Ole Miss on upset alert: Florida leads Rebels at the half
By David Wasson
Published:
No. 7 Ole Miss needs a strong second half if it wants to avoid a major Week 12 upset, as the Rebels hit halftime trailing the Florida Gators 24-20 in Oxford.
Ole Miss (9-1 overall, 5-1 SEC) is in a similar situation as last season – on the verge of locking up a College Football Playoff berth and facing a struggling Gators team. In 2024, Florida stunned the then-No. 9 Rebels 24-17 in Gainesville to knock them out of CFP contention.
Ole Miss has outgained Florida 291-223 in the first half, but the Rebels have turned the ball over once. Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is 15-of-18 for 177 yards and 1 touchdown but threw an interception that led to a Florida touchdown. Florida’s defense has also sacked Chambliss 3 times in the game’s first 30 minutes.
Florida quarterback DJ Lagway, who was benched last week against Kentucky, is 9-of-17 for 155 yards and a touchdown. Both Lagway and Gators running backs Jaden Baugh also have rushing touchdowns in the game so far.
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin has been rumored as a top target for the open Florida coaching job, which became available when Billy Napier was fired Oct. 19. Florida assistant coach Billy Gonzales has been coaching the Gators on an interim basis, and is 0-2 in that role.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
