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Florida Gators opponent preview: Mississippi State Bulldogs
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AP/Kerry Smith
The Florida Gators will see a familiar face on the opposing sidelines on Saturday night at Mississippi State when they attempt to gain their first win in Starkville since 1985.
Dan Mullen is in his first season as the head coach of the Bulldogs after serving as Florida's offensive coordinator from 2005-08. It will be an odd feeling for Florida head coach Urban Meyer to see Mullen on the other sideline. The two coaches came together initially as assistants at Notre Dame in 1999. When Meyer became the head coach at Bowling Green in 2001, he brought Mullen along as an assistant. The duo also worked together at Utah before heading to Florida.
"This is the game of the year in the state of Mississippi," Mullen said. "We're expecting to have the whole state behind us to help us win this football game."
The Bulldogs will attempt to keep Florida's offense off the field with the school's all-time rushing leader. Senior Anthony Dixon (3,299 career rushing yards) set the mark in last week's 27-6 win at Middle Tennessee. He has gained 696 yards this season and is averaging a career best 5.2 yards per carry. Dixon has rushed for 37 touchdowns with the Bulldogs.
Mullen is seeking more balance with his offense. The Bulldogs are 104th in the nation in passing offense. Senior Tyson Lee has thrown only three touchdown passes this season and has been picked off six times. Freshman wideout Chad Bumphis has stepped up to lead the squad in receptions with 23.
Mullen's offensive system is one that Gators defenders are used to seeing. "The 7-on-7 drills we do in practice? It's basically the exact same thing we're watching on film," Florida cornerback Joe Haden said earlier this week. "We see that stuff for probably six months a year."
The defense is a respectable 59th in the country in total defense. All-SEC third-team linebacker Jamar Chaney leads the team in tackles with over six per game.
"They are doing everything on defense that bothered us as a staff on offense," Meyer said. "Whether it be a two-tilt fire (zone blitz), this certain blitz. Tim (Tebow) and I were talking about it. You name it that bothered us, they're doing it. He's (Mullen) a smart guy. We'll be ready, though."
The Gators lead the all-time series against Mississippi State with a record of 32-18-2. With the exception of a seven-game winning streak from 1936-42, the Bulldogs have been dominated in the series. The two schools met annually from 1962-93. Florida posted a 24-7-1 record against the Bulldogs during the stretch and never lost consecutive games. The Gators have come up short in their last four visits (1986, 1992, 2000 and 2004) to Starkville.
A split decision in polls
For the first time this season, Florida is not atop the AP Top 25 poll. SEC foe Alabama has jumped ahead of the Gators this week. However, Florida is still No. 1 in the USA Today poll and is at the top of the initial BCS rankings.
After holding off Arkansas by three points as a 24-point home favorite, Florida's dominance is being questioned by some followers of the game. While the Gators defense did give up over 350 yards to the Razorbacks, the unit allowed only 2-of-13 third-down conversions in the win. Tim Tebow delivered a 77-yard TD strike in the third quarter and two scoring drives in the fourth quarter to keep the Gators perfect season intact.
Florida enters Saturday's contest ranked in the top 2 nationally in total, scoring and rushing defense. The Gators are sixth in the country in total and rushing offense. Florida is still a complete team despite a lack of dominance during portions of the last two games.
FLORIDA GATORS (6-0, 4-0 SEC) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-4, 1-2 SEC)
When: Saturday, October 24, 7:30 PM EST
Where: Davis Wade Stadium (Starkville, MS)
Odds: Florida is favored by 23 points
TV: ESPN
Radio: WFLF 540 AM
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