No. 4 Ole Miss has spent September taking on ranked opponents, and the Rebels get one more test Saturday when they travel to Gainesville to face No. 21 Florida in a matchup of unbeaten teams.
Ole Miss opened with a win over then-No. 24 Louisville, then followed it up by beating No.
7 LSU 32-24 last week. That latest win pushed the Rebels to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the SEC, but head coach Pete Golding made it clear the mood inside the program has already shifted to the next challenge.
"Going into Week 4 based on the schedule we've had and we don't have a loss, we feel decent about it." Golding said.
"Are we where we want to be? No.
What does that ever even look like? I don't know where that comfort zone is."
Golding said the film from Florida immediately reinforced how little room Ole Miss has for satisfaction.
"I realized, 'Here we go again,'" Golding said. "We're pretty used to that now. You're playing really good competition, but in this league that's expected week in and week out.
"We did some really good things and beat a good football team (last week), but that was just the first SEC game we played. Now we're going on the road against a Top 25 team and a really, really good football team. I think (the players) understand that."
Trinidad Chambliss was central to the win over LSU, throwing for 363 yards and two touchdowns while also running for a score. That performance further strengthened his case as one of the top Heisman Trophy candidates.
Ole Miss may also be monitoring the status of Kewan Lacy, who exited the LSU game with a shoulder injury after rushing for 43 yards and a touchdown. Golding said the issue was not as serious as first feared and that Lacy might be available against Florida.
The trip to Gainesville will be the Rebels’ first road game against their opponent this season.
Florida enters at 3-0 for the first time in seven years after outlasting Auburn 44-39 last week in Jon Sumrall’s first SEC game as the Gators’ head coach. Sumrall was quick to praise Chambliss, calling him "as good a college football player I've ever seen with my own two eyes."
Still, Florida knows the path to slowing Ole Miss starts with controlling the ball. Running back Jaden Baugh is tied for the national lead with eight rushing touchdowns and ranks second nationally with 152.7 rushing yards per game.
Even with that production, Sumrall said Florida is about to find out where it really stands.
"If we play like we did last week or any of the weeks so far this year, we will not win Saturday. No chance," he said.
"The type of teams that win are tough, they're urgent, they're disciplined and they're detailed. The type of teams that don't (win), they're complacent, they're soft, they lack urgency."
Florida also has its own list of issues to clean up after the Auburn win. The Gators allowed 39 points, gave up 22 first downs and were penalized 16 times for 138 yards.
"As we move on to this opponent this week, the margin for error for us is so much smaller," Sumrall said.
In Other News...
Florida Ole Miss Just Got Even Bigger In Gainesville
Gainesville is getting the full national spotlight before Ole Miss visits in Week 4, with SEC Network announcing that SEC Nation will broadcast live from campus on Saturday morning. The pregame show starts at 9 a.m. ET and will feature Tim Tebow along with the rest of the crew, setting the stage for a marquee SEC matchup that has already drawn plenty of attention.
The timing only adds to the buzz around a game that pits No. 4 Ole Miss against No. 21 Florida in the late afternoon window on ABC. For the Gators, the visit from SEC Nation is another sign that this one has the feel of a bigger moment than a typical conference game, with the buildup stretching well beyond kickoff at 3:30 p.m. ET. [Read more 🡒]
Kahleil Jackson Earned A Florida Moment Fans Wont Forget
Kahleil Jackson delivered one of those flash-point moments Florida fans will remember from the Auburn game, when the wide receiver stepped into a trick-play role and uncorked a 48-yard pass to tight end Amir Jackson. The play helped set up a field goal and had been in the playbook for two weeks before Florida finally found the right look to call it, with the defenses alignment giving the Gators the opening they wanted.
For Jackson, the moment carried extra weight because it came after a long stretch of recovery from previous injuries, and Florida coach Jon Sumrall also pointed to the play as a reflection of how the staff and players had prepared for the opportunity. It was the kind of sequence that can change the feel of a game in a hurry, and it added another layer to a season already marked by Jackson trying to get back to form and back into the spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Still Faces One Real Danger In This Calmer Ole Miss Week
The buildup to Floridas meeting with Ole Miss feels a little different this time around. After a year that brought plenty of noise around coaching changes and a much sharper edge between fan bases, the conversation has settled into something closer to a normal game-week hum. There is still history here, and there is still plenty for both sides to care about, but the social media temperature has cooled enough that the Gators can approach this one with less off-field static than they faced a season ago.
Even so, calm does not mean safe. Florida is the favorite, and that alone is enough to make this the kind of matchup that can turn tricky if the Gators are not locked in from the opening kickoff. Ole Miss has the profile of a trap game opponent, especially in a conference schedule where one flat stretch can change the feel of a season, and Floridas real concern is not the chatter around the matchup so much as what happens if the focus slips once the game starts. [Read more 🡒]