Florida vs. Ole Miss score, takeaways: Gators stay hot, reach bowl eligibility by upsetting No. 9 Ole Miss

By OnlyGators.com Staff
November 23, 2024
Florida vs. Ole Miss score, takeaways: Gators stay hot, reach bowl eligibility by upsetting No. 9 Ole Miss
Football
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Image Credit: Lorenzo Vasquez, UAA

Just over an hour before kickoff, Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier left a football inches away from hitting a crossbar with a chance to win $1 million for charity. As the sun began to fade inside The Swamp late Saturday afternoon, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was left 48 yards away from the College Football Playoff.

Kiffin, who needled Napier after he barely missed a 35-yard throw live on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” found himself on the wrong end of a 24-17 result, Florida’s second consecutive win over a top 25 opponent, achieved by UF for the first time since 2018. The Gators trailed for less than 3 minutes on Saturday as they reached bowl eligibility at 6-5 (4-4 SEC) and now sit in position to maintain significant, program-wide momentum for the first time in Napier’s three-year tenure.

Starting the season 0-5 against ranked opponents having lost nine straight games against top 25 teams dating back to the middle of the 2023 campaign, Florida has not only defeated LSU and Ole Miss in succession but done so in relatively thorough fashion. The defense is playing better than it has at any time under Napier, and freshman quarterback DJ Lagway has been a revelation despite being limited with a hamstring injury in the last two victories.

Lagway completed 10 of 17 passes for 180 yards with two first-half touchdowns, and while he did give up a tip-drill interception off an unadvisable side-arm throw, it was an easy-to-forget miscue given some of his incredible third-down conversions. He also delivered a massive throw on the first play of the go-ahead touchdown drive, which senior running back Montrell Johnson Jr. completed with a tough 9-yard run on a direct snap in the red zone.

Johnson, playing his first full game off an injury that kept him sidelined for five weeks, notched season-highs in carries (18) and yards rushing (107). Freshman RB Jadan Baugh was right there with Johnson compiling 71 total yards and finding pay dirt for the third straight game. (Baugh has eight TDs in the last five contests.)

Senior wide receiver Elijhah Badger again led the way with five receptions for 87 yards and the game’s other TD. He has stepped up as Lagway’s top pass catcher in three of the last four games he played.

Back to the defense, though, which simply ate the Rebels for lunch on Saturday — particularly in the second half — while holding the visitors to 0 of 3 on red zone trips.

Florida came to play registering four sacks, nine tackles for loss, two interceptions and two additional turnovers on downs. The Gators held the Rebels silent on third down only allowing 3 of 14 conversions (21.4%) despite Ole Miss entering the game converting 43.2% of their tries on the season.

Sophomore safety Bryce Thornton twice intercepted star signal caller Jaxson Dart, projected by some to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, in the second half. His latter pick came in the waining seconds to ice the game and send The Swamp back into a frenzy for the second week in a row.

Let’s take a look at what went down on Saturday afternoon.

Vote Voice of confidence

Napier was done, gone, kaput. As if the 41-17 loss to rival Miami was not enough, struggling massively in a 33-20 loss to Texas A&M two months ago had Florida’s boss on the hottest seat in the nation with the program on the verge of undergoing its fifth coaching search in a 14-year period. The Gators were not only losers but embarrassments on the field. The only question was not if but when a change would be made.

Then Florida practiced on Wednesday, Sept. 18, and somehow, its season completely changed. Napier on Saturday recalled that session referring to it as the best he has witnessed from any team in his 20-year coaching career.

“The passion and energy, the way they worked [that first open week], I’ll never forget that,” he said.

Since returning from that first off week, the only games the Gators have lost were those in which they either saw their starting quarterback get injured or entered a contest not having a scholarship signal caller healthy enough to start. Florida is 5-0 otherwise in that span, winning those games by an average of 14.8 points.

“We’ve got a long way to go. We’ve improved,” Napier said. “… Belief is the most powerful thing in the world. At some point there midseason, we started to believe, ‘Look, we can play with any team in the country.'”

Days before the worst of those performances, a 49-17 loss to then-No. 5 Texas, Napier received a vote of confidence from athletic director Scott Stricklin that was oddly timed and heavily criticized by some even if it did make significant sense circumstantially. Despite the defeat, which came with UF missing numerous starters on both sides of the ball, Napier and his team never wavered.

“There’s something about Coach Nape, man. He’s a different guy,” Lagway said after the game. “He’s just amazing to follow and see how he leads. Through the good, the bad and the ugly, he’s going to be the same.”

That unfettered confidence in his “process” has led Napier and the Gators back from the brink. Florida has finally broken through the way the coach and fans expected at the beginning of the season. And while it’s too late to matter when it comes to playoff contention, the clear upward trajectory of the program should quiet the doubters, create momentum late in the 2025 recruiting cycle and give UF plenty of ammunition to retain players and acquire top transfers in the offseason.

Winning the Middle 8 (barely!)

Teams that control the final 4 minutes of the first half and first 4 minutes of the second half increase their chances of winning games by 8%. This has been an area in which the Gators have failed for too long, oftentimes due to Napier’s lack of aggressiveness when possessing the ball at the end of first halves.

It looked as if Florida would put together a repeat performance in that aspect of the game, and in many ways, it did. Napier ran – hoping for but not receiving a break-through explosive play – and punted at the end of the second quarter only for his defense to make a key stand. The third quarter began with the Gators’ worst offensive series of the game, but somehow, the impossible happened.

Florida lost 14 yards on seven total offensive snaps. It did not register a first down. And yet, it took a 17-14 lead on a 53-yard field goal from junior kicker Trey Smack thanks to a muffed punt recovered by special teams. Senior Jeremy Crawshaw booted a ball that scraped the sky and allowed the Gators to get in position and capitalize on the mistake.

