#1 Gators Pull Away Late To Snap Losing Skid In Starkville, 29-19

Saturday, October 24

Starkville

6:30 PM

Mississippi State

3-5 , 1-3

#1 Florida

7-0 , 5-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Florida	3	10	3	13	29
Mississippi State	3	7	3	6	19

#1 Gators Pull Away Late To Snap Losing Skid In Starkville, 29-19

October 24, 2009 | Football

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

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STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State's bid to knock off Florida for the fifth-consecutive time at Scott Field came up short Saturday night as the top-ranked Gators defeated the Bulldogs 29-19 in front of a record crowd of 57,178.

However, the score wasn't at all indicative of just how close this SEC showdown on ESPN actually was.

In fact, with 9:32 remaining in the third quarter, a 31-yard field goal by Derek Pasquale tied the game at 13-apiece.

From that point, though, the defending national champions scored 16 unanswered points to take control of the game.

And that run started with 5:15 left to play when Florida (7-0, 5-0) regained the lead for good on a 27-yard field goal by Caleb Sturgis.

Then in the fourth, the Gators extended their advantage to 22-13 on an 8-yard scamper by Chris Rainey.

But if there was any hope remaining for the Bulldogs (3-5, 1-3), it was thwarted at the 8:25 mark of the final frame when Dustin Doe picked off a Tyson Lee pass and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown.

Still, the Bulldogs maintained their fight, especially true freshman safety Johnthan Banks.

With 3:51 left on the clock, he intercepted Tim Tebow, and returned it 20 yards to the end zone to cut the Gators' lead to 29-19.

For Banks, it was his second pick-six of the night, the first time in school history that has happened.

His first came with 27 seconds left in the opening half that covered 100 yards to make it 13-10 Florida.

The two interceptions matched Tebow's total for the entire season, and the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner finished the night 12-of-22 passing for 127 yards. He also rushed for 88 yards as the Gators manufactured a total of 376 on the night.

Lee, whose team travels to Kentucky next Saturday for a 6 p.m. outing with the Wildcats, was 15 of 23 for 145 yards. He was also picked off three times. MSU finished with 237 yards, while senior running back Anthony Dixon accounted for 53 on 15 carries.

Lee's first interception came on the Bulldogs' opening drive of the game. However the defense picked up the slack and held the Gators to a missed field-goal attempt to end their first offensive possession.

The Bulldogs took advantage and scored the game's first points on their next possession when DePasquale capped off a 10-play, 54-yard drive with a 43-yard field goal to give MSU a 3-0 lead.

Florida attempted to get in the end zone first on its ensuing drive, but the Bulldog defense tightened up. After three failed attempts inside the MSU 10, the Gators settled for a 21-yard field goal to tie the game, 3-3.

In the second quarter, Florida's offense put up 10 points on its first two drives to go up 13-3.

It appeared the Gators were going to add to their lead as the half was winding down, but Banks' first interception for a touchdown made for a different story.