akuakoi

I like all of those as well.

semper fi mac - bol

thanks bro ... i couldn't help myself i bet the OSU/SC game
also although in a parlay ... win by 17 is fine with me.

Kittsd thanks buddy.

tideman

hopefully we meet in the NC game!!

jwheels - that ain't a bad idea.

GO WITH YOUR GUT

CAL VS FLA??

Thank you.

BOL to you.

0-0

Mississippi St +23

circle.

I'M FUCKED THEN.

FROM USA TODAY ABOUT MSU BULLDOGS

Dan Mullen probably will not admit that Saturday's Mississippi State game against Florida at Scott Field is anything more than just the next game on the schedule. That's coach speak. That's expected.

But deep down, it has to mean more to the Mississippi State head coach. Mullen, who spent four years as the Florida offensive coordinator and a decade at Urban Meyer's side, will get his first shot to take down his old team and mentor Saturday night.

Mullen has worked the hype machine in other ways, though. He called Saturday's game the "game of the year in Mississippi" and made note of the A-list ESPN broadcasting crew coming to town to work it.

Mullen knows, though, that the easy-to-write storylines and his familiarity with the Gators don't guarantee success come Saturday.

"Even though we know them, I don't think it's a huge advantage," Mullen was quoted as saying in The Clarion-Ledger.

As if the game needed more storylines, one last one: Mullen became close friends with Gators quarterback Tim Tebow during his time at Florida. Saturday will mark their first meeting on opposite sidelines, too.

NOTES, QUOTES

--Florida has not won at Mississippi State since 1985. Since then, the Bulldogs have won in 1986, 1992, 2000 and 2004. Florida was ranked in each of the last three of those State wins.

--Saturday's game will mark the seventh time a No. 1-ranked team has played State but the first time a No. 1 team has played State in Starkville. (For many years, State played many of its biggest games in Jackson.)

--UF coach Urban Meyer said he had some concern about State coach Dan Mullen's intimate knowledge of his team, especially when it came to its offense and its signals. He said Sunday he would address those concerns internally.

SERIES HISTORY: Florida leads 32-18-2. (Last meeting: UF 35, Mississippi State 9, 2005).

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: Mississippi State had a few hiccups at Mississippi State, but it showed that it can score points and play turnover-free football. It'll need that Saturday against MTSU. Production hasn't been a problem for State, especially in the running game. The Bulldogs' rushing attack is 13th-best nationally and is the bread-and-butter of Dan Mullen's offense. The key to winning games for State -- as opposed to just posting gaudy yardage numbers -- is in holding onto the football. In three wins, State is plus-8 in turnover margin. In four losses, State is minus-12.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: State has attempted all sorts of solutions in the secondary this season, and maybe a few are working. The Bulldogs started true freshman Johnthan Banks at free safety two games ago and kept him there at MTSU. State also started Corey Broomfield and Maurice Langston at corner for the first time, moving Marcus Washington to nickel. The Bulldogs still have a long way to go to prove that they have shored up their pass defense, but at least they're moving personnel around to try.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Last week's win was really exciting to me. This one will be any crazier than the rest of them. It's hard to win football games, but our focus is to find a way to win every game." -- MSU coach Dan Mullen.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

THIS WEEK'S GAME: Florida at Mississippi State, Oct. 24 -- Intangibles are on State's side for this one, ranging from its head coach being an expert on Florida to the Gators coming in limping, at least a little bit. But with a team as talented as the Gators, State will need more than intangibles to win.

KEYS TO THE GAME: Mississippi State has been brewing different parts of the recipe for an upset in recent weeks. It just can't get it all together in the same game. State needs to be able to control the ball with its rushing offense, putting together long drives and eating clock. It also needs to play mistake-free, turnover-free football, which it did in last week's win at Middle Tennessee State. The word "flawless" has been used around Starkville this week, as in that's the kind of game the Bulldogs need to play to win.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

WR Chad Bumphis -- Some analysts compared Bumphis, the true freshman, to Florida's Percy Harvin in the way that Mullen would like to use him. State has used the versatile Bumphis in plenty of ways this season, including a direct snap last week. Is something up the sleeve for the Gators?

RB Anthony Dixon -- A crowning achievement to a huge career could come Saturday night on national television. Dixon has had five straight 100-yard games.

DB Corey Broomfield -- Could've picked all of State's secondary here, as one has to imagine Florida will work out its downfield passing against a secondary that has been porous at times. Broomfield, the redshirt freshman, had two interceptions last week in his first start. He's from Florida, too, and said he would love to duplicate his performance against Middle Tennessee State against the home-state Gators.

ROSTER REPORT:

--RB Anthony Dixon became State's all-time leading rusher in Saturday's 27-6 win at Middle Tennessee State, passing Jerious Norwood, who is now with the Atlanta Falcons. Dixon has 3,299 yards. He's looking to climb up even more lists, including the Southeastern Conference rushing list. He is 17th in SEC history.

--QB Chris Relf has been suspended for two straight games now for an unspecified violation of team rules. It's unclear if he'll be available Saturday, when State plays Florida.

