Kirby Smart and Georgia last played Mississippi State 2 years ago the same month QB Will Rogers got his first start in his career against Vanderbilt.

Against Georgia in 2020, Rogers was 41-of-52 passing for 336 yards and one touchdown. His 41 completions broke his own freshman record of 35 set against Vanderbilt.

“He played really well in that game,” Smart said Monday. “Got a lot of confidence playing against us. I don’t know how many games he’s played in since then, but a lot. He’s broken a lot of records. He’s very intelligent, doesn’t make mistakes. He uses Coach Leach’s offense to a strength. They understand, very similar to last week, triple options, they know who they are, they have answers for what they do. They’re usually one step ahead of their answers than you are because you don’t play against them but once a year and they do it all the time. They have exposure to every defense that’s tried on them.”

Smart also said it’s not all about the passing game.

“You’d be mistaken if you think they’re just throwing it, because they’ve got some really good backs and they’re really physical up front,” he said. “And they space you out, there’s more gaps in the run game. They’ve really gashed some people running the ball this year and I think that’s the biggest difference. They’re committed to running the ball and being physical up front.”