Sizing up Gators’ 2018 SEC opponents: Scouting Mississippi State – GatorSports.com

10:03 pm | July 18, 2018 | Go to Source | Author: Robbie Andreu

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Mississippi State

The game: Sept. 29, in Starkville.

Last year’s result: The Gators haven’t played the Bulldogs since 2010. UF lost that game 10-7 in The Swamp.

Key players returning: QB Nick Fitzgerald (1,782 yards passing and 15 touchdowns in 2017), DT Jeffery Simmons, RB Aeris Williams (1,107 yards rushing in 2017), DE Montez Sweat, OG Darryl Williams, S Johnathan Abram.

Key losses: CB Tolando Cleveland, P Logan Cooke, WR Donald Gray, LB Dez Harris, OT Martinas Rankin.

Scouting the offense: Joe Moorhead, an offensive-minded head coach, should thank Dan Mullen for all the talent he’s left him to work with. Nine starters, including standout dual-threat quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, return, along with 1,000-yard rusher Aeris Williams. Fitzgerald and Williams will be operating behind one of the SEC’s best offensive lines that features four returning starters. The Bulldogs may have solved a potential deficiency by signing Stephen Guidry, the nation’s No. 1 JUCO wide receiver.

Scouting the defense: If this is a line of scrimmage league (it is), then the Bulldogs are in great shape. All four starters return to a front that features two elite players in tackle Jeffery Simmons and end Montez Sweat. Simmons is a dominant inside player, while Sweat is a relentless outside rusher who recorded 10.5 sacks last season. This is a front that really gets after it, and it will have to this season because the Bulldogs are replacing all three linebackers and the starting cornerbacks from last season.