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Mississippi State's Davon Booth tries to fight through a tackle by Florida's D'Antre Robinson during Saturday's game in Starkville. Booth ran for 75 yards and a touchdown, but Florida beat the Bulldogs 45-28. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Mississippi State receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. (3) catches a pass from quarterback Blake Shapen (2) during Saturday's game against Florida. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Florida quarterback Graham Mertz (15) tries to run past Mississippi State's De'Monte Russell (9) during Saturday's game in Starkville. Mertz was 19-of-21 passing for 203 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Gators to a 45-28 victory. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen throws a pass Saturday against Florida. Shapen passed for one touchdown and ran for another, but the Bulldogs lost 45-28. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Mississippi State's Keyvone Lee runs with the football as Florida defender Bryce Thornton (18) lines him up for the tackle during Saturday's game in Starkville. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Mississippi State's Nick Barr-Mira punts the football Saturday against Florida. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Florida players wait to line up for a kickoff during Saturday's game against Mississippi State at Davis Wade Stadium. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Mississippi State's Braylon Burnside (5) runs with the football Saturday against Florida. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Florida quarterback Graham Mertz (15) calls a play Saturday against Mississippi State. Mertz was 19-of-21 passing for 203 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Gators to a 45-28 victory. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen looks downfield for a receiver against Florida. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Mississippi State's Davon Booth carries the football against Florida. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State lost the game and won the race to the bottom of the Southeastern Conference.

Florida quarterback Graham Mertz completed 19 of 21 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, and also scored a rushing touchdown as the Gators beat Mississippi State 45-28 Saturday in a match-up of two struggling SEC teams.

“It’s good to win on the road in this league and this can be a challenging place to play,” said Florida coach Billy Napier, who has been on the hot seat in Gainesville following lopsided home losses to Miami and Texas A&M. “We have more work to do. We won, but we are very much a work in progress. We’re not even close to being who we can be and they know that.”

Mississippi State (1-3, 0-1 SEC) followed a familiar pattern in losing its third game in a row. Mertz threw all three of his touchdown passes in the first half to help Florida (2-2, 1-1) take a 28-7 lead.

The Bulldogs have been outscored 83-20 in the first half during their losing streak.

In addition to Mertz’s great passing day, Florida’s other quarterback DJ Lagway was 7-for-7 for 76 yards. The two combined to complete a school-record 92.9 percent of their passes.

“They did an excellent job throwing and catching and making plays in the throw game. That was one of the biggest issues was both of those guys being in great rhythm and not ever making them make a play off-schedule,” Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said. “Offensively, we can’t start the way we started. The penalties and the negative plays were killers.”

Mississippi State did chop its three-score deficit to one midway through the third quarter. Blake Shapen scored on a 3-yard run just before halftime, and then he threw a 13-yard TD pass to Jordan Mosley with 6:38 to go in the third quarter to make it 28-21.

Florida answered with an eight-play, 75-yard drive capped by Mertz’s 1-yard touchdown run to regain control.

Mississippi State had first-and-goal at the Florida 3-yard line on its next possession, but turned it over on downs. The Gators then drove 90 yards the other way to score another touchdown on an odd play.

Lagway was running toward the end zone when he fumbled at the goal line. Lineman Austin Barber fell on it for a touchdown that made it 42-21 with 8:24 left in the game and effectively sealed it.

“Everything that went on, all that had happened up to that point, you’ve got a chance to go cut the game to seven points,” Lebby said. “Go execute, play clean inside the 3, go get touchdowns, and that’s a huge difference in the game. Then they’re able to put a drive together and go up another one.”

Shapen finished 13-of-21 passing for 140 yards and a touchdown for Mississippi State. He also rushed for 32 yards and a touchdown.

Johnnie Daniels rushed for 77 yards, Davon Booth had 75, and both players scored a touchdown.

While Florida found a temporary bright spot in a season that was spinning out of control, Mississippi State continued to struggle while facing a bleak immediate future.

The Bulldogs go on the road to play No. 1 Texas next week. Following a bye week, they’re on the road again at No. 2 Georgia on Oct. 12. Match-ups with top-10 SEC opponents Tennessee, Missouri and Ole Miss also await on the back end of the schedule.

“We’ve got a choice to make and the choice is up to each and every one of us,” Lebby said. “When we wake up tomorrow morning the sun is going to come up and we’re going to have breath in our body and we’re going to be thankful for our opportunity and understand that we are we going to do everything we can to fix it. That is everybody in that room. That is the message. I think our guys will respond.”

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