Numbers Watch
• Of the 23 times Georgia has faced Mississippi State, this is the first time that the team from Starkville is ranked in the AP poll (they were 18th in the UPI in 1982). MSU comes in at No. 17.
• Georgia has started the season 3-0 each of the last three seasons and five out of the last 11 seasons. Here is how the Bulldogs have fared in the fourth game in those seasons.
Georgia: 3-0 Starts (Since 2007 Season)
• Georgia scored 42 points last Saturday and did so just three quarters. The 42 points are the most Georgia has scored under Kirby Smart and Jim Chaney.
• Last week we compared Jacob Eason to Jake Fromm statistically through two games and the numbers were pretty identical. Here are the two gunslingers after three games in the collegiate careers.
Georgia Quarterback Comparison Through 3 Career Games
• Nick Chubb had another fine performance as he ran for 131 yards on just 16 attempts (8.2 ypc average). Not bad since he was only out of the field for 28 snaps. It was his 19th 100-yard rushing game of his Georgia career. The puts Chubb second behind Herschel Walker’s 28 (Walker actually had 30, but bowl stats did not count during his time) among Georgia running backs.
• Chubb also had two more rushing touchdowns which gives him 33 for his career. He's now tied for fourth with Garrison Hearst all-time at Georgia. We have been providing a chart all season, but now that others are doing likewise, we've decided to do something else.
Surprisingly enough, Chubb has never had three touchdown rushes in a single game. Here is a breakdown on how Georgia fares in relation to Chubb's number of scores.
Nick Chubb - Georgia Record Comparison
• Sony Michel did not play last week and remains in tenth place all-time on Georgia’s career yards rushing chart. Once again he has a chance to pass many former Bulldog greats.
Georgia: Career Rush Yard Leaders (6th through 10th place)
• Chubb still stands in second, but needs 1,545 yards rushing to tie Walker.
• On the receiving end, Mecole Hardman scored his first career touchdown and Terry Godwin had two scores. Godwin now has three touchdowns on just six catches this season. His three touchdown receptions are more than he had in his first two seasons combined. Only one player caught a pair of touchdown receptions in the same game last season and only one the season before. That used to be more common when Mike Bobo was the offensive coordinator.
Georgia: 2 TD Receptions in the Same Game Since 2014
• On defense, Georgia continues to be impressive. Here is how Georgia has fared in total yards allowed by their first three opponents compared to what those teams have been averaging.
Georgia Opponents: First 3 Games
• The rushing defense was particularly impressive. Georgia held Samford to the seventh lowest rushing output by any Bulldog opponent since 2010.
Georgia Rush Defense: Fewest Rush Yards Allowed in a Game Since 2010
• On pass defense, after a memorable performance against the Fighting Irish, Lorenzo Carter had another big game, notching two more sacks. It was the third time that he has had at least two sacks in a game. He had two and a half against Kentucky as a freshman in 2014 and two more last season against Vanderbilt. Only two Bulldogs had two or more sacks in a game last season. Besides Carter, Trenton Thompson had three against TCU in the Liberty Bowl.
• The Dawgs defense will have a tough challenge this week as Georgia-native Nick Fitzgerald comes to town. Fitzgerald led the SEC in touchdown rushes last season and was second in rushing yards. He is 2-3 all-time against ranked teams, but last week he ran for 88 yards and two scores while throwing for 180 yards and two more scores in the upset win over LSU in Starkville.
