The Florida Gators faced off against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on September 21 in Starkville. The Gators came into the game with a 1-2 record and quite the concern around the organization. Concerns such as the future of the program, how were they going to respond to criticism they faced, and how they were going build themselves up from their lackluster performances in the previous game. They were coming off a 33-20 loss to Texas A&M where things didn’t look good for the Gators.
Mississippi State was defeated in a 41-17 blowout loss against Toledo in Week 2 and they were looking to rejuvenate and gain some momentum, which a win against the Gators could do. They were also 1-2 prior to this game.
Florida Gators:
The Florida Gators started the game off getting on the board first. Offensively, the team was executing a lot of plays, especially in the pass game. Starting Quarterback Graham Mertz was making a lot of good decisions, going through his progressions, and finding the open man. For a good portion of the first half, he only had one incompletion. Mertz seemed to have a good command of the offense as they were playing very efficiently. Backup quarterback DJ Lagway got some playing time as well. The Gators wanted to get him involved in the game a decent amount.
Play calls were diverse with the inclusion of run-pass options (RPOs), play actions, screens, and getting the ball to the running backs out to the edge. Graham Mertz was 19/21 with 201 yards passing and three touchdowns and had three rushes for 24 yards. DJ Lagway was 7/7 with 76 yards passing, carrying the ball three times for 22 yards. Florida receivers and tight ends had a day with three different players scoring a touchdown. Florida had 277 passing and 266 yards rushing, totaling 503 yards.
Defensively the Gators got pressure on the quarterback and although they struggled a bit against the run, they made a lot of stops. They had a lot of relief with the bulldogs having long drives but not much coming from some of them. Florida’s defensive back group did exceptional in the game with the help of cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. making key halts that could have resulted in touchdowns.
Mississippi State:
Mississippi State started the game off moderately, getting down early. Offensively, they weren’t having much production in the beginning, but they picked things up as the game went along. Their run game created opportunities to make big plays through the air, which they did. The Bulldogs’ run game was a highlight of their offense.
They were down 28-14 in the early parts of the third quarter but increased their points to 21 with a big passing touchdown from quarterback Blake Shapen to Jordan Mosley. Players got hyped and even taunted Florida, mimicking the gator chomp.
The Bulldogs’ offensive productivity increased in the second half, but they failed to generate points on some of the scoring opportunities they had. In one instance they drove down the field, wearing Florida’s defense down, and were in position to score but fumbled on an option play. Eventually, they scored a rushing touchdown with less than five minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
Blake Shapen was 13/21 passing with 140 yards and a touchdown and carried the ball 12 times for 32 yards and a rushing touchdown. Shapen tried to make a lot of plays on his own accord but not much emerged. Shapen left the game in the fourth quarter due to injury. With less than a minute to go in the fourth, Mississippi State marched down the field led by backup quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr., and got to the goal line but failed to score. They tallied 240 passing and rushing yards, totaling 480.
Defensively, they struggled with a minimal amount of pressure from their defensive line and had trouble stopping Florida’s rushing attack. Their secondary relinquished a fair number of yards to the Gators’ pass catchers. Penalties didn’t help very much either. On occasion, they could’ve captivated turnovers such as a potential interception and fumble recovery but were unsuccessful. Even with some of their miscues, they showed Florida that were keen on competing with them and they weren’t going to just give them the game.
The Florida Gators won the game 45-28 improving their record to 2-2 on the season while the Mississippi State Bulldogs dropped down to 1-3. Florida will face UCF in Week 5, and Mississippi State will face Texas.
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