STARKVILLE, Miss. — Halloween is still a week away, but Florida’s struggling football team got another big scare Saturday night in the horror house that has been Davis Wade Stadium for the Gators over the years and in a season that has been anything but easy.
Yet, the top-ranked Gators survived, more so because of the mistakes and questionable play calls by Mississippi State in the fourth quarter, and prevailed for the first time here since 1985 with a 29-19 victory, Florida’s 17th in a row. A record crowd of 57,178 were on hand at David Wade Stadium to watch the duel between the teams of coaches Urban Meyer and Dan Mullen, who followed Meyer from Notre Dame to Bowling Green to Utah and to Florida, where he spent four years (and helped Meyer win two national titles) as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach to 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.
It was an outcome that shouldn’t have been close but was because of Florida’s own offensive mistakes and inability to move an inspired MSU defensive front. Florida three times had to settle for field goals by Caleb Sturgis (he also missed one after Florida couldn’t convert on the first of its three interceptions) on three of its four trips into the red zone (inside the MSU 20) in the first three quarters.
Plus, Meyer’s Gators (7-0 overall, 5-0 SEC East) had to overcome a pair of interceptions thrown by Tebow that were returned for touchdowns by Johnthan Banks, including a 100-yard return at the end of the first half that turned what was looking to be a Florida beatdown into a Saturday night horror show. Instead, the Gators will take a two-game lead in the SEC East to Jacksonville next Saturday—Halloween—to play another batch of upset-minded Bulldogs, long-time nemesis Georgia. Kickoff in Jacksonville Municipal Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m. so Florida and the rest of the nation can enjoy the un-civil war on CBS.
Tebow, who had trouble finding open receivers and running room (especially in the red zone) most of the night, managed to throw for 127 yards (on 12-of-22 passing) and rushed for 88 yards (on 22 carries), including a 24-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that gave him 49 for his career, tying him with Georgia’s Herschel Walker for the most rushing touchdowns in SEC history with 49.
And it was Mullen, who mentored Tebow for three years, providing the Gators momentum with just under 12 minutes remaining in regulation when he called for a reverse on a fake punt at his team’s own 26. Robert Elliott came around but slipped and lost 4 yards, giving Tebow and Florida excellent field position again as they were clinging to a 16-13 lead.
Yet, it took a second successful fourth-down run by Tebow—this one of 4 yards after the first one was wiped out because Meyer had called a timeout—to keep the drive going. On first-and-goal at the MSU 9, Tebow kept for one. When the Gators came to the line of scrimmage for the next play, Tebow was under center Maurkice Pouncey—the first time in ages that the Gators haven’t run from a spread offense with Tebow in the shotgun.
Tebow took the snap, reversed pivoted and handed off the running back Chris Rainey, who finished off a big night (12 carries, 90 yards and a blocked punt) by following a block by fullback Rick Burgess and running untouched into the end zone from 8 yards out. Sturgis missed the extra point, but Florida was up 22-13 and breathing a little easier with 9:08 to play in regulation.
On the second scrimmage play following the ensuing kickoff, Florida linebacker Brandon Hicks disrupted a pass thrown by Tyson Lee, and fellow linebacker Dustin Doe, who was suspended early in the season by Meyer because of repeated traffic violations, intercepted and headed for the end zone. As he neared the goal line, Doe started to celebrate ala Deion Sanders and MSU’s Brandon McRae slapped the ball loose.
The ball went into the end zone and McRae recovered it, but after reviewing various angles, replay officials couldn’t be positive whether Doe had crossed the goal line or not before losing the football. The 23-yard touchdown return stood, though a television split-screen of pictures from two angles at the same time seemed to indicate that the ball was out before Doe got to the end zone.
Nevertheless, Florida looked like it was finally in control—until Tebow’s arm was hit by defensive end Pernell McPhee as he attempted a pass from the end zone late in the quarter and his wounded duck fell into Banks’ hands at the 20. He returned it for another touchdown that cut the Florida lead to 29-19 with 3:51 remaining. Mullen went for two, but Chad Bumphis was tackled by Joe Haden before he could get off a pass for the two-point conversion that would have cut the Gators’ lead to 8.
