Three Florida Gators for Mississippi State football fans to know

Mississippi State football hosts the Florida Gators on Saturday, hoping to rebound from last week's loss. While Florida is in turmoil, they still are very talented. Here are three players that Mississippi State fans should keep an eye on...

Running Back Montrell Johnson

Johnson was unable to do anything versus Texas A&M rushing for -7 yards on 7 carries. However, he is talented and rushed for a combined 173 yards and three touchdowns versus Miami and Samford. He also averaged 9.6 yards a rush in the loss to Miami. With the struggles that Mississippi State has had this season stopping the run, Johnson should be a big part in the offensive game plan for Florida. With that being said, Florida has also had struggles with their offensive line even with the success Johnson had versus Miami. Johnson is one of the key players to watch, but the matchup to watch is on the line of scrimmage. If State is able to get penetration and cause Florida to be more one-dimensional, the Bulldogs defense will certainly have the upper hand in the game.

Wide Receiver Chimere Dike

With three Florida receivers listed as out and another receiver listed as questionable, Dike will be the focal point of the Gators passing attack. Dike transferred in from Wisconsin where he had just shy of 1,500 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns. Dike had his "coming out party" last week when he caught 6 passes for 91 yards and one touchdown. Also, not only are several Florida receivers listed as out, star wide receiver, Eugene Wilson III, is one of the players that will not play. This will certainly increase the amount of targets that Wilson gets, but this will also allow the Bulldogs secondary to key in on him. I can see this matchup going one of two ways. The first outcome is that Dike has a similar performance that Malik Nabers had last season which ended bad for State. The second outcome is that Florida tries to force him the ball too many times, and Mississippi State recognizes this and forces one or two turnovers.

Defensive End Tyreak Sapp

The last player for State fans to watch is junior defensive end, Tyreak Sapp. He recorded 24 tackles and 2 sacks last season, and he has already matched last year's sack total in three games. His numbers do not blow you away but he has the capability of causing havoc at the line of scrimmage. Sapp has recorded at least three tackles in every game this season, and he will look to continue this on Saturday. Given the struggles that State has had up front on the offensive side of ball, State fans should not be surprised if he has a big game. It is a cliche, and almost always certainly true, that football games are won at the line of scrimmage. With both teams struggling in this phase on both sides of the ball this season, this game can be decided on just a few plays down in the trenches. Lebby has proven he can scheme around this, and if calls plays to quickly put the ball in the hands of his playmakers, State should be able to counteract this.