It’s not customary to have a pivotal game in week four, but Mississippi State and Florida found themselves in just such a game. Both teams were cellar-dwellers in the SEC with 1-2 records. A win would provide the confidence to face the remainder of the season, while a loss could send a team spiraling out of control. For State, they fell into the latter scenario, seeing the Gators pivot and the Bulldogs go down 45-28. Any hope of redemption after the embarrassing loss to Toledo was gone
Head coach Jeff Lebby certainly had higher hopes for his first head coaching position. In his postgame press conference, he was perplexed. “I’m surprised I’m sitting here and our record is what it is,” Lebby said. “That was never the expectation. That was never the thought. That was never the plan. That’s surprising to me.” Yet here they are, 1-3, 0-1 in the SEC, while Florida can boast batting .500 at 2-2, 1-1 in the conference.
On top of that, quarterback Blake Shapen left the game in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury. It was only many hours after the final whistle that Mississippi State fans would learn it was a season-ending injury for the Baylor transfer. There is more on that later in this article.
The Wheels on the Bus
Once again, State lost the coin toss and Florida deferred to the second half. Both teams went three-and-out on their first possessions. But, the Gators struck gold in their second try, with a drive that started at their own 16. It ended 12 plays later with a three-yard pass from quarterback Graham Mertz to wide receiver Arlis Boardingham.
But, the cowbells went crazy as Dawg running back Davon Booth returned the ensuing kickoff for 38 yards to setup Shapen to do his stuff. He ran the up-tempo offense with authority, and the running game even showed improvement. The excitement built as Shapen hit tight end Seydou Traore for 25 yards and an attempted hurdle over the Gator defender. Booth finished what he started on the kickoff, with a one-yard touchdown run, and the game was tied 7-7 with 21 seconds left in the first quarter. But, that’s when the wheels on the bus came off.
Florida scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter, mounting a lead from which the Bulldogs could not recover. Statistically speaking, both offenses were very close with the Gators tallying 505 total yards, and State with 480. Those 21 points broke the Dawgs’ back.
State’s defense proved as porous as it has been all season. They allowed six touchdowns, the most notable the 21 unanswered points. There were no sacks, no hurries, and only two tackles for loss. The coming weeks will be hard for Bulldog fans to watch defensively.
State had a chance to bring the game within a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t convert on fourth and goal at the Florida one. In fact, Shapen fumbled and Florida recovered. That would be his last play of the game, and as it turned out, the season.
Run Game Improved
In the Arizona State game and the Toldeo fiasco, the Bulldog running game was almost non-existent. In Tempe, the Dawgs had only 24 yards on the ground, and against Toledo, they improved, but still only mustered 68 yards. But against Florida, it was a perfectly balanced offense with the Dawgs passing for 240 yards and running for a season-high 240 yards. A team can’t get more balanced than that.
In his postgame presser, Lebby stated one of the only positive things he had to say. “I do think the way we answered the bell from a run game standpoint, and run the ball effectively really for the first time in three weeks,” Lebby said.
The rushing wealth was spread out evenly between Johnnie Daniels, who led with 77 yards, Davon Booth the 75, and Keyvone Lee who had 52. Booth chimed in during his interview. “Keyvone started it off and he was looking good, so we wanted to carry off that,” Booth said.
Considering the gauntlet in the coming weeks, the run game will have to continue to improve, if they want to make any kind of impact offensively.
Adding Injury to Insult
As mentioned earlier, State has lost their starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. That can be a blow, even to the best of teams. In the Bulldogs’ case, it devastating. Shapen showed his ability to pass and run effectively against Florida, not to mention managing the other 10 players.
As catastrophic as this is to the season and the program, Lebby was more concerned with the player. “We’re all hurting for Blake after this unfortunate news,” Lebby said in a statement. “Blake is the ultimate competitor and teammate and an unquestioned leader in our program. I know he will work incredibly hard to come back stronger than ever, and he will continue to serve as a team leader from the sidelines. We will support Blake every step of the way during his recovery process and explore all options to help him seek a medical hardship waiver to regain his lost year of eligibility.”
Taking up the reins was true freshman Michael Van Buren. He moved the offense effectively, throwing seven for 13 and 100 yards. He led one 13-play series for a touchdown. It may come down to him or redshirt freshman Chris Parson going forward.
Tough Road is an Understatement
In the coming weeks, Mississippi State will be facing eight teams. Six of them are nationally ranked.
Next weekend, the Dawgs head to Austin to face #1 Texas. After a week off, it’s off to Athens taking on #2 Georgia. #25 Texas A&M comes to Starkville next, followed by a much-improved Arkansas, also at home. Then, UMass comes to Davis-Wade Stadium, a game they may win, but remember Toledo. After that, the Dawgs travel to Knoxville, playing Lebby’s old boss Josh Heupel, and #6 Tennessee. Then #7 Missouri comes to the cowbells on November 23rd. To cap the season, the game means the most in any Bulldog season, the Egg Bowl, this year in Oxford. Beating #5 Ole Miss and former boss Lane Kiffin would make up for any losses before that.
Lebby is taking a very optimistic look at going forward, regardless of the gloom facing him. “The choice is up to each and every one of us,” Lebby said in his postgame presser. “When we wake up tomorrow morning, the sun’s gonna come up, we’re gonna have breath in our body, and we’re gonna be thankful for the opportunity and understand that are we’re going to do everything we can to fix it.”
Those words may be the message Lebby wants to convey. But the Bulldogs are 1-3 so far. They just lost their starting quarterback for the season. They have an inadequate defense against lesser of any opponents they will face in the coming weeks. It would be understandable for a Dawg fan to be skeptical. They will see next weekend in Austin.
