Jadan Baugh and Duke Clark turned Florida’s home date with No. 4 Mississippi into a demolition job, and the Gators walked out of Gainesville with a 52-28 win that pushed them to 4-0 for the first time since 2019.
Florida did it the hard way, and then some: on the ground, with attitude, and without ever letting the Rebels settle in. The Gators rolled up 302 rushing yards and six touchdowns rushing, with Baugh carrying 142 yards and three scores and Clark adding 126 yards and a touchdown of his own.
The script was set almost immediately. Florida grabbed a 10-0 lead before Heisman Trophy front-runner Trinidad Chambliss had even attempted a pass, and the Gators never gave the fourth-ranked Rebels much of a foothold. They scored touchdowns on five straight possessions in the second half and kept the pressure on until the game turned into a runaway.
Baugh kept doing what he has been doing all season, becoming the third player in school history to post 100-yard rushing games in five straight contests. He joined Emmitt Smith (1987, ’88) and Fred Taylor (1997) in that club.
Between the tackles, he kept finding room. When Clark came in, the pace didn’t change.
Clark’s 45-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter was the knockout shot. He made Antonio Kite miss, then slipped past former Florida safety Sharif Denson on the way to the end zone.
Mississippi briefly tried to swing the momentum. Chambliss and the Rebels put up 11 points in a three-minute stretch that crossed the second and third quarters, trimming Florida’s edge to 17-14. But London Montgomery answered with a 74-yard kickoff return that set up Clark’s burst, and Florida seized control again almost instantly.
The Rebels never looked comfortable. On their first possession, while trailing 7-0, Chambliss handed off four straight times to backup JT Lindsey, and Lindsey then came up short on a fourth-and-1, handing Florida prime field position.
Chambliss was also dealing with a left thigh injury suffered on Mississippi’s second series. He came back into the game and was seen using the exercise bike between drives. Even with the injury, he finished with 298 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception, plus 44 rushing yards and two scores on seven carries.
Mississippi was also missing Kewan Lacy, the running back who tore through Florida for 224 yards and three touchdowns last year in Oxford. With Lacy sidelined by a shoulder injury, Lindsey started and managed 31 yards on 11 carries.
For Florida, this was the kind of night Jon Sumrall has been talking about for months. He spent the last nine months calling his team a “sleeping giant” and saying it was time to “wake the beast.” After a road win at Auburn last week, the Gators followed it by knocking off a top-five opponent, something they had not done in 12 straight tries.
Florida now heads to No. 19 Missouri next Saturday.
Mississippi gets a week off before traveling to Vanderbilt on Oct. 10.
In Other News...
Florida May Have Made A Huge Impression On Elite WR Target
Easton Royals trip to Gainesville came at a good time for Florida, and the No. 1 thing the Gators could show him was the kind of offense that can sell itself. The five-star wide receiver was on campus for Floridas game against Ole Miss, a 52-28 win that gave him a front-row look at an attack that is putting up points and, just as importantly for a receiver, helping its quarterback develop.
Royal has already been committed to Texas, but he is still weighing his options with the Early Signing Period approaching, and Florida clearly left an impression. His interest in the Gators appears tied to the kind of production and quarterback growth he saw in person, with LSU also staying in the mix as the chase for one of the nations top pass catchers continues. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Heads Into Missouri With Undefeated Start Suddenly Under Pressure
Floridas undefeated start has earned it a spot among the early national talking points, but the mood around the program changes a little as it heads to No. 25 Missouri for an Oct. 3 matchup at Faurot Field. The No. 8 Gators are 4-0 after a 52-28 win over Ole Miss, a result that kept them rolling and added another layer of confidence to a schedule that now starts to sharpen.
Jon Sumralls injury updates offered a reminder that even a strong start comes with moving parts, especially this time of year when depth and availability can shape a road game as much as rankings do. Florida has already banked a few encouraging results, and the next stretch will tell a lot about whether this opening run is the beginning of something bigger or just a fast start that still has plenty to prove. [Read more 🡒]
Trinidad Chambliss Had Fans Talking After This Classy Postgame Moment
After Floridas 52-28 win over Ole Miss, one of the nights most talked-about moments came long after the final whistle. Trinidad Chambliss, who put together a strong outing of his own with 298 passing yards and three total touchdowns, stayed on the field and waited respectfully while Florida coach Jon Sumrall finished a live postgame interview before stepping in to offer a handshake and congratulations.
It was a small gesture, but the kind that tends to travel fast because it says something about a players presence beyond the box score. Ole Miss is 3-1 and heading into a bye week before turning its attention to Vanderbilt, and Chambliss has already drawn praise from coach Pete Golding for his leadership and character, which only made the postgame scene resonate even more with fans watching closely. [Read more 🡒]