Thumbs up, thumbs down

- Thumbs up: Mississippi State’s offense still has issues, but at least it’s getting points on the board. The Bulldogs, who averaged an SEC-worst 15.2 points per game last season, are currently seventh with 28.2 ppg.

- Thumbs down: MSU’s secondary was torched once again. A lineup change – redshirt freshman Louis Watson for sophomore Damein Anderson at left cornerback – didn’t help one bit. The Bulldogs are eighth in the SEC in pass defense at 190.8 yards per game, and over the past two weeks they’ve allowed 499 yards through the air.

3 Keys Review

1. Stay on assignment: Georgia Tech’s spread option offense mandates that opposing defenses stick with their man and not try following the ball. Problem was for MSU, the Tech running game was just too good. Plus, it got help from quarterback Josh Nesbitt, who passed for a career-high 266 yards.

2. Watch out for Morgan & Morgan: Defensive back Morgan Burnett and end Derrick Morgan each had a fumble recovery for Georgia Tech, and they combined for 10 tackles.

3. Draw a full house: On a perfect night for football, 50,035 fans turned out to Davis Wade Stadium, the smallest home crowd this year and about 5,000 short of capacity.

MVP

- Leon Berry: The receiver/return man took a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown, his first career score on special teams for MSU. The juco transfer also caught two passes for 17 yards.

Bottom line

- Five turnovers, a porous pass defense, being generally overmatched – it’s just part of the rebuilding process. That doesn’t mitigate the frustration one bit, of course.