So yes, somehow, Florida outscored Ole Miss in the Middle 8, and that 3-0 margin was enough that UF never trailed again over the duration of the contest.

What went right

  • Redshirt junior defensive tackle Caleb Banks has been playing like a man possessed. He registered 2.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup and an additional quarterback hurry while playing some of the most inspired defensive football Florida has seen from a single player in years.
  • Not to be outdone, redshirt junior EDGE Tyreak Sapp had 1.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss and a QB hurry of his own. Sapp has also stepped up significantly over the last few weeks.
  • Lagway made two third-down conversions while being tackled/hit during the team’s first touchdown drive of the game. Both were sensational.
  • Thornton had a game-high 14 tackles (5 solo) along with his two picks. Redshirt senior Trikweze Bridges, moving over to cornerback due to substantial injury losses, had a game-high 8 solo tackles (11 total) and a pass breakup. Sophomore defensive back Sharif Denson also made a number of critical plays in the game.
  • Freshman linebacker Myles Graham made fourth-down stops in the first and third quarters — both turnovers on downs.
  • The offensive line was not as stout as it had been recently, but it did protect Lagway late and blocked quite well on Johnson and Baugh’s scoring plays. The Rebels did grab three sacks and five tackles for loss, though. Given Lagway’s lacking mobility — which should continue to improve as the hamstring heals — the unit will need to step up its game next week.
  • It is never appropriate to celebrate injuries, but in the context of “what went right” for the Gators, Saturday marked the first time all season that the opposition suffered more significantly. The Rebels lost Harris, their starting center and a starting cornerback in the game. The offense largely imploded from the former departures, which gave Florida an unfortunate but legitimate edge.
  • UF has seemingly been on the wrong side of officiating all season. Twice on Saturday, the referees righted the ship on incorrect calls — the first, reversing a called targeting on a completed catch that was neither and the second overturning a catch that was clearly incomplete. Both directly resulted in drive victories for the Gators.
  • Napier’s decision not to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Ole Miss 49 with the game tied was not wrong, but it was questionable in the moment. The defense stood its ground on one of Banks’ sacks, and Florida scored immediately on the next drive with Lagway hitting senior WR Chimere Dike on a 41-yard bomb to kick off the possession. Ultimately, Napier came through with that call.
  • The Gators went 7 of 15 on third down.

What went wrong

  • While the defense is playing better, Ole Miss again showed that Florida can be exposed on big plays down the field. The Gators have been a bit lucky of late that some opposing quarterbacks have been unable to connect with open receivers, but Dart did great work with Tre Harris until the latter got injured. One example was the Rebels converting a fourth down for 25 yards with Harris hauling in a 22-yard score in a two-play stretch that gave the visitors their lone lead of the game. This is where UF being down five starting defensive backs comes into play.
  • The Gators gained 4 total yards in the third quarter with the opposition getting home on Lagway time and again. The freshman will ultimately get better at learning when to get rid of balls and avoid taking unnecessary hits, but he was taken down more often than necessary — particularly in that frame.
  • The game should have been over earlier. On Florida’s penultimate possession of the contest, Lagway was snapping the ball far too early in the play clock. The result was Ole Miss having at least 45 seconds of extra time when they got the ball back.
  • Redshirt freshman defensive back Aaron Gates seriously injured his knee on the second play from scrimmage. He was the fifth starting Gators DB to be out of action before the first series was even over.
  • UF was outgained 344-464 giving up 24 first downs (vs. 18 achieved) but kept it much closer with time of possession (29:57-30:03) and total plays (63-77) compared to a week ago.

Odds & ends

Florida broke a series tie going up 13-12-1 all-time against Ole Miss … the Gators hosted the Rebels for the first time since 2015 having won three straight, four of five and 12 of the last 17 meetings since 1964 … Florida’s defense has forced turnovers in 10 of 11 games this season … UF under Napier improved to 14-6 at home, 11-0 when allowing 20 points or fewer, 14-6 when scoring first and 13-5 when rushing for at least 150 yards … the Gators picked up rare wins when tied or trailing at halftime (4-14) and tied or trailing after the third quarter (3-17) … Florida is now 4-14 against AP Top 25 teas under Napier, 3-9 over the last two seasons and 2-5 this year … the Gators have scored in 459 consecutive games, an NCAA record

What it means

Just like last week, a lot … potentially. Florida is now bowl-eligible, and any coach will tell you that those additional practices — and that extra game of experience — can do wonders for a young team. The Gators have also exceeded their win total and can now finish 7-5 on the season, a mark that many would have been thrilled to achieve given they entered with the toughest schedule in college football history. (Florida on Saturday played its seventh top 25 opponent, fourth in as many weeks.)

The Gators saw their momentum grow on the recruiting trail last week and need as much of that as they can get as Napier aims to flip prospects and add commitments — both from high school and out of the transfer portal — with a shorter period to change rosters than ever before coming in December.

What should not be forgotten is how much adversity this Florida team has faced — not only from its schedule but its own roster, which has been ravaged with injuries. The Gators entered with 12 players — most of them starters — out for the game (compared to just four for the Rebels). Would Florida be 9-2 with all of that talent healthy? No, probably not. Might it have been 8-3 or 7-4? Probably.

The progress has been apparent for Gators football. The goal now is continuing that momentum through the end of the regular season, the offseason recruiting process and the bowl game into the 2025 campaign.

What’s next?

Florida will wrap up the regular season playing at Florida State next Saturday at either 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The Gators have lost two straight, seven of 10 and nine of 13 to the rival Seminoles dating back to 2010 but will surely be favored in the road contest against an FSU team that sits 2-9 having only defeated one Power Four opponent, California, back on Sept. 21.

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