Florida Gators vs Mississippi State Bulldogs Matchup

ESPN will be covering the week four matchup between the Florida Gators and Mississippi State Bulldogs, set to kick off at 12:00 ET from Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville. The Gators are favored at -5.5 points on the road. Both teams are 1-2 heading into this game, and the over/under line is currently at 58 points.

Gators vs. Bulldogs Matchup At A Glance

Sport: CFB
Teams: Florida Gators at Mississippi State Bulldogs
Where: Starkville at Davis Wade Stadium
Date: Saturday, September 21st
Betting Odds FL -5.5, FL -209 | MSPST +173 O/U 58

Gators Preview:

Florida is looking to bounce back after a 33-20 loss to Texas A&M in their most recent game. The Gators, who were +3 point underdogs, not only fell short of the upset but also failed to cover the spread. The combined 53 points in the game surpassed the over/under line of 45.5 points.

This loss dropped Florida's record to 1-2 for the season. The Gators fell behind early, with Texas A&M taking a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. By halftime, Florida was down 20-0, but they managed to close the gap to 20-14 by the end of the third quarter. However, the Gators could only add 6 points in the fourth quarter while giving up a field goal to Texas A&M.

Gators Offense Breakdown

Florida's offense, led by quarterback Graham Mertz, put up 301 yards in their 33-20 loss to Texas A&M. Mertz threw for 195 yards, completing 80% of his passes, and added one touchdown to his stat line. However, he also threw one interception and finished with a passer rating of 113.19.

The Gators' passing game accounted for 249 yards, with Elijhah Badger leading the way with five receptions for 94 yards. On the ground, Florida was held to just 52 rushing yards on 25 attempts, but they did manage to score one rushing touchdown.

Gators Team Defense

Florida's defense will be looking to bounce back after giving up 488 total yards to Texas A&M. The Gators were especially vulnerable against the run, allowing 310 rushing yards and a touchdown on 55 attempts. Overall, they gave up 33 points and 27 first downs. In the passing game, Florida allowed 178 yards on 11 completions.

Bulldogs Preview:

Bulldogs Offense Breakdown

Mississippi State's offense, led by quarterback Blake Shapen, put up 385 yards in their 41-17 loss to Toledo. Shapen completed 71.8% of his passes for 319 yards, throwing two touchdowns and one interception, ending the game with a passer rating of 102.4. Kevin Coleman Jr. was his top target, hauling in seven receptions for 77 yards.

The Bulldogs' offense moved the chains 21 times but struggled to establish a run game, finishing with just 66 rushing yards on 27 attempts. Johnnie Daniels was the leading rusher, gaining 59 yards on 10 carries.

Bulldogs Team Defense

Mississippi State's defense will be looking to bounce back after giving up 454 total yards and 41 points to Toledo. The Bulldogs struggled to stop the run, allowing 169 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. In the passing game, they gave up 285 yards and three touchdowns, with Toledo completing 23 of 28 pass attempts against them.

Gators vs Bulldogs Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Florida has a 1-2 record in their last three road games. In this stretch, they averaged 35 points per game while allowing 41. The team also performed well vs the spread at 2-1.
In their last five games at home, the Mississippi State Bulldogs have a straight up record of 1-4 while going 1-4 vs. the spread. The team averaged 16 points per game in this stretch.
Going back to their previous ten games as the underdog, Mississippi State has an ATS mark of 2-7-1 while going 2-8 straight up.
As the betting favorite, the Florida Gators have an ATS mark of just 3-7 in their last ten games. Florida posted a straight up mark of 7-3 in these matchups.