Derrius Guice’s performance last week was out of the ordinary for him.

And not in a good way.

Guice, LSU’s star running back and one of the best players in college football regardless of position, carried 15 times for 76 yards in a 37-7 loss to Mississippi State. It comes with a slight caveat, as he injured his left knee in the third quarter and will miss this week’s game against Syracuse.

Yet the point remains: Guice has carried 15 or more times in a game 12 times in his college career. Only once had he run for fewer yards, as he had 57 yards on 16 carries last season versus Ole Miss. And last week was the first time he had ever reached the 15-carry mark without scoring a touchdown.

That is a testament to the talent of Mississippi State’s defensive line.

RELATED: Pass rush can keep MSU relevant all season

And a preview of sorts for what awaits Georgia on Saturday, as it welcomes Mississippi State to Sanford Stadium for a tussle between 3-0 squads.

“Defensively right now, they're playing as good as anybody in the conference — playing really hard on defense, playing really physical.” - Georgia coach Kirby Smart

“Defensively right now, they’re playing as good as anybody in the conference — playing really hard on defense, playing really physical,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “So they’ve got a very good team.”

The overwhelming majority of the focus for Georgia’s offense — and particularly up front — is identifying, each and every down, where Jeffery Simmons is located. Simmons, a 6-foot-4, 301-pound sophomore defensive tackle, has been on a tear this fall.

He has won the SEC’s Defensive Lineman of the Week award two weeks running. That includes last Saturday’s performance against LSU, when he notched career-highs in tackles (seven) and sacks (1.5).

“He’s very disruptive. He’s probably one of the best inside players in the entire SEC, if not the country,” said Smart, noting he developed a relationship with Simmons on the recruiting trail back when he was still Alabama’s defensive coordinator. “As far as matchups, we’ll have one person on him. … It could be anybody. The most important thing is to use good technique, keep your pad level down and outwork him. But he’s really good and he’s extremely disruptive. So you’ve got to find ways to block him, and you’ve got to find ways to get away from him.”

Michael Barnett has served as Simmons’ stand-in on Georgia’s scout team. And according to those who have seen and faced him during practices this week, Barnett has excelled in giving Georgia’s blockers a stern test.

“Michael Barnett is doing a very good job,” said Solomon Kindley, Georgia’s starting right guard. “He’s rushing just like him, doing his moves and everything.”

Fullback Christian Payne says that Barnett and other scout team players watch film of the opponent to do the best job they can to replicate the moves they must combat on Saturdays. Facing Simmons, that means being aware of his long arms, which helps him with “a good spin move over the top,” Payne said.

But as much as Barnett can simulate Simmons, he’s not Simmons.

That’s why blockers must keep their head on a swivel every play.

“Always playing with your head up, playing with good pad level, good hands,” Payne said. “You’ve always got to be aware where he is. The scout teamers wear the jerseys (numbers) of the players we’re going to go against, and he’s always a player that (we’re like), ‘94 is over here, 94 is over there’. So we’re always keeping account of where he is.”

But Kindley said Georgia is well aware Simmons isn’t a one-man team.

“It’s not just him, it’s all across the board,” he said. “We have been preparing by getting the right type of scout team looks and cutting down on our (missed assignments).”

Mississippi State’s deep rotation didn’t come by happenstance.

“We constantly talk about building the depth of guys being ready for when their opportunity comes,” said Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, crediting second-year defensive line coach Brian Baker for his influence. “He now understands the expectations of rolling guys through and getting guys ready to play so you don’t get in a situation where you have a defensive lineman who’s played 85 snaps in a game.

“We’ve tried to grow and build that depth. Guys are taking advantage of their opportunities. We’re a young team. There’s a lot of young players on this team. There’s not a senior on the defensive line, and yet you’re going to add some guys next year.”

Not that Mullen expects his defensive line to simply have its way Saturday. Georgia has too much talent for that, particularly in the backfield, where it boasts the dynamic senior duo of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.

“You can say, ‘OK, let’s stop this running back,’ ” Mullen said. “They have two of the top running backs in the country, and both of them have a little different style. I’ve always been a big believer in saying, ‘OK, how does one running back compare to another?’ Those two guys can run the same play, but it’s going to be very different depending on who runs it, just because of the style of the backs.”

Simmons’ gifts and the depth around him will pose one of the stiffest tests of the season for Georgia.

Even if Georgia can “win” certain plays and downs, Smart said it can never afford to let up.

“They’re relentless,” Smart said of Mississippi State’s defensive line. “They play a lot of guys. They get off hard and they’ve got several – I think they’ve got 20 guys on that roster from the Mississippi JUCOs (junior colleges) that are really good players. They have great size, great length. They bat balls. They’re a good defensive line, man.”