The Gators are rolling into another big one, but the road ahead is already looking crowded with teams that showed plenty in Week Three.
Florida is 3-0 and 1-0 in the SEC after knocking off Auburn 44-39 at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday. Now the No.
21 Gators head back to the Swamp for their first top-25 matchup of the season against No. 4 Ole Miss, and the Rebels are coming in with real momentum.
Ole Miss spent Saturday defending its home field against former head coach Lane Kiffin and No. 10 LSU, and it had to survive a serious push.
The Rebels opened fast, scoring on four straight possessions to build a 24-7 lead. LSU answered with 17 straight points to pull even at 24 early in the fourth quarter, but Trinidad Chambliss settled things down for Ole Miss.
The starting quarterback drove the Rebels on the winning march and finished it himself with a 14-yard rushing touchdown with six minutes left. LSU still had a chance to tie it late, but Sam Leavitt threw an interception in the end zone inside the final minute.
Missouri kept its perfect start intact, but it had to work for it. Troy jumped ahead 10-0 by the end of the first quarter before the Tigers answered with 24 points to take control.
Troy trimmed the margin in the second half and made it uncomfortable for a while, but Missouri closed it out with a late field goal and escaped 27-17. The numbers weren’t especially clean for the Tigers, either - Missouri finished with 230 yards while Troy piled up 323.
South Carolina also spent the afternoon fighting uphill. The Gamecocks scored the game’s first 16 points and carried a 23-14 lead into halftime, only to watch Mississippi State seize control with a 27-0 run that stretched into the fourth quarter.
South Carolina made things tighter late, but the comeback window closed before it could get all the way back. The Gamecocks did produce 400 yards and 30 points, but it still wasn’t enough to offset the second-half collapse.
Texas didn’t get a flashy day from Arch Manning through the air, but the Longhorns found plenty of answers on the ground against UTSA. Manning went 16-for-32 for 161 passing yards and two touchdowns, while four different players ran for at least 40 yards. Transfer back Hollywood Smothers led that group with 54 yards.
Georgia opened SEC play with Arkansas and never really let the Razorbacks breathe. The Bulldogs rolled to their first conference win behind a balanced attack, gaining 254 yards on the ground and 210 through the air.
Gunner Stockton threw for 147 yards and a touchdown while also leading Georgia with 97 rushing yards. On the other side, the Bulldogs’ defense smothered Arkansas, holding the Razorbacks to 17 rushing yards on 20 carries, while adding one forced fumble and three sacks.
Oklahoma’s final non-conference game before SEC play was more grind than show. The Sooners managed only 14 points against New Mexico, even though John Mateer threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns.
He also tossed two interceptions. The defense carried its weight, though, limiting New Mexico to six points, 116 passing yards, 69 rushing yards and 3-for-14 on third down.
Kentucky picked up what Will Stein can call his first signature win with the Wildcats. After the loss to Alabama the week before, Kentucky went into College Station and powered past Texas A&M.
The offense put up 408 yards, with Kenny Minchey completing 14 of 18 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns, while CJ Baxter ran for 87 yards and two scores. The defense did its part too, stopping Texas A&M on three of six fourth-down tries and coming away with two interceptions.
Vanderbilt got the kind of break teams dream about and opponents hate. As the Commodores’ head coach said after the win, they “cheated the football gods.”
NC State was seconds from an upset, but CJ Bailey fumbled in his own end zone while trying to run out the clock and take a safety as time expired. Vanderbilt jumped on the loose ball and stole the victory.
Freshman quarterback Jared Curtis had a rough first half before settling in after the break, finishing with 277 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, plus a team-high 64 rushing yards.
Florida State gave Alabama an early scare in Tuscaloosa. The Seminoles jumped out to a 21-6 lead in the second quarter, but rain delays and sloppy execution let Alabama claw back.
By halftime, the Crimson Tide were up 26-21 and never gave the lead away. Florida State got within one score with 7:27 left, but couldn’t get the stop it needed.
Wide receiver Duce Robinson was a bright spot for the Seminoles, finishing with six catches for 135 yards and a touchdown.
In Other News...
Jon Sumrall Just Turned Up The Pressure On The Swamp
Jon Sumralls latest comments have added a little extra edge to Floridas next home date, and not just because of what he said about the Gators crowd against FAU. Sumrall drew a sharp comparison between that atmosphere and the one he recently saw at Auburns Jordan-Hare Stadium, and he made it clear he is expecting even more from The Swamp when Florida hosts Ole Miss. For a program that treats home-field energy as part of its identity, that kind of outside praise can land as both a compliment and a challenge.
The timing also gives the remarks more bite, since Sumrall has already been a familiar name in Auburn conversation and his coaching choices have been tracked closely. Even without a direct Florida-Auburn angle on the field, comments like these tend to travel quickly around the SEC, especially when they touch on stadium environment and fan impact. The next Ole Miss game now carries an added layer: not just a conference matchup, but a chance for Floridas crowd to answer a pointed comparison. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Breakout RB Gives Ole Miss A Much Bigger Problem
Jadan Baugh has become the kind of early-season force that changes how an offense is defended, and Florida has been leaning on it from the start. The breakout back leads the nation in rushing touchdowns and sits second in rushing yards, a surge built on three straight 100-yard games and a steady role in an offense that has topped 42 points in each of its first three outings.
For Jon Sumrall, the bigger development has been the way Baugh is finishing runs and making faster decisions once he gets the ball. The coach has even backed the running backs Heisman pose celebration, a sign of how central Baugh has become to Floridas identity, and why Ole Miss is staring at a much tougher problem than it might have expected when it starts planning for the Gators. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Spurrier Just Weighed In On A Texas Game Gators Fans Know Well
Steve Spurrier doesnt often need much convincing to share a football opinion, and his latest one will perk up Florida fans who still remember how often he had Tennessees number. The former Gators star and coach weighed in on the upcoming Texas-Tennessee matchup by backing the Volunteers, pointing to Tennessees past win over Texas and the edge of playing at home.
For Florida supporters, the timing and the source make it especially notable. Spurriers long history with Tennessee gives his endorsement of the Volunteers a familiar edge, and his personal ties to the state only add to the intrigue, even if the bigger question is whether Texas can shake off the kind of matchup that has tripped up plenty of teams before. [Read more 🡒]