After rushing for 131 yards and two touchdowns in a little more than two quarters of action in Georgia's 42-14 win over Samford on Saturday night, Bulldogs senior tailback Nick Chubb was asked about Mississippi State's 37-7 surprise drubbing of LSU.
"I'll worry about that tomorrow," Chubb said.
An unexpected treat of an early Southeastern Conference showdown was set up Saturday night when Dan Mullen's Bulldogs shredded Ed Orgeron's Tigers in Starkville. That 37-7 blowout resulted in Mississippi State vaulting into The Associated Press poll Sunday afternoon at No. 17 entering this week's trip to No. 11 Georgia in a meeting of 3-0 teams.
This marks the first time the sparsely played matchup between Georgia and Mississippi State will have two ranked teams.
"It's what you come here for," Georgia second-year coach Kirby Smart said Saturday night when asked about his next foe. "We've got a great SEC opponent rolling in here, but every SEC team has a good program. I don't take any of them lightly. I think every team you play in the SEC has good players and good coaches.
"It's the highest level of ball, so you've got to be on top of everything. We'll be in tight ballgames the rest of the way."
Georgia was in tight games throughout last season - with the exception of an early 45-14 loss at Ole Miss - but this season the Bulldogs have already disposed of Appalachian State, 31-10, and Samford with relative ease. Saturday was Georgia's lone opportunity to flex its muscle against a Football Championship Subdivision foe, which it did for most of the game but not often enough for some.
Freshman quarterback Jake Fromm completed 8 of 13 passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns to complement the rushing of Chubb and freshman D'Andre Swift, who had nine carries for 54 yards and a score.
"It was very similar to what we've done in the past," Smart said. "We shoot ourselves in the foot and drop a couple of balls, but at the same time, we had some rhythm and were able to run the ball. It's not as consistent as we need it to be, and we're going to play better defenses, so we better get ready."
Said Chubb: "I think our offense played well as a whole. Our defense always plays good."
Mississippi State held LSU junior running back Derrius Guice, considered by many to be the SEC's top Heisman Trophy candidate before the season, to 76 yards. The Tigers managed just 270 yards overall, while Mullen's Bulldogs racked up 465.
Junior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald threw for 180 yards and rushed for 88 for Mississippi State, while junior running back Aeris Williams rushed for 146.
"They're physical. They're big, and they have all kinds of ways to run the ball," Smart said. "I don't think I've ever played them when they didn't have a running quarterback."
Odds and ends
Chubb's 100-yard game was the 19th of his career, leaving him second in program history behind Herschel Walker's 28. ... Sophomore defensive lineman Tyler Clark did not play due to what Smart called an "undisclosed injury." ... Freshman inside linebacker Monty Rice tallied five tackles. ... Sophomore defensive back Tyrique McGhee made his first career start.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.