The Bulldogs (3-5, 1-3 SEC West) eventually got the ball back with 2:53 to play. But after an apparent 30-yard interception return for a touchdown by Ahmad Black, which would have been the fourth in the game, was wiped out by a 15-yard roughing the passer call on linebacker Ryan Stamper, defensive end Carlos Dunlap ended the ugly evening by sacking Tyson Lee at the MSU 47 on the final play of the game. It was the 6-foot-6, 290-pound junior defensive end’s third sack of the game. Stamper led the Gators with 12 tackles.
Despite all sorts of advantages statistically—Florida outgained MSU 376-237, including 249-92 on the ground, and owned the football almost five minutes longer—Tebow’s two interceptions and the Gators’ inability to convert on its red-zone scoring opportunities in the first half and dreadful performance on third-down plays (they converted just 2 of 13 such plays) allowed the Bulldogs to stay in a game they easily could have trailed 35-3 if the offense had been clicking. The final statistics will show that Florida was 4-of-5 on red-zone scoring chances, but the Gators’ only touchdown inside the 20 was by Rainey.
However, once again, coordinator Charlie Strong’s defense came up big despite playing without three key defensive linemen—Jaye Howard, Lawrence Marsh and Justin Trattou—and middle linebacker Brandon Spikes. The Gators held running back Anthony Dixon, MSU’s all-time leading rusher, to just 53 yards on 15 carries and the Bulldogs to just 92 yards on 35 carries (2.6 average). They also held Lee to 145 aerial yards (on 15-of-23 passing), but 54 of those came on a pass completion to Christian Ducre early in the third quarter and the Gators managed to intercept him three times (Doe, A.J. Jones and Major Wright). The defense also permitted just two third-down conversions (in 12 attempts).
HOW THEY SCORED
No. 1 FLORIDA 29, MISSISSIPPI STATE 19
At Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field, Starkville, Miss.
Scoring by quarters 1 2 3 4—Final
Florida Gators 3 10 3 13–29
Mississippi State Bulldogs 3 7 3 6–19
FIRST QUARTER
MSU—FG Derek DePasquale 43 good at 9:05. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 4 first downs, 3:12 time elapsed following missed 37-yard Florida field goal by Caleb Sturgis. Key plays: Two runs by Anthony Dixon for 11; Dixon 9-yard reception from Tyson Lee; Christian Ducre 14 run; 13-yard pass from Lee to Brandon Heavens for first down at Florida 32. Score: Mississippi State 3, Florida 0.
FLA—FG Caleb Sturgis 21 good at 3:36. Drive: 10 plays, 68 yards, 3 first downs, 5:29 time elapsed following Mississippi State kickoff. Key plays: Tebow 15-yard run on second play; Two Emmanuel Moody runs totaling 13; Tebow 21-yard pass to Riley Cooper to set up first-and-goal at MSU 8; Tebow 7-yard run on first play; Tebow loses 3 yards on third-and-goal at MSU 1. Score: Florida 3, Mississippi State 3.
SECOND QUARTER
FLA—Tim Tebow 26 run (Sturgis kick good) at 13:16. Drive: 9 plays, 67 yards, 3 first downs, 3:37 time elapsed following MSU punt. Key plays: Tebow 19-yard pass to Deonte Thompson on second play of drive; Tebow 3-yard run on fourth-and-2 at MSU 35; Touchdown run by Tebow, who fielded a high snap, found a hole up the middle, broke outside and stiff-armed a defender before reaching over the goal line with the ball as he was going out of bounds. Score: Florida 10, Mississippi State 3.
FLA—FG Sturgis 21 good at 7:15. Drive: 10 plays, 69 yards, 4 first downs, 4:36 time elapsed following MSU punt. Key plays: Tebow completed passes of 13 yards to Hernandez, 19 yards of Cooper for first downs; Rainey’s 20-yard run to give Florida a first-and-goal at MSU 6. Score: Florida 13, Mississippi State 3.
