Stats Crunch: Mississippi State game

Georgia moves to 9-0 after defeating Tennessee in front of a loud, raucous Sanford Stadium crowd. It is the second straight season of starting 9-0. It's the first time in school history that the Dawgs have ever been undefeated through the first nine games in back-to-back seasons. They've split results the first eight times starting 9-0, but can they win and be perfect through ten?

This week, Georgia will face the other Bulldogs of the SEC as the team takes on Mississippi State. As conference foes, Georgia and Mississippi State have not faced each other that much.

Georgia is currently 11th in the nation in terms of scoring offense, averaging 40.1 points per game. The Bulldogs are second in scoring defense, allowing an average of 10.8 points per game. They have 361 points this season, compared to 97 points allowed. The plus-264 margin is the second most through the Bulldogs’ first nine games all-time. The only scoring higher margin in the same time frame was last season (plus-287).

The Bulldogs are third in the nation, averaging 514.2 yards per game. The UGA season record is 484.1 yards set in 2013. The Bulldogs are fifth in yards allowed per game at 265.2. In terms of yard differential, the Dawgs lead the nation—and it's not really that close.

The Dawgs (and the Sanford Stadium sellout crowd) forced Tennessee to commit seven false start penalties. Here's a game-by-game look at false start flags for Bulldog opponents when between the hedges over the last two seasons.

Sanford Stadium was sold out for the 63rd consecutive home game (not counting the COVID season). The school record is 64, set from 2001 to 2011. Georgia will attempt to tie its record against Georgia Tech on November 26.

It wasn’t just the false start penalties that slowed Tennessee down. The Bulldogs had a season-high six sacks (they also had six against the Volunteers last season). Georgia has nine sacks over the last two games compared to seven sacks in its first seven games. Javon Bullard led the way with his first two career sacks. The six sacks were tied for the third-highest in a game under Kirby Smart.

Stetson Bennett has avoided sacks for the most part this season. He has been sacked just seven times this season and 14 for his career. Last week, he reached an impressive milestone. He had his 50th career passing touchdown as well as his 10th career rushing touchdown. In the Tennessee game alone, he threw for two scores and ran for another. It's the fourth time this season in which he has at least a touchdown pass and run, which is the most by a Bulldog since 1990.

The 60 total touchdowns for which he's responsible is tied for the fifth most by a Bulldog with Frank Sinkwich. The 1942 Heisman Trophy winner had 30 passing touchdowns and 30 rushing touchdowns in his career. Bennett is also just 93 yards away from becoming the sixth Georgia player with 7,000 yards passing in his career, and needs 11 more completions to become the sixth player with 500 career completions.

The player with the most receptions this season is Ladd McConkey with 38. McConkey is also approaching a milestone. He needs just 46 yards receiving to reach 1,000 in his career.

Brock Bowers needs 44 yards receiving to reach 1,500 for his career. He also needs ten receptions to reach 100.

Receptions are one thing at which Kenny McIntosh has excelled this season. He's in the top five in most receptions in a season and in a career by a Georgia running back since 1990.

While McIntosh’s reception totals are impressive. Mississippi State has two running backs who each have more receptions this season in Dillon Johnson and Jo’quavious Marks.

Daijun Edwards needs just 79 yards rushing to reach 1,000 for his career. McIntosh reached one thousand during the Florida game, and now has 1,137 for his career.

Edwards, McIntosh and Bennett have another accomplishment this season. Georgia is the only team in the nation with three players with at least six rushing touchdowns this season. The last time Georgia had four players with six rushing touchdowns in one entire season was in 1971.

All four of the main running backs were in action last week. As Edwards, McIntosh, Kendall Milton and Branson Robinson all had carries. This is how they stand per quarter-by-quarter this season.

Jack Podlesny had two field goals against Tennessee and now has 51 for his career. He is one of nine Bulldog kickers with at least 50 made. He also has 306 career points. He is one of six Georgia kickers with at least 300 points in a career.

But the big story last week was the kicking performance of Australian Brett Thorson. The freshman from Down Under showed some thunder as he pounded a 75-yard punt to the one-yard line. The blast was tied for the tenth longest punt in Georgia history. Here are those all-time lengthly punts.

Thorson, who always has something clever to say on Twitter, said this following the Tennessee game.