ATHENS - For the second straight week Georgia is playing a team from Mississippi ("The Hospitality State"). So for a second straight week a writer from the Jackson Clarion-Ledger will be hospitable enough to answer our questions.

Brandon Marcello covers Mississippi State for the Clarion-Ledger. You can find his blog here, where you can also find my answers to his questions about the game. Follow him on Twitter at @bmarcello.

Thanks to Brandon for some very in-depth answers, which I'm sure were much better than mine.

1.  We'll start with the overall Mississippi State: The "other" Bulldogs come in here seven-point underdogs after needing overtime to beat Louisiana Tech, a team that needed overtime to beat Central Arkansas. Has the confidence level dropped around Starkville?

Marcello: I would certainly say the fan base's confidence has taken a hit, but I'm not so certain of the players. I never sensed a level of frustration with the players before, during or after the Louisiana Tech game. You have to give credit to this coaching staff: whenever there has been a dose of disappointment, they've been able to rally around the senior leadership and jump back in the hunt. I know it was a year ago, but the 29-7 loss at LSU last season was used as a rallying point. Weeks later (including a jumping off point against Georgia), the Bulldogs reeled off six straight wins, the longest win streak in a decade at MSU.

Now, as I said, the fans are not very happy. And why should they be? They were expecting a repeat of last season, and early losses certainly dampen those hopes. A win against Georgia, which is VERY possible in my eyes, could turn things around for the Bulldogs, just like last season.

2. Chris Relf is a big quarterback who can run, as he showed last year against Georgia. There's no doubt Georgia will key on that. Can MSU still impose its will running the ball, or will we see a lot of Relf dropping back to try to hit Chad Bumphis and company?

Marcello:They're going to mix it up. They've been fairly even-handed throwing and running the ball this season, but it hurts the running game when Relf is unable to connect on the deep throws. I'll tell you this, I still think Relf is a darn good quarterback. He showed that much to me in the Auburn game, when he took that team on his back, made some big throws and punished the Auburn offense with some jaw-jarring hits and runs. I think MSU wants to control the tempo and run the football in this one. It's just a hunch, and one I believe wholeheartedly with MSU moving offensive linemen all over the place in an effort to improve the run blocking, which has suffered between the tackles with injuries piling up in the last two games. State rushed for nearly 180 yards against Louisiana Tech, but got most of those yards running outside the tackles.

And that leads me to your next question ...

3. Vick Ballard is averaging over 100 yards a game. Georgia's run defense, at least up the middle, has been pretty good, but susceptible to some outside runs, as Marcus Lattimore showed. How do you see that breaking down?

Marcello: This offense is much more than just Vick Ballard running the ball up the middle, but he certainly can be deadly for opposing defenses. I think the Bulldogs have to attack the edges in every game to be successful this season, and we finally started to see more of that against Louisiana Tech. Even the receivers are getting involved more on jet sweeps (receivers accounted for 57 rushing yards against Tech), and LaDarius Perkins saw a season-high in touches and has proven to be as deadly out of the backfield as he is in the slot catching passes.

I think State will punch Georgia on the inside, and bump a few runs to the left and right. I think the receivers will again be involved, but the whole key to MSU being successful in this game is hitting the play-action pass, a facet of the offense that has not been clicking over the last two games.

4. Does the Mississippi State defense miss Manny Diaz's playcalling? If not, what else ails their defense, especially against the run?

Marcello: I know a lot of folks are complaining, but Chris Wilson's defense is very similar to Diaz's scheme. The Bulldogs are missing three NFL players more than anything. All three starting linebackers (two now in the NFL) and defensive end Pernell McPhee (now sacking quarterbacks for the Balitimore Ravens) are gone from last season's team. McPhee commanded attention, often drawing double teams that allowed inside guys like Josh Boyd and Fletcher Cox to apply pressure in the middle of the field. State simply does not have that luxury this season and they're trying to figure things out. Last week against Tech, the coaches put the pressure on the secondary, the most talented and experience group on the defense. And they certainly responded with a pair of game-saving interceptions and three sacks.

I loathe playing hypotheticals but I'll go out on a limb and predict that the defense's "woes" would be similar if Diaz was still calling plays. The Bulldogs are experiencing some growing pains.

5. Georgia's special teams and defense have been hit lately by trick and gadget plays. Obviously you're not privy to MSU's gameplan, but how often do the Bulldogs rely on those kinds of plays?

Marcello: Well, Dan Mullen has pulled out two fake punt attempts (and failed) already this season. State doesn't run trick plays often on offense, though their variations of sweeps and, yes, some inside draws, can confuse defenses.

6. Finally, what other keys do you see for this game and how do you see it playing out?

Marcello: I've been longwinded, so excuse me for being short here at the very end: State has to handle Georgia's interior defensive line, not throw interceptions and contain Aaron Murray. Murray was able to move the offense down the field several times last season in Starkville, but MSU's defense stepped up in the red zone. State needs some stops and a few turnovers to win on the road. Georgia has the edge with the home crowd, and with MSU still trying to figure things out on the offensive line, it could be tough sledding for the Bulldogs from Mississippi.