Cowbell Corner

Mississippi State lets one slip away in late loss to Florida

The Bulldogs had every chance to beat Florida, but turnovers and penalties led to another frustrating defeat.
Taylor Hodges|
Gators kicker Trey Smack (29) reacts with Florida Gators offensive lineman Austin Barber (58) after making a 54-yard field goal against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Gators kicker Trey Smack (29) reacts with Florida Gators offensive lineman Austin Barber (58) after making a 54-yard field goal against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

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This was originally going to be about how much Saturday’s game against Florida looked like Mississippi State’s game against Texas A&M.

Instead, it ended up looking a lot more like the Bulldogs’ upset win against Arizona State.

Florida led 23-21 with 2:32 left in the game and had possession. Instead of a goal line stand, Brylan Lanier sacked Florida’s DJ Lagway to force a punt, giving the Bulldogs a chance to win the game with just a field goal.

However, history doesn’t always repeat and just rhymes instead.

Instead of a game-winning touchdown pass, Blake Shapen threw a game-losing interception to a defensive lineman when Mississippi State was inside the Florida 30-yard line.

The Bulldogs were certainly within field goal range for Kyle Ferrie, despite a missed field goal earlier in the game.

The blunt truth of things is that Mississippi State should’ve beaten Florida on Saturday in Gainesville instead of losing 23-21.

Jeff Lebby should have his first SEC win as coach and the Bulldogs’ path to bowl eligibility about as easy as one could hope for.

Instead, the Bulldogs lost and what’ll make this loss a lot more painful is that it followed a very similar script to Mississippi State’s last loss.

Just like against Texas A&M two weeks ago, Mississippi State’s defense played a great game. The Bulldogs intercepted two DJ Lagway passes, allowed just two third down conversions in the first half and just 13 first half points.

The Bulldogs’ kept Florida scoreless in the third quarter. But in the fourth quarter, just like it happened against Texas A&M, the defense tired out and the Gators pulled away.

And just like against the Aggies, a lot of the blame for the loss will be placed on the offensive side of the ball.

Mississippi State’s offense had just 45 yards of offense in the third quarter and allowed a Florida team to increase its season sacks total by 50 percent (four in the game, 13 this season).

Also, problems with penalties reappeared. It wasn’t the quantity, but the timing. Like the holding call on Devon Booth’s fourth quarter 30-yard run.

So, instead of it being first down, the Bulldogs had third and long and Brenen Thompson was just barely able to get the first down.

But then Mississippi State had a false start penalty on first down. Luckily, that drive was still able to end in a touchdown but took up more time than needed.

At that point, Florida led 23-21 with 2:32 left in the game (imagine if Kyle Ferrie didn’t miss that first half field goal) and, well, we already covered what happened next.

The hard truth is that if Shapen doesn’t throw that interception, his only one in the game, the Bulldogs win. And you can trace back to even more reasons why Mississippi State should’ve won as a result of first half plays you can read about in this that I wrote at halftime:

Halftime Reaction

Mississippi State should’ve ended the first half with at least a 24-13, if not 28-13 lead.

Shapen had two long passes to Thompson downfield past the Florida defense that fell incomplete in the end zone. The second one was scary because Thompson took a big hit from a Gator and walked to the sideline with medical staff.

But then when Shapen and Thompson finally did connect on a 42-yard pass late in the second quarter, the drive ended with no points.

On one play, Shapen appears to have overthrown Jordan Glover who was open in the back corner of the end zone.

Then Ferrie missed a 41-yard field goal on a kick that looks like it passed directly above the goal post. You could also argue the lead should’ve been more since Xavier Gayten’s fumble did come on Florida’s half of the field.

Fortunately, the Bulldogs have gotten some luck with Florida penalties. One of the Gators’ four first half penalties negated a 60-yard touchdown run by Baugh.

Mississippi State’s defense also played a big role in keeping the first half score close. Brylan Lanier picked off two passes, including one that was just outside of the endzone.

However, there is some dangerous potential with Florida’s rushing attack. It has been successful. The Gators have 120 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown.

The second half will come down to whichever quarterback can limit the mistakes. If Shapen completes those passes to Thompson and Glover, the Bulldogs have a big lead.

And if Lagway hadn’t thrown two interceptions, the Gators would have the big lead.

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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