Georgia-Mississippi State game time, TV info, what to watch and what's at stake

Here is your primer for Saturday's game between No. 11 Georgia and No. 17 Mississippi State.

Kickoff time: 7 p.m.

TV: ESPN (Joe Tessitore, Todd Backledge, Holly Rowe)

Local radio: Macon -- 106.3 FM; Columbus -- 1460 AM/100.1 FM; Athens -- 960 AM/106.1 FM; Atlanta -- 750 AM/95.5 FM (Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, Chuck Dowdle)

Sirius/XM: 98/192

Streaming: WatchESPN

Weather: It should be another warm day. For tailgating purposes, the temperature is expected to be in the 80s during the day. Around kickoff, it is expected to drop into the high 70s, with the temperature being in the mid-70s throughout the game.

Betting line: Georgia -4.5

Georgia coaches: Head coach Kirby Smart, offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, special teams coordinator Shane Beamer.

Mississippi State coaches: Head coach Dan Mullen, co-offensive coordinator Billy Gonzalez, co-offensive coordinator John Hevesy, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, special teams coordinator Greg Knox.

Series history: Despite both teams being charter members of the SEC in 1932 and playing against each other as early as 1914, the two teams have only competed against each other 23 total times. Georgia holds a 17-6 advantage in the series.

Last meeting: The two teams last met in 2011, with Georgia defeating Mississippi State 24-10.

Georgia's season thus far: Georgia (3-0) got past Appalachian State and Samford easily while playing a thriller at Notre Dame. Georgia came out of South Bend, Indiana, with a 20-19 win, with its defense holding the Fighting Irish to only 55 rushing yards. Defense has been Georgia's strength through the first quarter of the season. Georgia ranks 17th nationally in total defense (266 yards per game) and sixth in rushing defense (71).

Mississippi State's season thus far: Mississippi State (3-0, 1-0) surprised a lot of folks with its 37-7 thrashing of LSU last Saturday. Mississippi State also holds victories over Charleston Southern and Louisiana Tech. Much like Georgia, defense has been a big factor thus far. Mississippi State ranks fourth in the nation in total defense (206 yards per game) and sixth in passing defense (105).

Georgia’s key offensive players: RB Nick Chubb, RB Sony Michel, QB Jake Fromm, WR Terry Godwin

Georgia’s key defensive players: DL Trent Thompson, ILB Roquan Smith, OLB Lorenzo Carter, OLB Davin Bellamy

Mississippi State’s key offensive players: QB Nick Fitzgerald, RB Aeris Williams, WR Donald Gray, WR Keith Mixon

Mississippi State’s key defensive players: DL Jeffery Simmons, LB Gerri Green, DB Mark McLaurin, LB Dez Harris

The key for Georgia: Much like most of Georgia's games this season, it will fall on the defense to make most of the big plays. Georgia will need to slow down Fitzgerald's play-making ability, which is way easier said than done. Ftizgerald has shown an ability to throw the ball better than he did a year ago and still possesses great running ability. Fitzgerald's size allows him to take tacklers on, making it much more difficult to bring him down as compared to Notre Dame's Brandon Wimbush. Georgia will have every opportunity to win this game as long as Fitzgerald is slowed down.

The key for Mississippi State: While Mississippi State has been excellent against the pass, it has allowed 101 rushing yards per game. That's still pretty good but it shows Georgia can have success on the ground. For Mississippi State to win this game, it will need to stop Georgia's rushing attack and force quarterback Jake Fromm into a pass-first attack.

What a win means for Georgia: It would give Georgia its first SEC win and set it up great heading into road trips at Tennessee and Vanderbilt. It would also likely boost Georgia into the top-10 by beating a top 20 team, which would be the first time the Bulldogs have been there since the second week of the 2016 season.

What a win means for Mississippi State: It would give Mississippi State another win over a ranked opponent and further place relevance onto a program that may have the best chance of knocking off Alabama than anyone. Mississippi State would also likely have a chance of climbing into the top-10 with a win.

This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 10:39 AM with the headline "Georgia-Mississippi State game time, TV info, what to watch and what's at stake."