Mississippi State and Florida are both looking to turn things around on Saturday in Gainesville.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Keep Blake clean<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefensively, they have played great team defense,\u201d MSU head coach Jeff Lebby said of Florida. \u201cThey\u2019ve got a roster that\u2019s full of very talented players at all three levels of the defense, so we\u2019re going to have to do a great job winning matchups. We\u2019re going to have to do a great job keeping Blake clean, that\u2019s obviously been a thing, but I like where we\u2019re at from the gameplan standpoint.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think one of the things that stands out is they\u2019re very streaky at times,\u201d Shapen said of his first film study. \u201cLike, they\u2019ll put really good stuff on tape, and then at times it\u2019s not as good, but when they do put good stuff on tape, it\u2019s really good stuff.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve got talented players, but I feel like it\u2019s nothing that we haven\u2019t seen before, but you\u2019ve got to be able to do our things; it\u2019s not about what they do, it\u2019s about what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019ve got to move the ball quickly to avoid the same backward drives that hindered them last time out.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t change (the game plan), obviously, but at the same time, my mindset is, \u2018You gotta get the ball out of your hands,\u2019\u201d Shapen said. \u201cIt\u2019s not going to be pretty every time. It\u2019s not gonna look the way that you want to look, but being able to find a way to get the ball out, whether it\u2019s a check down, whether it\u2019s being able to scramble vertically, if there\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shapen\u2019s ability to throw the ball has been greatly impacted by the pass rush against him. He\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you look back on our season, when we\u2019re not successful, it\u2019s the negative plays on first and second down,\u201d Shapen continued. \u201cSo that\u2019s the biggest thing going in, you\u2019ve got to be aware of the fact that it ain\u2019t going to be perfect, and I\u2019ve got to be able to, whether it\u2019s with my legs, make plays, or be able to check it down or dirt it if I have to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Get to DJ<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe struggled to create negative plays,\u201d Napier said of the A&M game. \u201cNo (tackles for loss), no sacks, and they obviously had six TFLs and affected our quarterback, sacked us a couple times and a couple hurries\u2026 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor them, offensively, it\u2019s all going to go through DJ,\u201d Lebby said in his evaluation of Florida\u2019s offense. \u201cWhen he\u2019s played really well, they\u2019ve been really good offensively, so for us it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Florida\u2019s offensive line has struggled to protect Lagway, who has been sacked 14 times already. The quarterback has dealt with an \u201cinability to run the ball\u201d from a minor injury in recent weeks, according to Napier, which has limited the Gators\u2019 playcalling.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith DJ\u2019s inability to run the ball, the more spread out you are and the more you have to live in the RPO game,\u201d Napier said in his Monday press conference. \u201cYou\u2019re creating gaps, but then there\u2019s no quarterback-run element. So everything is run or vertical RPO or perimeter tags. So when he can run, then you\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n