No. 1 Florida Survives In Starkville, Wins 29-19

The No. 1 Florida Gators outlasted former offensive coordinator Dan Mullen and the Mississippi State Bulldogs when they took a 29-19 win in Starkville.

“This is my first trip to Starkville, and this is a tough place to play,” head coach Urban Meyer said in a news release.  “That’s SEC football.  Dan (Mullen) is doing a heck of a job with his team. He did a lot of stuff to try and win that game, and I admire that out of him.”

For the third straight game Florida (7-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) survived a close matchup against a conference foe.  Once again the lackadaisical Gator offense did just enough to pull out a win and continue its undefeated season.

The Gators are 7-0 for the first time since the 1996 season, when they won their first national championship.

Quarterback Tim Tebow struggled with the pass game, throwing two interceptions that were returned by Mississippi State (3-5, 1-3 SEC) cornerback Jonathan Banks for touchdowns.  Tebow was 12-of-27 for 127 yards and 0 touchdowns.

Both teams exchanged a pair of field goals in the first quarter before Tebow scored a touchdown on a 26-yard run to put the Gators ahead 10-3 with 13:16 remaining in the first half.  With the tally, Tebow tied Georgia Bulldog great Herschel Walker at number one on the all-time SEC touchdown-rushing list with 49.

Tebow rushed for 88 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown in the game.

Florida added a field goal, extending their lead to 10 before Tebow threw an interception that was returned by Banks for 100-yards with 0:27 to go in the second quarter, cutting the Gator lead to 13-10.

Both teams exchanged field goals again in the third quarter with Florida taking a 16-13 into the fourth quarter.  The Gator offense extended their lead to 22-13 when running back Chris Rainey piled in from 8-yards out with 09:08 remaining in the game.  Rainey had 90 yards on 12 carries and hit pay dirt once in the game.

The Florida defense was without three players including linebacker Brandon Spikes, who re-injured his left groin last week against Arkansas, but managed to not give up an offensive touchdown in the game.

They held the Bulldogs run game to under 100-yards and kept the passing game at bay allowing 145 yards through the air while forcing three interceptions.

Running back Anthony Dixon was held to only 53 rushing yards on the night, only the second time this season he didn’t break a 100.

“Defense played well,” Meyer said.  “We held one of the best backs in the country to 53 total yards. Our defense played well enough that the score should have been a lot different at halftime.”

Linebacker Dustin Doe intercepted Bulldogs’ quarterback Tyson Lee on a deflected pass with 08:25 left in the quarter, returning the ball 23-yards to clinch the win.  As Doe ran towards the end zone Mississippi State wide receiver Brandon McRae caught him from behind, forcing the ball out before Doe crossed the goal line.

The play was ruled a touchdown but following the instant replay review the ruling on the field stood making the score 29-13.

The final score of the game came from Banks when he picked off Tebow for the second time in the game, returning it 20-yards to put the at 29-19 with 03:51 remaining in the game. 

Meyer said he was responsible for the offense’s performance in the game.

“"I did not coach well tonight," Meyer said. "I put Tim in some tough situations. As an offense, we're not well right now."

The Florida offense only converted on two third down conversions, going 2-of-13 in the game but were able to rush for 249 yards.

Next up for the Gators is “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” against the Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville.  Florida has won 16-of-the-last-19 in the series.

“The great news is we are 7-0,” Meyer said.  “We have a bunch of good guys who are extremely passionate about playing the game and winning. 

“I had a good talk with our team about sticking together right now. We cannot lose the fact that we are 7-0.”