GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Mississippi State suffered its third straight loss at Florida on Saturday, one that will rival the most painful losses in the annals of Bulldog football history. An interception on a throwaway by quarterback Blake Shapen was the final moment of a back and forth game by two teams desperate for a win. Even winning didn’t save Florida head coach Billy Napier from the axe on Sunday, but it did prolong MSU head coach Jeff Lebby’s search for his first SEC win in Starkville.

Here’s a look at the moments that mattered most in the heartbreaking loss for the Bulldogs.

QB Draw x5

The Bulldogs had a chance to build on their lead near the end of the first quarter. Thanks to penalties, their second drive of the game resulted in a punt despite them crossing into Gator territory.

This time, the Bulldogs were out to prove that they meant business.

Lebby sent in true freshman Kamario Taylor to run his option package of playcalls on third and two, and the backup quarterback delivered by moving the chains. He stayed in the game and ran a keeper three more times, resulting in a fourth and two at the Florida 31-yard line. Rather than settle for a field goal try from about 47 yards away, Lebby chose instead to send Shapen back into the game. There was no hard count in an attempt to draw the Gators offside, and instead, Shapen ran the exact same quarterback draw play that Taylor had just run four times in a row.

The Gators were not fooled, and Shapen was taken down quickly by Jaden Robinson for a loss, turning the ball over on downs.

It was the second of four drives into Gator territory since the opening drive touchdown, and would be the second of four times that the Bulldogs came up empty-handed.

Fumble

The Bulldog defense gave the offense a sudden jolt of momentum with an interception at the goalline in the second quarter. Safety Brylan Lanier snagged the first of two picks on the day by reading a home run shot perfectly, and his return kick-started a positive drive for the MSU offense.

Shapen led the unit into the red zone, hitting receivers Brenen Thompson and Anthony Evans for chunk plays with some help from Davon Booth on the ground. After a pair of big runs, Booth was subbed out for backup Xavier Gayten, a sophomore who was helping more often with Fluff Bothwell out injured.

Gayten got a red zone carry, but was quickly hit in the backfield by Brien Taylor Jr., who had also jarred the ball loose from the Bulldog back.

The ball was quickly swarmed by Gators, and recovered by Jayden Woods, negating the turnover at the other end and starting a new Gator drive. The defense got a stop on the edge of the red zone to force a field goal from the Gators, but the hosts still extended their lead while MSU suffered yet another fruitless drive deep into Florida territory.

It was the third of four drives without points to end the first half, with the last being a missed field goal by Kyle Ferrie. There were replay angles indicating the ball may not have been wide right as the officials indicated, but there was no review. It would be until the fourth quarter when MSU would get on the board again.

Picked

The second half proved more fruitful for the MSU offense, but not until the fourth quarter when Florida had established a 20-7 lead.

Shapen led two touchdown drives, the first fueled by a deep shot to Brenen Thompson to get inside the 10-yard line. Thompson hauled in seven catches for 155 yards on the day, averaging 22.1 yards per reception, and proving once again why so much trust was placed in him to lead the receiver room.

The drive was finished off by Davon Booth, who added another at the end of the next drive to get the Bulldogs within 2 points.

A quick stop by the Bulldog defense set up MSU for another drive, and Shapen looked set to provide the heroics by taking MSU to the 30-yard line, just on the buffer zone of Ferrie’s range.

However, rather than saving the final timeout for the field goal attempt, Lebby opted to spend it with 29 seconds left and draw up a play to move the Bulldogs closer for the attempt. What followed was a disaster that will join a pantheon of gut-wrenching ends in MSU sports lore.

Shapen dropped and immediately sensed pressure around the right side of the offensive line. His intended target, Evans, was running a quick option route. As he cut inside, Shapen realized it was more important to simply get rid of the pass and looked to dirt it in the vicinity. What Shapen didn’t see was Florida nose tackle Michai Boireau dropping into coverage and scanning to his left, into the path of Shapen’s vision. He easily plucked the pass out of the air and sealed the win for the Gators.

Shapen and the Bulldogs were distraught at the sudden twist in what seemed to soon be their first SEC win in two years. Instead, the conference losing streak extended to 15.

 

Posted in College Sports

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