No. 9 Ole Miss will not be competing for a national championship this season, barring an unforeseen miracle, after the Rebels dropped a must-win road contest against a Florida team hitting its stride.
In an affair that was eerily reminiscent of Ole Miss’ 29-26 loss at LSU just over one month ago, the Rebels punished themselves multiple times in Florida territory. With two turnovers on downs and one missed 34-yard field goal, Ole Miss never capitalized on three red zone attempts. Florida, on the other hand, was perfect when in the red zone.
Ole Miss also struggled on third down, moving the chains just three times on 14 attempts. Lane Kiffin leaned heavily on his jumbo package on fourth and short, but was only successful on half of the four late-down opportunities. A muffed punt on Florida’s side of the field was the icing on top of the poisonous cake Ole Miss was served on Saturday.
Jaxson Dart had a strong first half, tossing for two touchdowns, but gave the ball away twice in the waning minutes of the ballgame, cementing a 24-17 win for the Gators. Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3 SEC) was largely ineffective on the ground in the matchup, while Florida (6-5, 4-4 SEC) leaned on a balanced attack, emphasizing its rushing game.
The Rebels found success in the air early with standout wide receiver Tre Harris back in action for the first time in three games. Harris logged one of Ole Miss’ two first-half scores before suffering an injury that would sideline him the rest of the day.
Going into the battle between the conference foes, Ole Miss was surrendering an average of 80 rushing yards per game. Florida more than doubled that, mounting 184 yards on the ground. Talented freshman Gator quarterback DJ Lagway shined in the air, throwing for 180 yards, two scores, and one interception.
Florida’s defense took advantage of a handicapped Rebel ground game. Starting Ole Miss running back Henry Parrish, Jr. remained out after getting hurt at Arkansas two games ago. Kiffin looked to return specialist and wide receiver Micah Davis to be the primary ball carrier. Davis was handed the ball 11 times and only gained 27 yards. Dart was Ole Miss’ leading rusher with 71 yards.
Though Pete Golding’s defense bent, and broke at times, it was the offense’s inability to put points on the board in the red zone that put Ole Miss on the outside looking in (from a hefty distance) for playoff contention. Though the Rebels outgained the Gators by 120 yards, multiple fruitless drives and a pair of late-game turnovers placed Ole Miss on the wrong end of the scoreboard when the clock struck 0:00.
After drawing a favorable ranking this past Tuesday, Ole Miss will undoubtedly drop out of the top 10 and the field of 12 teams expected to vie for a title. The Rebels had earned the favor of the playoff selection committee after a dominant win over then-No. 3 Georgia two weekends ago, despite two early losses, but Saturday’s shortcoming essentially hammered the nail in the coffin for Ole Miss.
Florida was once a job Rebel fans feared Kiffin would take earlier in the year when things were not going the Gators’ way. Now, the tide has certainly turned. Gator frontman Billy Napier has been assured at least one more season in Gainesville and appears to be turning his team around at the right time. Saturday’s victory made Florida bowl eligible.
Ole Miss, following a 2023 blowout loss at Georgia, went all in on acquiring enough talent to compete with the top programs in college football in pursuit of Kiffin’s first national championship. Though talent was never the issue this season, the Rebel’s efforts in the transfer portal and high school recruiting may ultimately prove to be futile this campaign.
Nonetheless, Ole Miss Athletics Director Keith Carter has assured Rebel fans that the structure of the Grove Collective, the Rebels-exclusive name, image, and likeness program, is set up in a manner to allow the football team to be a title contender in future campaigns.
Scoring summary
Both teams were scoreless in the first 15 minutes. Florida struck first blood at the start of the second quarter when Lagway hit Elijhah Badger in the end zone on third and eight. That score followed Rebel two-way player JJ Pegues being stuffed on fourth and one with Dart as his lead blocker.
Ole Miss followed up Florida’s score with a touchdown of its own. Pegues converted on fourth down this time around, setting up Dart to find Harris for a 43-yard bomb, knotting things up at 7-7.
Fortune started to swing in Ole Miss’ favor when Rebel safety John Saunders, Jr. made an acrobatic play to pick off a Lagway pass near midfield. Dart and company capitalized on the error with Cayden Lee hauling a 22-yard touchdown. Ole Miss led 14-7 with 9:05 left in the first half.
A few Florida chunk plays and a costly facemask by Rebel defensive back Jadon Canady later, the Gators were within reach of the end zone. Lagway connected with Jadan Baugh for a 25-yard touchdown, tying things up. Ole Miss had a chance to take another lead, but Caden Davis missed a 34-yard chip shot.
The score remained 14-14 at halftime.
After the intermission, Ole Miss’ defense, which had struggled to stop Florida’s run game in the first 30 minutes, made its presence known, forcing a punt on the Gators’ first drive. Unfortunately for Kiffin’s squad, Davis muffed the punt, putting Florida’s offense on Ole Miss’ side of the field.
Though the defense stood tall after the miscue, the field position was good enough for Napier to send his kicker onto the field. Trey Smack was money from 53 yards out to give the Gators a 17-14 advantage.
Ole Miss then led a fruitless drive that was shortened in the red zone when Pegues was stuffed again. Florida was unable to take advantage of the error and had to punt on its next drive. The Rebels moved the ball down the field, setting Davis up for a shot at redemption. The senior connected from 42 yards out to tie things up 17-17 with a little over four minutes left in the third quarter.
Florida’s chances of spoiling Ole Miss’ playoff odds came closer to becoming a reality when running back Montrell Johnson, Jr. scored a nine-yard touchdown. That would be the final time a team reached the scoreboard in the contest.
Dart, with two game-saving chances in his hands, threw a pair of unaffordable interceptions — marking the first time he gave the ball away twice in a single game all season.
Stat leaders
- Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart: 24-41, 323 passing yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and 71 rushing yards
- Ole Miss wide receiver Cayden Lee: Six receptions, 94 yards, and one touchdown
- Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen: Eight tackles, three of which were for a loss, one sack, and one pass breakup
- Florida quarterback DJ Lagway: 10-17, 180 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception
- Florida running back Montrell Johnson, Jr.: 18 carries, 107 yards, and one touchdown
- Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks: Four tackles, 3.5 of which were for a loss, 2.5 sacks, one pass breakup, and one quarterback hurry
What’s next
Ole Miss will return home to take on Mississippi State in the annual Egg Bowl. The Rebels hold a 65–46–6 all-time record in the heated rivalry. The game will take place on Black Friday at 2:30 p.m. CT. ABC will be televising the contest and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations will be airing it on the radio.
