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No. 3 Florida at Mississippi St.

Compiled by JOANNE KORTH

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 30, 2000

WHEN/WHERE: 3:30 p.m.; Scott Field, Starkville.

RECORDS: UF 4-0, 2-0 SEC; MSU 2-1, 0-1.

TV/RADIO: Ch. 10; WDAE-AM 620, WWJB-AM 1450, WXCV-FM 95.3, WDCF-AM 1350; WZHR-AM 1400.

COACHES: UF -- Steve Spurrier (106-22-1, 11th season; 126-35-2 overall). MSU -- Jackie Sherrill (61-45-2, 10th season; 166-90-4 overall).

LINE: UF by 71/2.

JUST THE FACTS: The schools are playing for the 49th time, but first since 1993. UF leads 30-16-2 and has won 10 of 12. But the Gators are 3-5 in Starkville, the only SEC campus where Spurrier is winless.

STRENGTH VS. STRENGTH: Florida has the SEC's second-ranked offense (433.2 yards), and Mississippi State has the fifth-ranked defense (287.0). Two of the game's most innovative coaches, Spurrier and MSU coordinator Joe Lee Dunn, will match wits.

UNDER PRESSURE: With just eight sacks through four games, Florida's defense will revert to the zone-blitz schemes it used effectively last season. The Bulldogs are having trouble running, and senior quarterback Wayne Madkin has more interceptions (two) than touchdowns (one).

HOMECOMING: Florida has three players from the state of Mississippi, all in prominent roles: junior tailback Robert Gillespie (Hattiesburg), senior linebacker Daryl Owens (Jackson) and junior offensive tackle Kenyatta Walker (Meridian).

QUOTABLE: "We're not playing like the No. 3 team in the country. We're not playing on the level of Florida State, Nebraska and probably Virginia Tech. If I were a sports writer, I'd probably put us around No. 10." -- UF offensive lineman Leon Hires.

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