Florida Gators at Mississippi State Bulldogs
· NCAA - FootballMertz passes for 3 scores and runs for another to help Florida beat Mississippi State 45-28
Graham Mertz passed for three touchdowns and rushed for another to lead Florida over Mississippi State 45-28 on Saturday. The win ended a seven-game losing streak for the Gators against FBS opponents.
“It’s good to win on the road in this league and this can be a challenging place to play,” Napier said. “We have more work to do. We won (Saturday), but we are very much a work in progress. We’re not even close to being who we can be and they know that.”
The Gators had 503 yards of total offense and completed 93 percent of their passes with Mertz 19 of 21 for 201 yards and DJ Lagway completing all seven of his throws for 76 yards.
“I think we’re getting the best of both worlds there. Both guys make our team better,” Napier said. “I think this is the best for our team getting both guys involved.”
The Bulldogs defense surrendered a touchdown on all but three drives. The visitors averaged 6.3 yards per carry with 36 rushes for 226 yards. The Gators were 6 of 9 on third downs.
For the third straight week, the Bulldogs dug themselves a first-half hole. After being outscored 55-6 in the first half against Arizona State and Toledo, MSU was behind 28-7 in the first half before getting a touchdown run from quarterback Blake Shapen to trail 28-14.
MSU closed within 28-21 after Shapen found Jordan Mosley for a 13-yard catch in the third quarter, but a fourth-down stop from the 1-yard line at the beginning of the fourth quarter spelled the end for the Bulldogs.
“We’ve got a choice to make, and the choice is up to each and every one of us,” MSU coach Jeff Lebby said. “We’re going to wake up in the morning, the sun’s going to come up, we’re going to have breath in our body and we’re going to be thankful for the opportunity. There will be great relief, great energy and great confidence in how the guys are getting coached. I think our guys will respond.”
Shapen led an offense that had 480 yards — to 503 for Florida — and a season-high 240 yards on the ground. He finished 13 of 21 for 140 yards passing and a touchdown and had 12 carries for 32 yards and a score before leaving the game with an apparent injury in the fourth.
Michael Van Buren came in and was 7 of 13 for 100 yards. Davon Booth and Johnnie Daniels led the way with 29 combined carries for 178 yards and two scores.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs are in the middle of a major rebuild and that continues to be more evident each week. State’s defense was nonresistant against a Gators offense that has struggled to score against the two other Power 4 teams they’ve played this season.
Mississippi State: Travels to Texas on Sept. 28
How To Watch
How can I watch Florida Gators vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs?
- TV Channel: Gators at Bulldogs 2021 College Football, week 4, is broadcasted on ESPN.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Matchup Prediction
Scoring Summary
TD | 1st Period 3:39 | Arlis Boardingham 3 Yd pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack Kick) | |
TD | 1st Period 0:21 | Davon Booth 1 Yd Run (Kyle Ferrie Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 10:56 | Marcus Burke 20 Yd pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 9:02 | Hayden Hansen 35 Yd pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 1:17 | Ja'Kobi Jackson 10 Yd Run (Trey Smack Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 0:23 | Blake Shapen 3 Yd Run (Kyle Ferrie Kick) | |
TD | 3rd Period 6:38 | Jordan Mosley 13 Yd pass from Blake Shapen (Kyle Ferrie Kick) | |
TD | 3rd Period 3:37 | Graham Mertz 1 Yd Run (Trey Smack Kick) | |
TD | 4th Period 8:24 | Austin Barber 0 Yd Run (Trey Smack Kick) | |
TD | 4th Period 4:26 | Johnnie Daniels 10 Yd Run (Kyle Ferrie Kick) | |
FG | 4th Period 2:34 | Trey Smack 47 Yd Field Goal |
Statistics
FLA | MSST | |
---|---|---|
27 | 1st Downs | 31 |
7-9 | 3rd down efficiency | 11-20 |
0-0 | 4th down efficiency | 2-3 |
503 | Total Yards | 480 |
277 | Passing | 240 |
26/28 | Comp/Att | 20/34 |
9.9 | Yards per pass | 7.1 |
226 | Rushing | 240 |
36 | Rushing Attempts | 56 |
6.3 | Yards per rush | 4.3 |
6-54 | Penalties | 8-70 |
1 | Turnovers | 1 |
1 | Fumbles lost | 1 |
0 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
27:36 | Possession | 32:24 |
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