Florida was able to get a much-needed win against Mississippi St., beating the Bulldogs 45-28.  It wasn’t pretty, especially for the defense (again), but I’m happy for the players to taste some success against an SEC opponent – no matter how bad the situation is in Starkville right now.

The Gator offense actually got off to a rare fast start and never looked back, overwhelming a depleted MSU defense with a balanced attack that rolled up over 500 yards.  Graham Mertz got the start at QB and looked the part, going 19-21 for 201 yards and 3 TDs, briefly reverting back to his 2023 form.  DJ Lagway was solid for his scripted series, going 7-7 and running for a score.  The running game rolled up 226 yards, led by Montrell Johnson, but I have to say that both Treyaun Webb and Jaden Baugh simply look more explosive and quicker in their cuts than Johnson.  Napier is going to stick with his guy who came with him from Louisiana 3 years ago, but I’d be hard-pressed not to get the younger guys more carries.  Elijhah Badger continues to impress at WR, and Hayden Hansen is far and away the best TE right now – he had a nice TD reception on a seam route, and is a great blocker.  The revelation of the game was the performance of WR Aiden Mizell – why hasn’t this kid been getting steady reps from the start of the season?  He has game-breaking speed and moves……yet this staff seems to reward seniority or play favorites.  Just another example of roster mismanagement.  The injury to Tre Wilson may actually unlock Mizell for the rest of the season.  I can only hope that Brendan Crenshaw-Dickson is the starting RT going forward – he at least looked serviceable.  Austin Barber had his best game at LT this season and was named SEC OL of the Week.  Kam Waites looked much better at RG than RT.  Now……if only Napier and his 2 OL coaches would start playing the best 5 OL and limit the rotations.  Finally, Florida also was able to convert on 6 of 9 3rd downs, which has been a huge problem up until now, being ranked near the bottom in the entire country.

All of that positive news from the offense was needed, as the Gator defense again struggled, even against an outmanned opponent.  The Gators were gashed for 240 yards on the ground, oftentimes yielding big runs right through the heart of the defense.  The DTs simply can’t seem to figure out how to play proper gaps or control the LOS……or maybe they just aren’t that good.  Not having freshman Michael Boireau available due to injury should not be a reason for this unit to continue to be pushed around, but it seems that between the poor scheme and apparent lack of talent, things aren’t going to improve all season.  This is going to be a huge problem, as the Gator offense isn’t going to produce like this against better teams and isn’t built to outscore opponents when necessary.  The secondary had it’s moments, breaking up a lot of passes with close coverage.  Sharif Denson received extended snaps at the STAR position and played relatively well, less a critical red zone pass interference penalty that set up a MSU touchdown.  CB Jason Marshall was outstanding,  playing tight coverage and forcing the Bulldogs to look elsewhere for completions.  Unfortunately, the middle of the field continues to be fertile ground for any team to exploit, as the safety play under the coaching of Austin Armstrong remains abysmal.  He already lost his job calling the defense, and why he’s allowed to draw a paycheck at this point is criminal.  

This win seems to guarantee that Napier will still be the head coach in two weeks when the Gators return home to face UCF.  It’s game-to-game for him at this point, and much of Gator Nation won’t be thrilled that he’s still employed.  Florida (and especially Napier) was very fortunate to play such a weakened opponent and get a victory, but the barbarians are at the gate, and it’s only a matter of time.  I’ll be back next week with my UCF game preview.