OFFENSE: C

The Mississippi State offense posted some impressive numbers, but it was merely average for most of the night against a fierce Georgia Tech defense. The Bulldogs amassed 605 yards of total offense, but they only scored four touchdowns, one of which was a Hail Mary to end the first half. They also committed a pair of turnovers on the evening, and that doesn’t include their three turnovers on downs when stuck in no man’s land at various times throughout the game. Mississippi State moved the ball up and down the field, but struggled to make big plays when it needed them the most. Thus, it’s tough to call the Mississippi State offense anything more than average.

DEFENSE: D

The Bulldogs defense had no answers for Georgia Tech’s triple-option offense, allowing the Yellow Jackets to rack up 577 yards of total offense and 49 points on the night. Georgia Tech scored on each of its first four drives of the second half,  and ran around and through the Mississippi State defense to the tune of 452 yards on the ground. Worse yet, the Bulldogs allowed Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas to amass 246 total yards, including nearly 18 yards per completion despite the Yellow Jackets’ propensity to run the ball time and time again. The Georgia Tech offense dictated the tone of the game from start to finish, resulting in the Yellow Jackets’ third-highest scoring output in 14 games this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A

The Bulldogs special teams were the best of their three phases of the game Wednesday night. Place kicker Evan Sobiesk drilled both of his field goal tries, and punter Devon Bell booted his only punt of the night 51 yards inside the Georgia Tech 20 yard line. Mississippi State’s return teams averaged more than 17 yards per kickoff return and more than 25 yards per punt return, helping MSU hold its own in the field position battle despite a lackluster performance by its defense. All in all, the Bulldogs held their own on special teams and never allowed Georgia Tech to create a big play in that facet of the game.

COACHING: C-

Mississippi State’s coaching staff suffered a crushing blow when former defensive coordinator Geoff Collins left to fill the same position on Jim McElwain’s staff at Florida. The Bulldogs defense appeared a step slow and a bit out of position for most of the night in facing a tricky triple-option offense, and it would be naïve to think Collins’ departure in the middle of bowl preparations didn’t affect the defense at least a little. The offense was out of rhythm in the first quarter, perhaps due to the extra attention Dan Mullen had to pay to the defense in Collins’ absence. Mississippi State was clearly not as sharp as Georgia Tech, and the Yellow Jackets out-executed MSU for much of the night as a result.

OVERALL: C

Mississippi State looked like an average team in its Orange Bowl loss, and thus earned an average grade for that performance. Unfortunately, average doesn’t cut it in a New Year’s Six bowl game, and a dynamic Georgia Tech squad taught MSU that lesson. The Bulldogs had a historically good season in 2014, but they closed it with three losses in their final four games, including somewhat of a dud in the bowl game. MSU earns a C for its Orange Bowl performance, but after a 9-0 start and a No. 1 ranking as recently as November, that C feels a whole lot more disappointing.