Georgia needed a 16-play, 81-yard drive that took 10:59 off the clock to secure a win against Mississippi State

That surely isn't what anyone expected.

But that's been the case for this season, where much of what people anticipated hasn't turned into fruition. In Georgia's 41-31 victory over Mississippi State, much of the same issues persisted -- dropped passes, missed blocks on the perimeter and a defense that looked excellent one drive and inconsistent the next.

Quarterback Carson Beck posted a career best in yards thrown, accounting for 459 yards and three touchdowns. He also needed 48 passes to do this and tossed two interceptions.

Georgia held a 34-10 lead following a 42-yard touchdown throw from Beck to Arian Smith. From there, Mississippi State scored 14 unanswered points and threatened with another drive before being forced to punt with just over 11 minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

That's when Georgia took 10:59 off the clock to secure its win.

Even then, Mississippi State scored a touchdown from quarterback Michael Van Buren to Kelly Akharaiyi with 1:41 left to play. Van Buren threw for 306 yards, three touchdowns and one interception against Georgia.

At some point we all have to be frank about this team.

Right now, this is an above average team that has the potential to give anyone in the country a great game. But it is just way too inconsistent at the moment and isn't the dominant group most folks expected before the season starts.

Up 34-10, Georgia should have cruised to a blowout victory. It was unable to do that and allowed Mississippi State to make a game of it late in the second half.

That's not going to sit well with anyone inside this program.

Will Georgia be prepared for Texas?

This is an obvious one following an unimpressive showing against the SEC's worst team. But it certainly needs to be asked because of how this team looked in the first half against Alabama. That outing against the Crimson Tide looks even worse now that Vanderbilt defeated them and South Carolina nearly did so on Saturday.

Georgia opened its game against Mississippi State with an interception. Those kind of mistakes cannot happen early against a tough Texas squad. Georgia's defense looked beatable by most teams from midway in the third quarter through the rest of the game.

Georgia will need to play mostly error-free football if it is to record a win next week.

Early third down: In the first quarter, Georgia faced a third-and-6 from the Mississippi State 25-yard line. Beck was able to hit London Humphreys for a 20-yard gain, which put the ball at the 5-yard line. This led to a Branson Robinson touchdown to give Georgia a 10-3 lead.

Goal-line passing score: In one of the coolest play designs of the day, Beck faked a handoff at the 1-yard line in the second quarter. This sucked the bulk of the Mississippi State defense in, leaving tight end Lawson Luckie wide open in the end zone for a touchdown. This play was well-executed and gave Georgia a 27-10 lead.

Holding penalty: Down 10 in the fourth quarter, Mississippi State had a ton of momentum in the game. Then Jacoby Jackson committed a holding penalty, which took away a first down and forced a second-and-16 instead. Mississippi State was unable to overcome this penalty and punted with around 11 minutes to go in the game. Georgia then embarked on its almost 11-minute drive to secure the win.

Offense: B

Georgia's offense put up 605 total yards. Yet there were one too many moments that made you think whether it could put up that kind of production against the better teams in the nation. There were a number of dropped passes and two interceptions thrown. But Georgia did lean on Beck, who was needed in the game far longer than expected.

Defense: C

Up by 24 in the early second half, it's almost as if the Georgia defense thought the game was over. The Bulldogs committed two personal foul penalties on third downs that allowed Mississippi State to cut the game to 34-17. Mississippi State was given hope, which is the worst thing you want a team with nothing to lose to have. Mississippi State finished Saturday with 385 total yards against Georgia.

Special teams: A-

Peyton Woodring finally missed a field goal but it was from 55 yards away. He made two others from 32 and 45 yards away. Brett Thorson put another punt inside the 20-yard line with it not being returned. That's become standard for the Australian.

Offense: B+

Defense: B

Special teams: A-