MSU—Johnthan Banks 100 interception return (DePasquale kick good) at 0:27. Key plays: Florida set itself to put the game out of reach when Chris Rainey blocked a punt and Florida had first-and-goal at MSU 7. But MSU’s defense held and on third down, Tebow’s rushed pass was tipped into the air and intercepted by Banks two yards deep in the end zone and returned for a touchdown. Score: Florida 13, Mississippi State 10.
THIRD QUARTER
MSU—FG DePasquale 31 at 9:32. Drive: 7 plays, 2 first downs, 65 yards, 3:43 time elapsed following Florida punt. Key plays: On first play of drive, Tyson Lee burned Florida’s corner blitz by Joe Haden by throwing a little pass into the vacated area to Christian Ducre and he went 54 yards to the Florida 25; On third-and-5 at the Florida 9, MSU was penalized 5 yards for a false start and Dixon failed to gain on third down Score: Mississippi State 13, Florida 13.
FLA—FG Sturgis 27 at 5:15. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 3 first downs, 4:17 time elapsed following MSU kickoff and 33-yard return by Brandon James to the Florida 42. Key plays: On first play, Tebow found Cooper for 13; Three Tebow runs got another first down; Tebow 15-yard pass to Aaron Hernandez; But on third-and-1 at MSU 9, Tebow lost a yard trying to pass. Score: Florida 16, Mississippi State 13.
FOURTH QUARTER
FLA—Chris Rainey 8 run (Sturgis kick wide left) at 9:08. Drive: 6 plays, 22 yards, 2:38 time elapsed following fake punt reversal run by Robert Elliott lost 4 yards and Florida took over at the MSU 22. Key plays: On fourth-and-1 at MSU 13, Tebow gained the first down but Florida coach Urban Meyer had called a timeout just before the snap. So Tebow had to run again and got the first down on a 4-yard run. After Tebow gained 1 yard on first-and-goal at the 9, he took a direct snap from center and handed off to Rainey, who was in the true tailback position in the I-formation behind fullback Borgess. Borgess threw a block that gave Rainey a free run into the end zone. Score: Florida 22, Mississippi State 13.
FLA—Dustin Doe 26 pass interception (Sturgis kick good) at 8:25. Key plays: Brandon Hicks got pressure on Tyson Lee and Doe intercepted and ran the ball into the end zone. But good hustle by wide receiver Brandon McRae forced a fumble by a celebrating Doe just as he neared or cleared the goal line. The play was reviewed and the touchdown allowed to stand, but TV side-by-side pictures from both angles seemed to indicate that Doe fumbled the ball before the goal line and MSU, by virtue of its recovery, should have received a touchback. Score: Florida 29, Mississippi State 13.
MSU–Banks 20 interception return (run failed) at 3:51. Key plays: After Major Wright intercepted a Lee pass at the Florida 2, Tebow attempted a pass from the end zone and his left arm was hit as he released the ball. Banks caught the wounded duck at the 20 and scooted in for his second touchdown return of the game, but MSU’s attempt to get two points on the conversion failed when Joe Haden tackled Chad Bumphis, who was attempting to pass. Score: Florida 29, Mississippi State 19.
SUMMARY
Attendance: 57,178 (55,082 capacity).
Officials: Referee, Penn Wagers; Umpire, Rick Loew; Head linesman, Allama Matthews; Line judge, Paul Petrisko; Field judge, Rob Skelton; Side judge, Richard Rooker; Back judge, Mike New.
Weather: Clear skies, 58 degrees. Chance of precipitation 10 percent. Wind from the NW at 3 mph.
Records Florida 7-0 overall, 5-0 SEC East; Mississippi State 3-5 overall, 1-3 SEC West.
Next games: Florida vs. Georgia Oct. 31 at Jacksonville, Fla., 3:30 p.m. (CBS); Mississippi State vs. Kentucky Oct 31 at Lexington, Ky., 7 p.m. (FSN).
CLICK BELOW FOR FINAL STATISTICS FROM ESPN:
http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=292970344