Defense struggles in Mississippi State’s 41-31 loss to No. 5 Georiga

Mississippi State’s defense had no answer for quarterback Carson Beck and Georgia, as the Bulldogs lost 41-31 in Athens.

No. 5 UGA led MSU 34-10 early in the third and at that point, Beck was 30-37 with 392 yards and three touchdowns. He finished with 459 passing yards.

State scored 14 unanswered after that point to make it a 34-24 game, but Georgia was able to pull away despite MSU outscoring Kirby Smart’s team 21-7 in the final 28 minutes. MSU true freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren took another step forward as he finished with 306 yards and three touchdowns. UTEP transfer receiver Kelly Akharaiyi was a nice target for Van Buren, hauling in three catches for 72 yards and three touchdowns.

With the loss, Mississippi State falls to 1-5 on the season and has now lost five straight games. Jeff Lebby’s team returns to Starkville next week for another ranked matchup as the Bulldogs will host No. 15 Texas A&M.