In part two of the SEC's New Year's Eve collapse in bowl games, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets surged in the second half to upend the Mississippi State Bulldogs 49-34 in the Orange Bowl.
Paul Johnson's option offense was too much for the highly acclaimed defense of the Bulldogs, as the Yellow Jackets racked up 452 yards on the ground.
With that, let's check out the game grades for both teams, starting with the Yellow Jackets.
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Game Grades | ||
| Rush Offense | A- | A+ |
| Pass Offense | B | B |
| Rush Defense | B | B |
| Pass Defense | D | C |
| Special Teams | B | B |
| Coaching | B+ | A |
| B/R Game Grades | ||
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Rush Offense: 452 yards and six touchdowns. That's what Georgia Tech racked up on the ground against the Bulldogs on New Year's Eve, and it's the main reason the Yellow Jackets walked away victorious.
Synjyn Days and Justin Thomas both passed the century mark—171 and 121 yards, respectively—and both scored three touchdowns. As a whole, Georgia Tech had five runners rush for 20 or more yards and averaged 7.4 yards per carry.
Pass Offense: The Yellow Jackets are certainly not a passing team, but they made the most out of their chances through the air. On just 12 pass attempts, Thomas connected on seven of them and threw for a touchdown and 125 yards. Those are not big numbers, but when you rush for over 400 yards, you don't need to air it out.
Rush Defense: The Bulldogs ran for 152 yards and found pay dirt on the ground once, but they averaged just 4.6 yards per carry. The Yellow Jackets also didn't allow a 100-yard rusher.
Pass Defense: The Georgia Tech secondary allowed Dak Prescott to accumulate 453 yards through the air, but much of that was because Mississippi State spent the second half playing catch-up. Nevertheless, the pass defense was a lone black mark for the Yellow Jackets.
Special Teams: Harrison Butker didn't need to attempt a field goal, but he was 7-of-7 on extra points. Ultimately, special teams didn't play a huge role either way in Georgia Tech's win, but consistency was key in this department.
Coaching: Paul Johnson exposed Mississippi State to the tune of 49 points and showed that the Flexbone offense isn't quite out of style yet. When you have a month to prepare, coaching will always play a huge role. In this edition of the Orange Bowl, Johnson prevailed.
| Mississippi State Bulldogs Game Grades | ||
| Rush Offense | C+ | B- |
| Pass Offense | A | A- |
| Rush Defense | D | F |
| Pass Defense | D+ | C- |
| Special Teams | B | B+ |
| Coaching | B | D |
| B/R Game Grades | ||
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Rush Offense: The Bulldogs did rack up 152 yards on the ground, with Josh Robinson accounting for 75 of them on 13 carries. But as the game got away from the Bulldogs, Prescott was forced to go to the air, and Mississippi State got away from the run game.
Pass Offense: If Mississippi State can hang its hat on just one thing, it's that Prescott had a day to remember. He threw for 453 yards and three touchdowns; however, he also had an interception on the night.
Rush Defense: The front line of the Bulldogs was massacred during the Orange Bowl. It clearly couldn't handle the option offense, and the Yellow Jackets exposed the Bulldogs' ill-preparedness to the tune of 452 yards and six touchdowns.
Pass Defense: Again, Georgia Tech isn't a pass-heavy team. Yet, on just 12 attempts, the Yellow Jackets got a touchdown and 125 yards out of it. Darren Waller of Georgia Tech's Darren Waller, alone, had five receptions for 114 yards. It's definitely concerning when a run-heavy team can find opportunities through the air.
Special Teams: Besides a kickoff that went out of bounds, there wasn't much that went wrong in the special teams department. The Bulldogs had a punt downed inside the 20-yard line and didn't miss a kick.
Coaching: Dan Mullen looked out of his league against Paul Johnson. He clearly didn't have the scheme to stop the Flexbone, and it cost the Bulldogs, who otherwise had a good season, thanks largely in part to Mullen and his game plan.
