The Mississippi State Bulldogs thought they would be one of the four teams in the College Football Playoffs. Instead, they suffered a late-season collapse that has them headed for the Orange Bowl instead. It is not where the team saw themselves even halfway through the year, but a loss to Alabama caused things to go downhill. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech enjoyed shocking a number of people this season including in-state rivals, Georgia. Now the Yellow Jackets hope momentum is in their favor as they face off in Miami.
Georgia Tech and Mississippi State are completely different in terms of game plan. Tech is run heavy and will push a triple-option attack on the Bulldogs while Mississippi State has Dak Prescott and his arm to keep the defense guessing while remaining balanced with a strong rushing attack. The Bulldogs have a defense that can hold Georgia Tech, but the Yellow Jackets will return the favor by creating turnovers. Mississippi State started off on a 9-0 streak before falling to Alabama. Tech suffered back-to-back losses, but finished hot. However, Mississippi State lost two of their last three games to drop out of the playoffs.
Georgia Tech will once again bank on their heavy triple-option offense to keep the Bulldogs defense on their toes. Quarterback Justin Thomas has been a master of the offense as the Yellow Jackets rank No. 2 in rushing offense and No. 1 in third-down conversions. Thomas finished the year with 1,594 passing yards for 17 touchdowns while also putting up 965 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He paired those numbers with Zach Laskey's 788 rushing yards and Synjyn Days' 753 rushing yards.
Prescott comes into this game after dropping out of Heisman contention throwing 10 interceptions on the season. He must play smart football in this game as the Yellow Jackets have caused 17 interceptions and returned five for touchdowns. They will be prepared to feast off poor play if Prescott struggles. The Bulldogs spread the ball around like Georgia Tech does in the run game. They have one of the more balanced attacks in the league, but this will come down to how smart Prescott is with the ball and whether or not the defense can adjust to a rare offense.
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