Thumbs up, thumbs down

- Thumbs up: Florida quarterback Tim Tebow left Starkville with four interceptions on the season, twice as many as when he arrived.

True freshman Johnthan Banks had them both, and returned both for touchdowns. His 100-yard runback near the end of the first half electrified the record crowd of 57,178 at Davis Wade Stadium.

Banks has four picks on the season, tying him for most in the SEC.

- Thumbs down: The turnover bug returned, with MSU quarterback Tyson Lee throwing three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. There was also a blocked punt and a failed fake punt attempt deep in its own territory.

The Bulldogs have committed 21 turnovers this season, most in the SEC.

Keys to victory

- Reviewing the 3 keys to the game listed in Saturday’s GameDay edition:

Pressure Tebow: MSU did a pretty good job of making Tebow move around, picking him off twice thanks to pressure from the defensive line. State had three sacks and three QB hurries, and Tebow completed just 12 of 22 passes for 127 yards.

Beat your man: Florida’s secondary plays tough one-on-one coverage, and it kept MSU’s receivers in check. The Bulldogs did have a 54-yard pass to running back Christian Ducré on a screen, but otherwise, MSU’s longest reception was 13 yards.

Spread it around: With tailback Anthony Dixon kept under wraps – 53 yards on 15 carries – the State offense needed others to step up. Even though seven different players caught passes, MSU couldn’t put it in the end zone on offense.

MVP

- Johnthan Banks had two interceptions the previous game, at Middle Tennessee State, and has been a godsend for a secondary that has been exploited by most every offense it’s faced. He’s made three starts in place of the injured Zach Smith.

Next up

- The Bulldogs travel to Kentucky on Saturday for a 6 p.m. kickoff. The game will be seen on Fox Sports South.

Bottom line

- Moral victories don’t count in the standings, but they count for something. First-year coach Dan Mullen has made clear progress with the Bulldogs, and taking the defending national champions into the fourth quarter should be a sign of better things to come.