Mississippi State football takes on Florida in Gainesville on Saturday, hoping to begin the back half of the season with a much-needed conference win. Here's how the Bulldogs can pull that off...
The Bulldog offense needs to get back to basics
At its core, the Mississippi State offense is one that wants to punish teams that play with a light box in the run game and, once the defense tries to adjust, attack downfield in the passing game. Their matchup with Florida should allow them to return to basics.
While the Gators field a good defense overall, the three good rushing attacks they faced found success on the ground. Meanwhile in their last two games, Florida has allowed eight completions of at least 20 yards with opposing QBs averaging 9.0 yards per attempt. The Bulldog offense has been its best with efficient running an explosive passing. They can do that against the Gators.
Mississippi State's defense needs to get the Gators to third downs
Florida has struggled mightily on offense this season, and one area where they're particularly awful is on third downs. They rank No. 127 nationally with a third down conversion rate of just 31.7%. That number gets even worse against power conference opponents, where they convert just 25.9% of third downs. It's pretty simply. If you get the Gators to third downs, they struggle to keep the chains moving.
This stems from a highly inefficient offense that averages just 3.9 yards per rush and 6.6 yards per passing attempt. The only times Florida has managed to move the ball well is when defenses let them attack downfield. As long as the State defense is limiting their ability to hit chunk plays, they should be able to keep the Gators neutralized.
The Bulldogs need to take control early against Florida
Mississippi State needs a fast start in Gainesville for multiple reasons. First, there's the simple fact that trying to play from behind on the road is difficult, and after an ugly showing at Texas A&M two weeks ago, getting momentum early is needed.
But then there's the circumstances surrounding this game. This is likely it for Billy Napier at Florida, as odds are high he's fired this weekend whether the Gators win or lose. State needs to put that nail in the coffin quickly. Get the home crowd booing their team, and make Florida quit. If the Bulldogs get up early by a couple of scores, they could cruise to a win.