What Happened
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Sophomore defensive tackle Michai Boireau came up with an improbable, game-saving interception with 21 seconds left allowing Florida to escape Saturday night with a 23-21 homecoming victory over Southeastern Conference foe Mississippi State before a sold-out crowd at Spurrier/Florida Field. 

The Bulldogs were thisclose to their first SEC win in two years. Quarterback Blake Shapen, after a UF punt with 1:38 remaining, drove the MSU offense to Florida 29 — well within Kyle Ferrie’s field-goal range — and faced a second-and-10 out of timeout with 29 seconds to go. Shapen, who’d riddled the Florida defense for 324 yards through the air, dropped and looked for wideout Anthony Evans III, already with 11 catches for 105 yards, on a crossing route slanting from the right. What Shapen did not see was Boirea, the 6-foot-5, 349-pound sophomore defensive lineman, dropping into shallow coverage.

Shapen fired a pass and Boirea, maybe 10 yards away, stuck his gloved hands in the air and snagged a remarkable pick thrown from point-blank range, saving the day and icing the win as the “Swamp” went berserk. 

UF sophomore tailback Jadan Baugh carried 23 times for a career-high 150 yards and a touchdown, while senior Trey Smack kicked three field goals, including a 53-yarder with 6:49 to play that proved the difference, as MSU staged its late comeback attempt. Gators sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway completed 20 of 34 passes for 280 yards, did not throw a touchdown and was intercepted twice. Shapen completed 24 of 36 passes with the lone interception, while MSU tailback Davin Booth rushed 22 times for 105 yards and two scores. 

Mississippi State finished with 468 yards of total offense to Florida’s 452. 

The Bulldogs took an early lead, thanks to a 48-yard Shapen-to-Evans completion on the second play from scrimmage that set the visitors up at the UF 21. Five plays later, running back Kamario Taylor replaced Shapen and scored on a 2-yard run from the wildcat formation for a 7-0 lead less than three minutes in. 

The Gators cut into the margin, courtesy of a 29-yard Smack field goal at the 8:55 mark of the first, then took a 10-7 lead on the second snap of the second quarter when Baugh busted off a 19-yard scoring dash to finish a six-play, 69-yard drive. UF extended the lead to 13-7 when Smack bombed a 54-yard field goal on a drive that included a 60-yard touchdown run by Baugh called back — the fourth TD erased by penalty for the Gators this season — for holding downfield on Eugene Wilson III.

After a scoreless third period, UF finished an 11-play, 93-yard drive with tailback KD Daniels scoring from a yard out on a direct-snap run that pushed the Gators ahead 20-7 with 13:41 remaining. UF lined up to go for a two-point conversion, but got called for having 12 men on the field and was forced to settle for the kick and 13-point margin.  

The Bulldogs needed just five plays to offset that TD, with Booth finishing a 65-yard drive with a 2-yard run with 11:57 to go that closed the home team’s margin to 20-14. With the game in the balance, Florida’s best offense turned out to be Mississippi State’s defense, as the Bulldogs were flagged for two personal fouls over the next six snaps, including a roughing-the-passer call on a failed third-down conversion, that helped UF move to the MSU 31. The Gators did themselves no favors with a offensive pass interference penalty, but Smack was good from 53 yards (the eighth field goal of at least 50 yards of his career) and the Florida lead was 23-14 inside seven minutes remaining. 

That’s when Shapen zapped the Gators for a five-play, 65-yard drive, aided by an end-zone pass interference call against linebacker Jadan Robinson on an incompletion on third-and-goal from the 8. Booth scored from the 2 two plays later to make the score 23-21 with two minutes to go. 

Lagway and his offense took over with a chance to close out the game with a first down, but on third-and-1 from UF 34 the call from the sidelines was for a pass play and Lagway was sacked for a seven-yard loss that forced a punt. Mississippi State took over at its 28 with 1:32 remaining.

Seventy-three seconds later, Michai Boireau was a household name in Gator Nation.  


UF sophomore tailback Jadan Baugh (13) rushed 23 times for 150 yards and one TD. 

 

What it Means
The Gators’ won a fifth straight SEC home game and gave their head coach (and enthusiastic crowd) a sorely needed victory. Read on.

In the Spotlight
In a vacuum, the answer would be Boireau or Baugh or maybe even Smack. But all eyes, heading into the upcoming bye week, will be locked in on the status of Coach Billy Napier, who improved to 22-23 in his four UF seasons. 

Staggering Statistic
Mississippi State is now 0-11 in SEC play under second-year coach Jeff Lebby. The Bulldogs have lost 15 consecutive league games, dating to the 2023 season. 

Up Next
Florida (3-4, 2-2) will have their second open date of the season on Oct. 25, then resume play Nov. 1 with their annual showdown against Georgia at Jacksonville. The Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1), who started the day ranked ninth in the nation, claimed a come-from-behind 43-35 home defeat Saturday over fifth-ranked and previously unbeaten Ole Miss. 

Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu Find his story archives here.Â