Mississippi State @ Florida preview
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Last Meeting ( Oct 24, 2009 ) Florida 29, Mississippi State 19
It has been rare in recent years for Mississippi State to take much momentum into Gainesville, Fla., and even more rare for the Bulldogs to leave town headed in a positive direction.
But Mississippi State (4-2, 1-2 SEC) has a chance to do exactly that if it can keep up its solid play against Florida, which is coming off consecutive losses for the first time since 2007.
After starting 4-0, the Gators (4-2, 2-2 SEC) have dropped two straight SEC contests, losing 31-6 at Alabama two weeks ago and falling 33-29 at home against LSU last week.
Getting the Bulldogs at home would seem like a good way for the Gators to avoid their first three-game losing streak since closing the 1999 season with three consecutive losses. They've won the last 16 meetings in Gainesville dating back to 1965 and have won nine of the last 12 in the series, including a 29-19 win last year in Starkville.
But former Gators assistant coach Dan Mullen has Mississippi State headed in the right direction.
After suffering losing seasons in eight of the last nine campaigns, the Bulldogs find themselves riding a three-game winning streak for only the second time since 2000 and looking for their first four-game winning streak since opening the 1999 season with eight consecutive victories.
Under Mullen, who was Urban Meyer's offensive coordinator for four seasons at Florida, Mississippi State has added some offensive weapons to complement a strong defense, which ranks 22nd in the nation with 17.5 points allowed per game.
The Bulldogs have topped 530 total yards three times, marking the first time in school history they've surpassed that mark three times in the same season, including in last week's 47-24 win at Houston.
Against the Cougars, the Bulldogs racked up 409 rushing yards, boosting their season average to 211.8 rushing yards per game, which ranks 23rd in the nation.
Running back Vick Ballard (69.7 yards per game) and dual-threat quarterback Chris Relf (49.2 yards per game) have led that rushing attack.
Ballard ran for a career-high 134 yards and three touchdowns last week, his second consecutive game with 100-plus yards and three scores. Ballard leads the SEC with 12 touchdowns (11 rushing).
The Bulldogs continue to use both junior Relf and redshirt freshman Tyler Russell at quarterback, but Relf has earned the bulk of the playing time in recent games with his strong performance during the three-game winning streak. He rushed and passed for more than 100 yards against Georgia, passed for a career-high 209 yards against Alcorn State and rushed for 96 yards and a score before giving way to Russell in the second half last week.
The Gators' once-explosive offense hasn't been as effective without former star quarterback Tim Tebow - they rank 11th in the SEC in total offense at 323.7 yards per game and have committed six turnovers in their consecutive losses.
Florida has tried to duplicate the Tebow dynamic with freshman Trey Burton, who has played quarterback, fullback, tight end, receiver and on special teams already this year. Burton has scored a team-high eight rushing touchdowns and had a breakout game in a win against Kentucky three weeks ago, scoring six touchdowns (five rushing, one receiving).
But the Gators' offense was hurt by running back Jeff Demps' sprained foot, which kept him out of the LSU game. The Gators are hopeful Demps, who leads the team with 82.8 rushing yards per game (sixth in the SEC), will be back Saturday.
Florida leads the all-time series 33-18-2.