--DB Maurice Langston hopes to keep his starting role at cornerback after starting for the first time last week but said that'll be up to him to keep playing at that level.

--K Derek DePasquale might continue to be State's No. 1 kicker in the absence of Sean Brauchle (groin).

Mississippi State prediction time

by Robbie Andreu

On the three trips I’ve made to Starkville, I’ve seen some strange and pretty unbelievable stuff. What I haven’t seen is a Florida victory.

Scott Field isn’t on anyone’s top 10 list of toughest places to play in college football, but it’s been a nightmare venue for the Gators, who haven’t won there since 1985. They’re 0-4 since then.

I covered three of those losses, two Steve Spurrier-coached teams (1992 and 2000) and one under Ron Zook (2004).

In the 1992 game, Shane Matthews and the Gators got spanked in a big way. Matthews had no time to throw, the offense went nowhere and UF was physically over-matched in a 30-6 loss on a Thursday night.

The strangest game was the 47-35 loss in 2000. That got weird right from the start. MSU won the coin toss, elected to defer, and Florida captain Marquand Manuel elected to kickoff for some reason. That meant the Bulldogs got the ball to start both halves. It went downhill from there. The lowlights included Spurrier punting on third down and tailback Robert Gillespie getting penalized for unsportsmanlike after directing the UF pep band after he scored a touchdown.

The 2004 loss, of course, is what accelerated Zook’s demise at Florida. The Monday after the embarrassing 38-31 defeat, Zook was fired, effective at the end of the season. Earlier in the season, MSU had lost to Maine at Scott Field.

So, given all that I’ve seen at Scott Field, and given Florida’s grim history there, I am very tempted to pull the trigger and predict a Bulldog upset Saturday night. It could happen, definitely.

The Florida offense isn’t scoring many points and the defense has some injury issues in the front seven, a bad thing when you’re facing a tailback as good as Anthony Dixon. And you know Dan Mullen is going to really be helping out his defense in terms of how to stop an offense that he used to coordinate.

MSU had a chance to beat LSU at Scott Field earlier in the season. The Bulldogs will have a chance to beat Florida.

This is a game that will be in doubt going into the fourth quarter. The way the UF offense is playing, it’s probably going to be this way the rest of the season, with the exception of the FIU game.

I’m going with Florida, but it’s a very shaky call.

Prediction: Florida 27, Mississippi State 17

FLORIDA GATOR INJURY REPORT

(FROM USA TODAY)

INSIDE SLANT

Call it the coach against the mentor.

When Florida plays at Mississippi State, it will mark the first time coach Urban Meyer faces one of his former coordinators.

Meyer and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen worked together for 10 years, beginning when Mullen was a graduate assistant at Notre Dame. After stints together at Bowling Green and Utah, Mullen came with Meyer to Florida in 2005 to serve as offensive coordinator.

In four seasons, Meyer and Mullen combined to win two BCS titles (2006, 2008). Then, Mullen left at the end of the 2008 to take over at Mississippi State.

"The thing that makes (Mullen) unique is he is very, very smart. Like, really smart," Meyer said. "He has great awareness of football."

"Just watching from the punt block, to this, to this, to this, it's real good stuff. We better be ready. He's doing a great job."

Mullen said he doesn't expect his recent knowledge of the Florida program and its plays to give him any advantages.

"You've still got to stop them," Mullen said. "Even though we know them, I don't think it's a huge advantage."

Does Florida miss Mullen? The Gators have had their offensive struggles in Southeastern Conference play, averaging just 25 points in four Southeastern Conference games. Florida turned the ball over four times, all fumbles, and gave up six sacks in a last-second 23-20 win against Arkansas.

As a result, Florida dropped from No. 1 to No. 2 in the AP poll. But the Gators still rank No. 1 in the SEC in scoring offense, total offense and third-down conversions.

"We lead in all those categories, but I still don't feel we're operating at the highest level of efficiency," Meyer said. "We're going to practice with a very high rate of urgency this week."

NOTES, QUOTES

--PK Caleb Sturgis was named SEC special teams player of the week following his performance against Arkansas. Sturgis made 3 of 4 field goals, including the game-winning 27-yarder with nine seconds left. He also made a 51-yard field goal, UF's longest since Matt Leach made a 52-yarder against Georgia in 2004.

--Florida players do not seem fazed by their drop from No. 1 to No. 2 in the AP poll. The Gators remain atop the BCS standings. "All that we have to do is keep winning and hopefully get a shot in the SEC championship game," Florida quarterback Tim Tebow said. "That's all that really matters."

--Florida coach Urban Meyer said that QB Tim Tebow isn't getting the ball to more receivers because of offensive line protection issues. WR Riley Cooper and TE Aaron Hernandez have combined for 51 catches for 693 yards and five TDs. The rest of UF's receivers have combined for 20 catches for 299 yards and four TDs. No player other than Hernandez or Cooper has reached double digits in catches. Meyer said in some instances, Tebow is holding on to the ball too long, but he doesn't blame his QB for playing smart. "He's not a guy that's going to take a shot if it's not there," Meyer said.

