Florida didn’t just beat No. 4 Ole Miss on Saturday. The Gators buried the Rebels under a full-blown offensive avalanche, rolling to a 52-28 win that should send their No. 21 ranking climbing when the AP poll comes out Sunday afternoon.
The headline belongs to Jadan Baugh, and it’s getting harder to describe his season without reaching for superlatives. The running back powered Florida with 29 carries for 142 yards and three touchdowns, adding another huge chapter to what’s already been an eye-catching 2026 run. With that performance, Baugh became just the third Florida back to post five straight 100-yard games, joining Emmitt Smith and Fred Taylor.
Florida’s ground game had plenty of help, too. Duke Clark turned in a big day of his own, ripping off 126 yards on 12 carries and finishing off a 45-yard touchdown run early in the second half. As a group, the Gators piled up 302 rushing yards against a Rebels defense that had looked plenty capable before Saturday.
The passing game did its part as well. Aaron Philo, the Georgia Tech transfer, stayed clean and efficient, going 16 of 23 for 196 yards and a touchdown without a turnover. He also added 6 carries for 14 yards and a rushing score, giving Florida another layer Ole Miss couldn’t handle.
What makes Philo’s line stand out even more is how spread out the production was. None of Florida’s receivers topped 40 yards, yet Philo still found eight different targets on his 16 completions. Eric Singleton led the group with one catch for 38 yards, and the Gators kept the ball moving in a way that made Buster Faulkner’s offense tough to pin down.
Florida now heads to Mizzou for a matchup with Austin Simmons and the Tigers.
In Other News...
Mississippi State Has Earned A Ranking Debate Fans Wont Ignore
Mississippi States fast start has turned what looked like a solid opening month into a real ranking conversation. The Bulldogs are 4-0 and already 2-0 in SEC play, with a win over No. 25 Missouri helping push them up to No. 16 in the AP Poll, and sophomore quarterback Kamario Taylor has been one of the biggest reasons for the surge. Taylor has thrown for 1,192 yards and 14 touchdowns, tying for the national lead in passing scores and giving Mississippi State the kind of offensive punch that can make voters take notice.
The debate now is whether the Bulldogs have done enough to climb higher despite the company they still have to keep in the schedule. Teams ahead of them have stumbled, which only sharpens the argument around Mississippi States place in the poll, but the next stretch will say plenty about how serious this start really is. No. 7 Alabama is looming, and LSU is not far behind, leaving the Bulldogs with a chance to turn an early ranking into something much more difficult to dismiss. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Has A Heisman Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The late-September Heisman conversation had a few familiar faces in it, but Ole Miss had its own reason to pay attention. Across the weekend, standout performances from quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers around the country kept the race crowded, with individual game breakthroughs and efficient stat lines nudging certain players into the spotlight as the season starts to settle into its next stretch.
For Rebels fans, the issue is less about the national debate itself and more about what it says about where Ole Miss fits in that race. The review of the weekend's biggest efforts, along with a look ahead to upcoming matchups for some of those players, underscores how quickly the conversation can shift once October football gets rolling. Ole Miss can still make noise, but the path to having a true Heisman contender is starting to feel like a problem fans can't ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Trinidad Chambliss Gives Ole Miss Hope Despite One Ugly Warning Sign
Ole Miss left the loss to Florida with a sharp reminder of how quickly a game can get away from it when the defense cannot slow the run. The Gators piled up more than 300 rushing yards, turning the afternoon into a long one for the Rebels and exposing a problem that will need fixing if this team wants to hold up in SEC play.
Trinidad Chambliss still gave Ole Miss a reason to keep looking forward, though, because the quarterback handled a heavy load and produced one of the better individual outings of the day. He completed 25 of 34 passes for 298 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and added 44 rushing yards with two scores, giving the Rebels a clear offensive centerpiece even in a loss that raised more questions than answers. [Read more 🡒]