Mississippi State Bulldogs at Florida Gators

Florida holds on to beat Mississippi State 23-21 in what might have been coach Billy Napier's finale

His ultimate exit could come as early as Sunday.

Jadan Baugh ran for a career-high 150 yards and a touchdown, DJ Lagway threw for 280 yards to offset two interceptions and Florida held on to beat Mississippi State 23-21 on Saturday in what may have been Napier's finale.

“I think I'm built for it; I'm made for it,” Napier said. “I chose the coaching profession; I was called to coach. The good comes with the bad. The bad comes with the good. The game's about the players, and I'm proud of the way they played.”

“I love the game of football,” he added, choking back tears. “I love the game.”

The Gators (3-4, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) intercepted Blake Shapen's pass in the waning seconds with the Bulldogs (4-3, 0-3) in field-goal range. Defensive tackle Michai Boireau got the pick, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.

“It ain't over until the clock hits triple zeros,” Boireau said.

Florida handed Mississippi State its 15th consecutive loss in league play, but a comedy of errors should be enough for athletic director Scott Stricklin to show Napier the door.

Napier improved to 22-23 overall and 12-16 in league play in four seasons, but this one included enough head-scratching decisions that Stricklin could easily justify firing him after a win.

Most notably, Napier dialed up a QB keeper on a third-and-1 play in the waning minutes that gave the Bulldogs a chance down the stretch.

He also called a keeper on a third-and-7 play earlier, took consecutive penalties that turned a chip-shot field goal into a long one, primarily ran the ball to get to the goal line and then threw incomplete three times, botched the final possession before halftime and was flagged for having 12 men on the field during a 2-point try.

Florida also had a long touchdown called back because of a penalty for the fourth time this season.

Still, the Gators were talented enough to overcome the miscues. Napier, however, had little leeway left for any sort of clunker.

“That was a great memory there,” Napier said. “And I think there’s a lot of life lessons for them in terms of what happened out there.”

Shapen threw for 324 yards, including 155 to Brenen Thompson. Davon Booth ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Shapen's final pass was the difference.

“I love the call. I don’t like what the outcome was,” Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said. “We had a ton of opportunities. It comes down to that last play.”

Florida played shorthanded on defense The Gators were shorthanded in the secondary, playing without safety Jordan Castell and cornerback Cormani McClain. Standout cornerback Devin Moore injured his right shoulder on Mississippi State's opening drive and spent the rest of the afternoon in a sling on the sideline.

The mounting injuries — the team was already without cornerbacks Dijon Johnson and Aaron Gates — left the Gators with significant inexperience in the back end. Redshirt freshman Jamroc Grimsley and walk-on safety Alfonzo Allen Jr. made their first career starts, and freshman cornerback Ben Hanks III played for the first time this season.

The takeaway Mississippi State: The Bulldogs kept it close throughout and potentially should have had more points. Kyle Ferrie missed a 41-yard field goal wide right in the second quarter, but replays appeared to show the ball going over the upright.

Florida: If the Gators fire Napier, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin should be a top target. The short list also should include Louisville's Jeff Brohm, Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz and Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman. There's little chance Florida would go outside a sitting Power Four coach.

Up next Mississippi State hosts No. 21 Texas next Saturday, the Longhorns' first trip to Starkville since 1991.

Florida gets a week off, potentially with an interim coach, before facing No. 9 Georgia in Jacksonville.