STARKVILLE — The real gauntlet hasn’t even started yet, and Mississippi State’s season already looks sunk.
The Bulldogs moved the ball well for most of the day Saturday against the only defense in the Southeastern Conference allowing more yards per game than their own. But Florida ran up and down the field like it was nothing, putting up more than 500 yards on MSU and handing the Bulldogs a 45-28 loss.
Gators quarterbacks Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway combined to complete 26 of their 28 passes, and Florida also averaged more than six yards per rushing attempt. MSU (1-3, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) did not register a sack and allowed the Gators’ receivers and tight ends all kinds of open space.
“We have to do a better job of staying more even keel,” linebacker Stone Blanton said. “We can’t let a big stop make us go too high; we can’t let a touchdown bring us down too low. That’s what (head coach Jeff) Lebby preaches. Don’t be manic and go up and down too far. That’s where you can (give up) those huge plays.”
Seven days after giving up 454 yards and 41 points against Toledo, the Bulldogs did manage a three-and-out the first time their defense was on the field. But MSU’s only other stop for the rest of the first half came when safety Isaac Smith forced a fumble on the first play of the second quarter, which cornerback Kelley Jones recovered. Florida averaged 7.9 yards per play for the game and was 6-for-9 on third down.
The Gators (2-2, 1-1) had three touchdown drives that covered at least 84 yards, including two that went more than 90 yards. Following that fumble to begin the second quarter, the Bulldogs had to punt from behind the chains, and Florida then took the lead for good following a shanked punt on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Mertz to Marcus Burke. It was one of five Gators drives in which they ran a play in the red zone, and they all ended with touchdowns.
“We had some opportunities to have them in long-distance situations and we weren’t able to capitalize,” Lebby said. “That’s what we have to do. We have to be better on first and second down to give us a chance to put them in third-and-long and make them throw the ball. That’s something that we have to find a way to get better at and make people kick field goals down there.”
MSU’s offense went three-and-out for the third time in five possessions, and a long punt return by Chimere Dike led to a quick two-play drive and a 35-yard scoring pass from Mertz to tight end Hayden Hansen. The Bulldogs then drove into field goal range before a holding penalty backed them up and forced another punt, after which Florida drove 91 yards in 10 plays to go ahead by three touchdowns.
For all those defensive failures, the offense kept MSU in the game for most of the day. The Bulldogs drove 75 yards in less than a minute to close out the first half, with quarterback Blake Shapen twice finding freshman Mario Craver for chunk plays. Shapen finished the drive himself on a 3-yard quarterback keeper that cut the deficit to 28-14 at the break.
“The way we answered the bell from a run game standpoint and were able to run the ball effectively for the first time in the last three weeks was huge for us,” Lebby said. “We’re going to have to have that moving forward. We want balance. We want to be able to go run the football. That’s going to be a huge part of our success as we’re building it.”
MSU carried some positive energy into the locker rooms and started the second half with a three-and-out on defense and another touchdown that made it a one-score game. Davon Booth converted on fourth-and-3, and two plays later, Jordan Mosley made an acrobatic catch along the boundary of the end zone from 13 yards out.
But down 35-21 as the fourth quarter began, the Bulldogs wasted another opportunity to close the gap. Booth was stuffed on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line, then dropped a pitch from Shapen on fourth down for a backbreaking turnover on downs.
“That’s what gets us in a lot of trouble, is we beat ourselves,” Blanton said. “We get in bad situations, especially early on in the game. We have to start better.”
Smith left the game in the third quarter when he was injured on a blindside block, although Lebby said he felt good in the locker room. Running back Keyvone Lee was also banged up and did not play in the second half, and Shapen went to the locker room with an injury in the fourth quarter and did not return, although his wish was to remain in the game.
True freshman Michael Van Buren saw his first meaningful college action and led a touchdown drive midway through the fourth quarter, capped when Johnnie Daniels scored his first touchdown in the maroon and white. With the defense unable to get a stop and the offense not always finishing drives, though, it was too little, too late.
The schedule gets a lot tougher next week, when MSU visits No. 1 Texas, with a trip to No. 2 Georgia to follow after a bye.
“I’m surprised I’m sitting here and our record is what it is,” Lebby said. “That was never the expectation, that was never the thought, that was never the plan. That’s surprising to me. It’s up to every single one of us, starting with me, to fix it. (It’s about) the ability to create energy for our guys, to create confidence for our guys, and give them hope and vision as we go on the road next week before an open date.”
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