--Florida received an oral commitment for the Class of 2011 from 6-foot, 180-pound athlete De'Ante "Pop" Saunders. Saunders is from DeLand and was a high school teammate of UF freshman running back Mike Gillislee.

SERIES HISTORY: Florida 38, Mississippi State 12, two ties (last meeting, 2005, Florida 35, Mississippi State 9).

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: Florida needs to execute better in the red zone. In 20 trips to the red zone in four SEC games, Florida has scored just six touchdowns (30 percent). The Gators came away with just three points in four first-half trips to the red zone against Arkansas. Also, Florida's offensive line must resolve its protection issues after allowing six first-half sacks against Arkansas.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Florida needs to shore up some issues in the secondary after allowing Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett to throw for 224 pounds and a TD. The pass rush remains solid, generating four sacks last week. Florida has 16 sacks overall and 12 sacks in its last three games.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I feel like the quarterback of a 6-0 team. I'm pretty excited about that." -- Tim Tebow, when asked if he felt like the quarterback of a struggling offense.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Florida at Mississippi State, Oct. 24 -- Florida (6-0) will look to clean up some recent shoddy play when it faces the Bulldogs. The Gators committed four turnovers and scored just three first-half points in the red zone in a 23-20 win last week against Arkansas. The game will mark the first meeting between Florida coach Urban Meyer and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, who was Florida's offensive coordinator under Meyer from 2005 to 2008.

KEYS TO THE GAME: Florida needs to stop Mississippi State senior running back Anthony Dixon. Dixon became MSU's all-time leading rusher with a 135-yard performance against Middle Tennessee State. On offense, Florida will need to establish the run and pass-protect better to take heat off quarterback Tim Tebow.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

QB Tim Tebow is coming off a game in which he was sacked six times and relied heavily on receivers Aaron Hernandez and Riley Cooper to bail him out. Florida coach Urban Meyer said some of the sacks were attributed to Tebow holding on to the ball too long. Look for Florida to design some plays to get the ball out of Tebow's hands more quickly and for Tebow to try to spread the ball around to different receivers.

WR Deonte Thompson caught a 77-yard TD pass, his only catch of the game. He did draw another critical pass interference penalty in the fourth quarter and was targeted three times. If Thompson is over his hamstring problems, he could prove a valuable weapon for Florida down the stretch.

DE Jermaine Cunningham is coming off a two-sack performance against Arkansas and is tied for the team lead with three sacks on the season. He'll be counted on for leadership, especially if MLB Brandon Spikes is out with groin problems.

DT Omar Hunter had a career-best six tackles and two for loss in Florida's 23-20 win over Arkansas. A five-star recruit out of high school, Hunter is starting to reach his potential.

CB Janoris Jenkins is coming off perhaps the worst game of his UF career. He had a mixup in coverage with safety Will Hill on one big play from Arkansas receiver Greg Childs and was beaten badly when Childs sprung open for a 75-yard TD catch. How Jenkins bounces back could determine if Florida remains unbeaten.

ROSTER REPORT:

--MLB Brandon Spikes is day-to-day with a groin injury

--DL Justin Trattou is doubtful with a shoulder injury

--DT Lawrence Marsh (ankle) remains questionable

--DT Jaye Howard (knee) remains questionable

Thanks buddy.

After close wins against LSU and Arkansas, Florida will try to remain unbeaten when it takes on Mississippi State. The Gators will see a familiar face on the other side of the ball as former offensive coordinator Dan Mullen is now the head coach of the Bulldogs. The Gators have dropped their last four trips to Starkville since winning there in 1985.

State first-year head coach Dan Mullen spent the previous 10 seasons coaching with Florida head coach Urban Meyer, so he knows the Gators' scheme better than any other coach Florida will face this year. In addition, new defensive coordinator Carl Torbush's front seven has adjusted well to his scheme; players are rarely caught out of position. It's important that that front seven makes the most of Mullen's knowledge and continues to play disciplined, and does so without hesitating, because it is at a disadvantage in terms of speed.  (FROM ESPN)


Date placed:
Oct 22, 2009 9:15pSingle #153601615
Football - College Lines (Game) Point Spread
(388) Mississippi State +23 Sat@4:30p
Competitor:(387) Florida

Risk US$ 550.00 to win US$500.00

Date placed:
Oct 22, 2009 9:16pSingle #153601617
Football - College Lines (Game) Point Spread
(388) Mississippi State +23 Sat@4:30p
Competitor:(387) Florida

Risk US$ 550.00 to win US$500.00

Date placed:
Oct 22, 2009 9:18pSingle #153601621
Football - College Lines (Game) Point Spread
(388) Mississippi State +23 Sat@4:30p
Competitor:(387) Florida

Risk US$ 550.00 to win US$500.00

Date placed:
Oct 22, 2009 9:21pSingle #153601624
Football - College Lines (Game) Point Spread
(388) Mississippi State +23 Sat@4:30p
Competitor:(387) Florida

Risk US$ 550.00 to win US$500.00