Despite ties, MSU focused on present in Georgia

When Mississippi State pulls up to Sanford Stadium for its 6 p.m. game against Georgia in Athens later today, several on MSU’s bus might have flashbacks.

State defensive coordinator Todd Grantham was Georgia’s defensive coordinator earlier this decade. Tight ends coach D.J. Looney was a graduate assistant with the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division Bulldogs just a season ago.

MSU safety Johnathan Abram played for Georgia as a true freshman in 2015 before transferring. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald was a big Georgia fan as a kid and attended games.

Despite all the ties, No. 17 Mississippi State (3-0, 1-0) insists it won’t get caught up in reliving the past today. When MSU takes the field against No. 11 Georgia (3-0, 0-0), the maroon and white Bulldogs insist it’ll be all business.

“I mean, it’s another SEC game for us,” Grantham said. “It’s a road game and it’s our second conference game, which is the most important thing. I just want to make sure we prepare the right way and go out and play a talented Georgia team.”

No one can really blame MSU for trying to stay in the here and now. Suddenly, this year’s Starkville-based Bulldogs are emerging as one of the SEC’s top teams in 2017. Mississippi State rolled past a pair of non-conference foes in the season’s first two weeks. MSU followed that up with the school’s largest-ever win over LSU last week to begin conference play with a bang.

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