The Florida Gators secured a 45-28 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday, marking their first win over an FBS opponent in 343 days. This game also represented the Gators’ highest score against FBS competition during head coach Billy Napier’s tenure.
Florida’s offense displayed impressive performance from both quarterbacks, redshirt senior Graham Mertz and freshman DJ Lagway, while the defense struggled against one of the nation’s weakest rushing attacks. This situation signals a need for improvement despite the strong offensive showing as the team heads into its first of two bye weeks this season.
Mertz had an outstanding game, completing 19 of 21 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to rushing for another touchdown. Lagway also contributed effectively, connecting on all seven attempts for 76 yards and leading two touchdown drives that exceeded 90 yards.
Napier expressed satisfaction with the quarterbacks’ performances, stating, “We had some balance… We did a lot of good.” Florida raced to a 28-7 lead late in the second quarter, achieving their highest point total in a half against an FBS team under Napier. The Gators employed a structured quarterback rotation, allowing Lagway to play specific drives, which surprisingly worked well for the team.
Despite the offensive success, the defense faced serious issues, allowing Mississippi State to score 14 points in the first half and rushing for 239 yards overall. The Gators were missing significant players in their defensive line, which compounded their struggles on that side of the ball.
Napier acknowledged the defensive shortcomings, saying, “If you want to play really good defense, you gotta be strong up the middle.” Missed assignments and failures to tackle compounded the issues for Florida’s defense, highlighting a lack of preparedness against a tempo offense.
On a positive note, Florida’s special teams performed well. Kicker Trey Smack sealed the victory with a 47-yard field goal, while the running backs and wide receivers made significant contributions. Redshirt freshman Aidan Mizell had an impressive performance, showcasing his athleticism despite having two touchdowns called back due to penalties.
However, the Gators faced criticism regarding their coaching, particularly in managing time before halftime and after the break. The team allowed a quick touchdown drive before halftime and didn’t capitalize on their chances to extend their lead thereafter.
Going forward, Florida will enter a bye week needing to regroup before hosting UCF in two weeks. The Gators are looking to improve their gameplay as they prepare for a challenging stretch ahead. Napier emphasized the need to evaluate player roles and addressed the team’s overall inconsistency, stressing that both they and the coaches have room for improvement ahead of their upcoming games.