Florida stunned No.9 Ole Miss in Gainesville, defeating the Rebels 24-17 behind a bend but don’t break defense on Saturday afternoon. The Gators allowed just three points after halftime, sealing the victory with back-to-back interceptions from sophomore safety Bryce Thornton.
The victory marks the first time Billy Napier’s Gators have won back-to-back games vs ranked opponents and their second win over a top 10 opponent since 2022. Florida (6-5, 4-4 SEC) is now bowl eligible on the 2024 season and played spoiler to Ole Miss, who suffered their third loss of the season and is likely eliminated from the College Football Playoff conversation.
The Gators held Ole Miss to 3 of 14 on third downs, a significant improvement after allowing 13 third down conversions to LSU last week. Redshirt junior defensive lineman Caleb Banks was a large part of Florida’s success in this area. The 6’6, 325 pounder dominated the Rebels offensive line, getting significant push into the backfield and disrupting what seemed like every play. Banks had 2.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, one QB hurry, and one pass deflection.
As a unit, Florida’s defense had four sacks and nine tackles for loss vs Ole Miss. Over the last two weeks, the Gators’ have combined for 11 sacks and 20 tackles for loss.
One of the biggest keys to beating a team as a heavy underdog is winning the turnover battle. The Gators won the turnover battle 3-1 behind a pair of Jaxson Dart interceptions and a muffed punt from Ole Miss’s special teams unit. Florida also stopped the Rebels twice on 4th down by winning short yardage situations, an area Ole Miss has been highly effective in this season.
The other main factor was the red zone offenses, where Florida was a perfect 2-2 and Ole Miss was 0-3.
DJ Lagway and Florida’s offense found just enough explosive plays to win the game and was able to run the ball effectively at times against one of the best defensive fronts in college football. Lagway completed 10 of 17 passes for 180 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He was able to buy time in the pocket often vs Ole Miss before miraculously finding open receivers when it seemed like the play was doomed.
Senior running back Montrell Johnson ran for 107 yards on 18 attempts, including a nine yard touchdown run out of the wildcat formation to give the Gators a 24-17 lead with 7:40 left to play.
Florida will take on in-state rival Florida State next week in the final game of the 2024 season.