Poor defensive showing spoils first half debut of JT Daniels, black jerseys against Mississippi State
Georgia fans got its first look at quarterback JT Daniels, who made his first career start for the Bulldogs against Mississippi State. And the early returns looked encouraging for Georgia as it is locked in a 17-17 game.
Related: Georgia football live blog as Bulldogs take on Mississippi State
After a shaky first drive, Daniels settled in and showed a strong connection with George Pickens. The quarterback completed 13 of his 17 attempts for 204 yards and two touchdowns. He did connect with Pickens on a touchdown, the first for the wide receiver since against Auburn.
TOUCHDOWN!!!!
JT Daniels @jtdaniels06 to George Pickens @geo_Thagoat!!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/RG4zkh4yQf— GEORGIA HEROES (@GeorgiaHeroes) November 22, 2020
I know Miss State leading is horrifying UGA fans rn but JT Daniels looks great so far
— BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL (@edsbs) November 22, 2020
Nice throw on the run there from Daniels but an equally great catch and route there by Pickens.
Points! Offense! Maybe some fun! Georgia leads 7-3 https://t.co/k7BE2ikGOK
— Connor Riley (@Kconnorriley) November 22, 2020
JT rolling outside the pocket because of a batted ball and the OL blocking like garbage. We could’ve used that strategy at Florida.
— Jon Tweets Sports (@JonTweetsSports) November 22, 2020
JT Daniels throws his first TD as a member of the Georgia Bulldogs.
Related: George Pickens is good.
— Barrett Sallee (@BarrettSallee) November 22, 2020
“did you miss me?” -George Pickens 🐶 pic.twitter.com/WcInhtrjmx
— Chris Figgures (@chrislfiggures) November 22, 2020
Well good to see that the QB position isn’t the cause of our frustration tonight
— UGA Spike Squad (@UGASPIKESQUAD) November 22, 2020
Great drive! Had some mishaps and overcame them!
— FOST (@GeorgeFoster72) November 22, 2020
This was Pickens’ first game since the loss to Alabama. He had five first-half catches for 56 yards He also had a 49-yard completion to freshman Jermaine Burton. The freshman wide receiver had 149 receiving yards in the first half after having just 130 yards coming into the game.
JT Daniels @jtdaniels06 to Jermaine Burton @NASAMAINE
nice move!! pic.twitter.com/VImUyuCGSb— GEORGIA HEROES (@GeorgiaHeroes) November 22, 2020
JT Daniels @jtdaniels06 to Jermaine Burton @NASAMAINE
BIG PLAY again!!! pic.twitter.com/ZzUAfInElg— GEORGIA HEROES (@GeorgiaHeroes) November 22, 2020
JT Daniels @jtdaniels06__ hits Jermaine Burton @NASAMAINE for 6️⃣!!!! pic.twitter.com/P0zSQY1nQh
— GEORGIA HEROES (@GeorgiaHeroes) November 22, 2020
The other big first half storyline was that the Bulldogs wore their black jerseys. This is the first time since 2016 that the Bulldogs have worn the jerseys.
The black uniforms got rave reviews from Georgia fans. Maybe this is something the Bulldogs will consider doing going forward.
Refresh… Going dark.#ATD #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/iS1ZTPXb5H
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) November 21, 2020
— ♚ David Daniel ① (@David_X_Dope) November 22, 2020
I cannot tell you how good it feels to be in Sanford Stadium on a November Saturday evening.
But there is nothing normal about it here.
When we beat this stupid virus I hope we throw the biggest party this stadium has ever seen. (while wearing black jerseys, of course.)
— Logan Booker (@LoganMBooker) November 22, 2020
BLACK JERSEYS CONFIRMED FOR TONIGHT pic.twitter.com/adetl8yZ76
— Barstool UGA (@ugabarstool) November 21, 2020
— Jamie Han (@jamiehan) November 21, 2020
⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️#GoDawgs #ATD pic.twitter.com/kfMoPm2sAP
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) November 21, 2020
UH OH 🐶🥶🖤 https://t.co/5S68vQZ0HC
— Chris Figgures (@chrislfiggures) November 21, 2020
https://t.co/nrx5TgMvER pic.twitter.com/yKZWnTvAtG
— UGA Spike Squad (@UGASPIKESQUAD) November 21, 2020
The Georgia defense has struggled to get off the field, as Mississippi has been able to sustain long drives thanks to the efficient play of Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers. Mississippi State picked up six third-down conversions on its first three drives as it strung together scoring drives of 71 yards, 75 yards and 75 yards. The latter two drives resulted in touchdowns.
The defensive problems continued for the Bulldogs following struggles against Florida and Alabama. Rogers was 24 of 29 in the first half for 210 yards and a touchdown.
This is not a dissimilar game to that of Kentucky, where the Wildcats limited possesions. The difference so far has been the play of Daniels, while Georgia’s rushing game struggled in the first half.
Hello https://t.co/63d0ABUoIi
— Ben Portnoy (@bportnoy15) November 22, 2020
Turn your head around and it’s an INT…instead it’s a long TD for Miss St
— UGA Supporters (@Support_UGA) November 22, 2020
Also: Mississippi State up on Georgia, 17-10. Bulldogs brought fewer than 50 scholarship players to Athens.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) November 22, 2020
— Jason Butt (@JasonHButt) November 22, 2020
Can’t go 3-4 years without an identity
— FOST (@GeorgeFoster72) November 22, 2020
at this specific point in time Mississippi State > Georgia is way more shocking than Rutgers > Michigan
— Matt Hinton (@MattRHinton) November 22, 2020
CLANGA CLANGA CLANGA
Mississippi State is up 17-10 on Georgia.pic.twitter.com/4r09w2OtTR
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) November 22, 2020
The second half of the game can be seen on the SEC Network.
More Georgia football stories from around DawgNation
- Georgia football to bust out black jerseys against Mississippi State
- DawgNation Georgia-Mississippi State football Game Day schedule, top to bottom
- 4 things to know before betting UGA as a 25-point favorite vs. Mississippi State
- SEC Network broadcaster on JT Daniels: ‘I want to see him play’
- Georgia-Mississippi State: TV Channel, game time, how to watch online, odds for Week 12 game
- National media, Georgia football fans interested to see JT Daniels against Mississippi State
- Priority targets Terrion Arnold and Xavian Sorey Jr. plan to be at UGA this weekend
- Monty Rice shows why he is a leader for Georgia football by playing through pain