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Florida sticks to common sense football and cruises to "easy" win over Miss State

The Florida Gators took what the Bulldogs were willing to concede, and that made all the difference.

By Benjamin Henderson

Sep 21, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) throws a pass against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images
Sep 21, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) throws a pass against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images / Matt Bush-Imagn Images
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530. Final. 45. 526. UF-MSST. 28

Prior to the game against Mississippi State, we questioned whether or not Billy Napier would stick to common sense solutions to get the Gators over the hump. There were plenty of flaws the Bulldogs had, but we were not sure the Gators would exploit those flaws given the systematic approach Napier loves to take.

However, given what Mississippi State was willing to concede, Napier's offense was custom-built to take advantage of it. And even though there are still flaws to flesh out, Florida was able to enjoy an easy victory to keep the noise at bay heading into the bye week.

Florida Football: More Cowbell

The over/under for this game was set at 58.5 points. We predicted the over would still hit due to the question marks both teams had on defense, and it was clear Mississippi State was in no mood to answer those questions.

The Bulldogs were content to sit back in Cover 4 for the majority of the game, so the Gators, in kind, were willing to stay patient and march down the field, knowing four members of the Bulldog secondary were always 15 yards off the line of scrimmage.

Players like Treyaun Webb and Aidan Mizell looked dynamic, and even though Napier insisted upon a predetermined QB rotation, it worked out on Saturday.

Graham Mertz is a perfect QB to slice up a defense willing to force you to be accurate, and when Mississippi State tried to press up, DJ Lagway was able to burn the Bulldogs deep.

Don't be fooled, though, that all of Florida's problems have been fixed.

The defense for Florida also played in a soft shell and looked lost when the Bulldogs went up-tempo. There were individual standouts like Jason Marshall and Shemar James, but the insistence on playing back off the line allowed Mississippi State to make this game closer than it should have been.

In time this week, we will go into our deeper analysis but these are our two takeaways from the game:

  1. Florida has playmakers on this roster to be better than they are
  2. Florida's all-around tactics, especially on defense, are still a problem

But at least for one Saturday, it was great to be a Florida Gator.

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