Georgia
5-1 , 3-1
Strong Showing Not Quite Enough As State Falls To No. 5 Georgia
October 12, 2024 | Football
MSU drops 41-31 decision in Athens.
ATHENS, Ga. – For the second straight game, Mississippi State put up a fight on the road against a top-five opponent. After a strong showing at No. 1 Texas two weeks ago, MSU did the same on Saturday at No. 5 Georgia before ultimately falling 41-31.
True freshman MSU quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. threw for career highs with 306 yards of passing and three touchdowns, Kevin Coleman Jr. totaled 103 yards receiving, Kelly Akharaiyi had 72 yards receiving with a pair of touchdowns and State scored in every quarter of the game, but it wasn't quite enough.
Mississippi State sent a message early on that it came to the Peach State to play. Defensive back Brice Pollock intercepted a pass on Georgia's first drive of the day, and MSU turned it into a 47-yard field goal from Kyle Ferrie to take an early lead. State went on to have several other highlights throughout the contest.
Akharaiyi's first touchdown reception came midway through the second quarter to halt Georgia's momentum after UGA scored 13 unanswered points.
Then, after Georgia found the end zone a couple of more times before halftime to take a 27-10 lead into the intermission, MSU running backs Johnnie Daniels and Davon Booth kept State in the fight.
Daniels had a 19-yard scoring run and Booth caught a two-yard toss from Van Buren and after three quarters of play, State headed into the final period down only 10 points at 34-24.
Unfortunately for MSU, the Maroon-and-White clad Bulldogs would get no closer. The two teams traded fourth-quarter touchdowns with Akharaiyi capping the game's scoring with a highlight-reel 35-yard catch with only 1:47 left to set the final margin.
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Next Up for MSU…
Mississippi State will return home for the first time in about a month. The Bulldogs will host Texas A&M on Saturday, Oct. 19. Â Kickoff at Davis Wade Stadium is set for 3:15 p.m., and the contest will be televised by SEC Network.
Team Stats
MSU 3, UGA 0
MSU - Ferrie,Kyle 47 yd field goal 4 plays, -3 yards, TOP 01:24
MSU 3, UGA 3
UGA - Woodring,Peyton 45 yd field goal 10 plays, 38 yards, TOP 04:56
MSU 3, UGA 10
UGA - Robinson,Branson 5 yd run (Woodring,Peyton kick), 8 plays, 81 yards, TOP 03:21
MSU 3, UGA 13
UGA - Woodring,Peyton 32 yd field goal 13 plays, 51 yards, TOP 05:22
MSU 10, UGA 13
MSU - Akharaiyi,Kelly 24 yd pass from Van Buren Jr.,Michael (Ferrie,Kyle kick) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:05
MSU 10, UGA 20
UGA - Bell,Dillon 31 yd pass from Beck,Carson (Woodring,Peyton kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:14
MSU 10, UGA 27
UGA - Luckie,Lawson 1 yd pass from Beck,Carson (Woodring,Peyton kick) 6 plays, 80 yards, TOP 02:54
MSU 10, UGA 34
UGA - Smith,Arian 42 yd pass from Beck,Carson (Woodring,Peyton kick) 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:12
MSU 17, UGA 34
MSU - Daniels,Johnnie 19 yd run (Ferrie,Kyle kick), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:21
MSU 24, UGA 34
MSU - Booth,Davon 2 yd pass from Van Buren Jr.,Michael (Ferrie,Kyle kick) 8 plays, 80 yards, TOP 03:56
MSU 24, UGA 41
UGA - Etienne,Trevor 1 yd run (Woodring,Peyton kick), 16 plays, 81 yards, TOP 07:26
MSU 31, UGA 41
MSU - Akharaiyi,Kelly 35 yd pass from Van Buren Jr.,Michael (Ferrie,Kyle kick) 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:46
