Despite Win, Florida Gators Should Keep Eye on Bigger Picture

The Florida Gators 45-28 win over Mississippi State could be fool's gold with regards to Billy Napier and the state of the program.

Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz played a nearly flawless game in a 45-28 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs. / Matt Bush-Imagn Images

The Florida Gators temporarily stemmed the tide of change with a 45-28 bullying of Mississippi State. While the Gators run their record to 2-2, and the momentary euphoria encircles the fan base, storm clouds still settle on the horizon. 

Granted, .500 still doesn't look great in late September, and the gauntlet of extremely tough games hovers over this program. For the meanwhile, Florida can enjoy this game on the way back to Gainesville and a bye week.

However, three reasons for muted celebration exist and they need serious consideration: Great win, but in a vacuum.

240 Net Yards Rushing

Despite Florida pulling away, the Bulldogs managed to gain 240 yards on the ground with a concerted attack. 56 rushes and the inability to stop it must still concern Florida. Mississippi State fresh off a 41-17 boat racing by the hands of Toledo, wanted to, and succeeded in establishing a run game that battered Florida. 

The Gators excelled on offense but the middle and boundaries of the defense couldn't stifle a sneeze. As bad as Mississippi State looked, the offense pounded the ball and did not back down. That tempers the celebration a bit. That rush defense will need to tighten up in a hurry. 

Zero Pass Rush. Again

Florida dropped Mississippi State quarterbacks to the turf on three separate occasions. Yet, that number feels less than genuine because of how. The edge players or those upfront accounted for one of those sacks. George Gumbs, Jr. and Kelby Collins combined for that sack. 

The same Mississippi State squad that Toledo ran through like a hot knife through butter walled up and kept their quarterbacks relatively vertical, with only four quarterback hits by the Gators. The Rockets sacked Bulldogs' quarterback Blake Shapen five times.

Going forward, either mass rotation or substitution must occur to get the defense off the field, especially facing high-powered passing games down the stretch. 

Overview

The following statements ring true: Florida executed a near-flawless gameplan offense. Graham Mertz looked as good versus an SEC opponent as ever. The offensive line kept him clean and Mississippi State did not hit a Florida quarterback once. Credit the players and staff. Now, look at the rest of the schedule. If you're honest, you understand that this game described Mississippi State's flaws more than Florida's strengths. 

Florida is BAD

Mississippi State is AWFUL

Changes nothing, Napier & Strickland are simply NOT Gator material#GoGators 🐊 pic.twitter.com/bpMNCPkQeO

— Sebastian Fearon DPT, CSCS, OCS (@TheDegenDoc) September 21, 2024

It's not a matter of hypercriticism, more of a realistic approach. While Florida will not venture up and down like this versus far superior teams, they can hope to take some of the positives and attempt to construct competent game plans.

The schedule exponentially increases difficulty. How will the Gators answer?