Quick Slant: Florida 13, Mississippi State 6 (Instant Breakdown)
Saturday, September 29, 2018 | Football, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
THE QUICK SLANT
FLORIDA 13, No. 23 MISSISSIPPI STATE 6
WHAT HAPPENED: UF all-purpose guy Kadarius Toney threw a 20-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to tight end Moral Stephens that gave his team its first lead of the game and Evan McPhersonadded a late field goal, as the Gators held on for a huge road victory that doubled as a homecoming gift for Coach Dan Mullen, who for nine years as Bulldogs coach ruled Davis Wade Stadium -- and still does. The game was in doubt until the final Mississippi State possession. The 23rd-ranked Bulldogs took over at their own 12 and with the help of a couple UF defensive penalties, coupled with a 17-yard Nick Fitzgerald completion, moved to the UF 48 in a threat to tie the game. But after three straight incompletions, sophomore safety Donovan Stiner rocketeduntouched up the middle on a fourth-down blitz and dismantled Fitzgerald for the Gators' sixth sack of the game with 1:04 to play. Quarterback Feleipe Franks completed 21 of 31 passes for 213 yards and was intercepted once, but he and the Florida offense were more efficient than Mississippi State and Fitzgerald, especially in the second half, when the Bulldogs managed just 43 yards. The first half produced three field goals, two from Mississippi State's Jace Christmann and one by McPherson, the true freshman, as the Bulldogs took a 6-3 lead to the locker room. After that, the UF defense totally frustrated Fitzgerald while the Gators' offense, with a trick play in its pocket, scored 10 second-half points that turned out to be enough.
WHAT IT MEANS: A lot of folks pegged this one as an "L" heading into the season, just like the Kentucky game was chalked up as a "W." Well, consider them a wash, consider Kentucky a far better team than anyone thought, and also consider how the Gators have now won three straight and made significant strides along the way. This was a big test for this team, with a much bigger one coming next week (read on), but the team's buy-in is showing up on the field. A tip of the hat goes to defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and his staff, who had a masterful game plan and even better second-half adjustments.
Jabari Zuniga was a pass-rushing terror for the Florida defense, which sacked Nick Fitzgerald six times, including five in the second half. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Toney, the sophomore from Mobile, Ala., sure looks like a kid who can be a special player. Every time he gets the ball (running, throwing or catching), something exciting happens. He touched it just four times and accounted for 49 yards -- an average of 12.2 per touch -- against the Bulldogs. He had runs of 4, 16 and 9 yards out of the "wildcat" formation, then capped a six-play, 78-yard drive with a perfectly thrown pass to Stephens for the go-ahead score. Credit, also, tailback Lamical Perine (10 carries, 55 yards), who had some key, hard-earned yards in the second half on both of UF's scoring drives.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Mississippi State had 159 yards on 31 plays in the first half and just 43 on 27 plays in the second. That's less than 1.6 yards per offensive snap. A chunk of yards were lost to sacks, as the Gators rung up five of their six after the break, including three in the fourth quarter. UF had no takeaways a week after getting six at Tennessee. Didn't need any, either.
UP NEXT: Florida (4-1, 2-1) is back at home to face No. 5 LSU in the biggest game at the "Swamp" this season. The Tigers (5-0, 2-0), who smashed Ole Miss 45-16 on Saturday night at home, already have a 22-21, last-second upset road win at Auburn and will come in looking for a second straight victory in Gainesville, after their 17-16 road win in 2018, with the difference being a missedEddy Pineiro extra point.
