Mississippi State and Florida are both looking to turn things around on Saturday in Gainesville.

The Bulldogs (4-2, 0-2 SEC) are still searching for their first SEC win in three years, while the Gators (2-4, 1-2 SEC), are trying to claw their way back to .500 after losing four of their last five.

Both teams are coming off of rough trips to Kyle Field that saw their respective quarterbacks jumped on by a vicious pass rush, and protecting the quarterback is key for both teams in turning their respective fortunes around this week.

Keep Blake clean

MSU quarterback Blake Shapen has been sacked 16 times this season, including 10 times in the last two games against Tennessee and Texas A&M. Given, those were two of the toughest defensive lines in the SEC, but the quarterback taking hits is a surefire way to kill drives.

The challenge against Florida might not look as daunting on paper (the Gators have just nine sacks as a team), but the Bulldogs are not taking anything for granted against a defense that has still produced at times in a frustrating campaign.

“Defensively, they have played great team defense,” MSU head coach Jeff Lebby said of Florida. “They’ve got a roster that’s full of very talented players at all three levels of the defense, so we’re going to have to do a great job winning matchups. We’re going to have to do a great job keeping Blake clean, that’s obviously been a thing, but I like where we’re at from the gameplan standpoint.”

“I think one of the things that stands out is they’re very streaky at times,” Shapen said of his first film study. “Like, they’ll put really good stuff on tape, and then at times it’s not as good, but when they do put good stuff on tape, it’s really good stuff.

You’ve got talented players, but I feel like it’s nothing that we haven’t seen before, but you’ve got to be able to do our things; it’s not about what they do, it’s about what we do.”

One factor in what the Bulldogs do will be determined by the availability of Albert Reese IV. The veteran tackle missed the A&M game after limping off the field against Tennessee, but Lebby is hopeful he can return to full practice this week.

Shapen faced a 44% pressure rate on dropbacks against the Aggies, and in the same week, Texas quarterback Arch Manning faced a pressure rate of 59.5% in The Swamp. The Gators can dial up the pressure, especially in their own backyard, and the Bulldogs know they’ve got to move the ball quickly to avoid the same backward drives that hindered them last time out.

“It doesn’t change (the game plan), obviously, but at the same time, my mindset is, ‘You gotta get the ball out of your hands,’” Shapen said. “It’s not going to be pretty every time. It’s not gonna look the way that you want to look, but being able to find a way to get the ball out, whether it’s a check down, whether it’s being able to scramble vertically, if there’s a lane in the pocket that I can maybe squeeze through in the A or B gap. Just finding ways that limit the negative plays.”

Shapen’s ability to throw the ball has been greatly impacted by the pass rush against him. He’s finished sub-200 passing yards in each of the last four games and taken some big hits as well. For him, the goal is to find ways to move the ball faster and be more aware of how to turn those losses into gains.

“When you look back on our season, when we’re not successful, it’s the negative plays on first and second down,” Shapen continued. “So that’s the biggest thing going in, you’ve got to be aware of the fact that it ain’t going to be perfect, and I’ve got to be able to, whether it’s with my legs, make plays, or be able to check it down or dirt it if I have to.”

Get to DJ

The Gators have had another rough start to the season under head coach Billy Napier, now in his fourth year at the helm. A shocking home loss to South Florida was followed by successive defeats on the road to LSU and Miami. A 29-21 upset of Texas was followed by another road loss to No. 5 Texas A&M, and now the pressure is mounting again on Napier in the buildup to the game at MSU.

The under-fire head coach saw his team face struggles similar to the Bulldogs on the road, moving backward and stalling out offensively despite an early spark.

“We struggled to create negative plays,” Napier said of the A&M game. “No (tackles for loss), no sacks, and they obviously had six TFLs and affected our quarterback, sacked us a couple times and a couple hurries… We were averaging (a) 9.5-yard distance (on third down), they averaged 4.5. They kept third down manageable and it allowed them to protect their quarterback and affect ours.”

Quarterback DJ Lagway had two touchdown passes in the first quarter, but none the rest of the way as he took three sacks and fumbled the ball twice.

“For them, offensively, it’s all going to go through DJ,” Lebby said in his evaluation of Florida’s offense. “When he’s played really well, they’ve been really good offensively, so for us it’s going to find ways to create negative plays, try to get them into down and distances that are uncomfortable for them, and I think our first and second-down defense is going to be a huge part of giving us a chance to go win.”

Despite defensive improvement in 2025, the Bulldogs still struggle to get after the quarterback. The loss of Will Whitson against Arizona State has been felt, and the Bulldogs have just eight total sacks on the season, with two belonging to the injured veteran.

What the Bulldogs have done well is improve their run defense and force stops in the red zone. If they can continue to bend without breaking, they can force difficult passing downs without drive-killing sacks, but they still need to bring the pressure.

Florida’s offensive line has struggled to protect Lagway, who has been sacked 14 times already. The quarterback has dealt with an “inability to run the ball” from a minor injury in recent weeks, according to Napier, which has limited the Gators’ playcalling.

“With DJ’s inability to run the ball, the more spread out you are and the more you have to live in the RPO game,” Napier said in his Monday press conference. “You’re creating gaps, but then there’s no quarterback-run element. So everything is run or vertical RPO or perimeter tags. So when he can run, then you’re opening up another scenario where you can create plus-one plays. Him being limited in that capacity causes you to have to live in that world.”

Lagway is an impressive quarterback, but has struggled to deal with throwing under pressure this season. Taking the time away could be crucial to avoid being carved open through the air and chasing another SEC team from behind in hostile territory.

Posted in College Sports

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