Gators Were Not Perfect, But They Left With Much-Needed Win
Saturday, September 21, 2024 | Football, Scott Carter
STARKVILLE, Miss. — It's not as if an adoring crowd awaited them or a parade was held when they returned home early Saturday evening.
Far from it. When the Gators touched down from their 45-28 win over Mississippi State, their customary police escort took them back to campus from the airport. Florida's first victory over an FBS opponent since last season at South Carolina snapped a seven-game losing streak to Power Four opponents.
Still, what happened at Davis Wade Stadium on a hot afternoon in Dixie allowed the Gators (2-2, 1-1) to exhale after a week of intense scrutiny. Florida scored first, led at the half, and maintained the lead throughout the second half on the way to racking up 503 yards of total offense behind veteran quarterback Graham Mertz and backup DJ Lagway.
A sun-baked Billy Napier said it felt good to win but understands what's ahead on the schedule.
"We won today, but we are very much a work in progress,'' Napier said. "And this group can get so much better. I mean, we got so many individual players, position groups and units on our team that we're not even close to being who we can be — and they know that. That's what I told them in the locker room.
"I think we saw flashes of it today, but we have to become a more consistent team, and I think that's going to be the emphasis here in the open date."
There was good and bad against the Bulldogs (1-3, 0-1) in a game that kicked off at 11 a.m. CT. The Gators spent Friday night in Tuscaloosa, Ala., then made the 70-mile trip to Starkville for the early kickoff.
Let's start with the good. Mertz finished 19 of 21 for 201 yards and three touchdowns. He also scored on a 1-yard run. Meanwhile, Lagway spelled Mertz as part of Napier's two-quarterback system and finished 7 of 7 for 76 yards, and a wide array of playmakers benefited from the strong quarterback play.
Receiver Marcus Burke caught his first career touchdown pass, and tight ends Arlis Boardingham and Hayden Hansen each had touchdown receptions in the first half to help the Gators take a 14-point lead into the break. Running backs Montrell Johnson Jr. (68 yards), Treyaun Webb (41), Jadan Baugh (53) and Ja'Kobi Jackson (18) each got involved, with Jackson scoring on a 10-yard late in the second quarter that put the Gators up 28-7.
Mertz was sharp from the start, connecting with Boardingham for a 3-yard touchdown pass on Florida's second possession, capping a 13-play, 84-yard drive.
"I thought we were just really efficient,'' Mertz said. "The biggest thing for me is the amount of skill players we had out there … guys who stepped up. They did their job, and that's what we've been harping on the whole time: you go out there and you do your job, it's going to work."
While the offense delivered a strong performance, the defense bent more than Napier would prefer. Mississippi State totaled 480 yards and threatened to make it a one-score game early in the fourth quarter. Facing four-and-goal from UF's 1, Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen's option pitch missed the mark and was recovered by Gators linebacker Grayson Howard as defensive back Trikweze Bridges eyed the running back.
The turnover returned momentum to Florida's side, and the Gators won for only the third time in 13 games under Napier away from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
"I sat there, and Trikweze made a great, great play, just body presence, and they didn't have good communication with the quarterback [and] running back," Howard said. "The ball was on the ground, and we were able to pick it up, get it back to our offense and score."
Mississippi State, coming off a 41-17 home loss to Toledo, gashed the Gators for 31 first downs, 240 yards rushing and three scores on the ground. The Gators know that's not good enough defensively as they move deeper into the SEC schedule.
The Gators have a bye week before hosting UCF in two weeks at home. UCF ranked second in the country in rushing (375.7 yards per game) through the season's first three weeks.
Florida tweaked its approach Saturday with co-defensive coordinator Ron Roberts moving from the sideline to the press box to call defensive plays.
"I think it helped," Napier said. "He and I both agreed that that would be best for the team. He has a good game-day eye up there. There's pros and cons. He's not around the players between possessions, but I do think just his ability to see it, call it quicker, get the call in, and for those guys to go play."
The Gators were far from perfect on Saturday, but they were winners. That made for a much more pleasant flight home.
It also quieted the critics who pounced on the program after last week's loss to Texas A&M, raising more questions about Napier's future. The third-year coach has maintained his usual calm demeanor.
The only way to silence the noise is to do what the Gators did Saturday: win.
The plan is to continue to work on ways to make that happen.
"We're capable of better," Napier said. "I think we can play better. I think we can coach better. And look, we've got an open date here. We need to take a good look in the mirror on both sides of the spectrum, players and coaches. And maybe we need to adjust who plays and who doesn't play. I still think that we need to handle the tempo better. I think, ultimately, a lot of their success was built around the [offensive] tempo.
"We know we're going to play teams that do that in the future, and we gotta get ready for it."
