Florida Gators Scrape By Mississippi State in Homecoming Win

The Florida Gators notched another Homecoming win, beating Mississippi State in a nail-biter at The Swamp.

The streak of wins on homecoming week for the Gators improved to seven and coach Billy Napier stayed undefeated (4-0) during the festivities amid the hot seat.

The 23-21 win wasn’t particularly impressive. The Bulldogs came into the contest 4-2, but hadn’t faced many strong opponents. The Gators were 9.5-point favorites at home and were expected to get through the game handily. If it wasn’t for a last-minute interception from Michai Boireau, the Gators would have lost the game. Mississipi State was in field-goal range with the win in its grasps. 

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Even with some improvements offensively, Gators quarterback DJ Lagway still doesn’t look comfortable and Florida continues to shoot themselves in the foot with penalties. Lagway threw two interceptions in the game, and a holding penalty took back a 60-yard yard rushing touchdown from Jadan Baugh. An easy 34-yard field goal in the second quarter also became a 54-yard field goal after two straight penalties. Florida had seven penalties for 60 yards in the game.

The Gators also had some homecoming luck on their side. Mississippi State running back Xavier Gayten fumbled in the red zone unprovoked. After a few steps with the ball, Gayten juggled and eventually dropped it to be recovered by Jayden Woods. On a later drive, the Bulldogs missed a 41-yard field goal. 

Even with some luck, the Florida defense looked good as always. They stood tall in the red zone all game and forced a turnover on downs early to shift momentum. The secondary was a little shaky. Already missing Aaron Gates and Dijon Johnson for an extended period, Cormani McClain and Jordan Castell did not play either. To make matters worse, Sharif Denson went down in the first two minutes of the game. The Mississippi State receivers got past the defense multiple times in the game and quarterback Blake Shapen missed them deep. Even with the thin personnel in the secondary, walk-on safety Alfonzo Allen Jr. was a bright spot. Allen Jr. had 15 including the 4th down stuff. 

The other bright side was running back Jadan Baugh. Baugh had a career high in yards with 150 on 23. He was the main reason Florida was able to sustain drives throughout the game. 

With the buzz surrounding coach Napier this week, expectations for him to deliver a convincing performance against the Bulldogs were higher than ever. Even with the win, there were shades of the playcalling issues that have plagued Florida all season. A third and one with less than two minutes left where Lagway rolled out and was sacked was the most puzzling decision. It almost cost Florida the game.  

Third down continues to be a problem. The Gators converted on 33.3% of third downs after being the worst in the SEC on third down coming into the game (31.6%).

The Gators have a bye next week, so potential changes in the coaching staff will likely be the topic of conversation. With rumors stirring about Napier’s job safety, win or lose, it’s still to be seen the direction Florida goes for the foreseeable future, especially after almost blowing a 20-7 lead at home. 

Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Football, Gator Sports, Gators Football, SEC