History in Oxford on Gators' Side Against Ole Miss

The Florida Gators travel to Ole Miss for Week 12 of the college football season. They face an uphill battle against the Rebels, as the hosts are firmly in the mix for a college football playoff spot and have been a force to be reckoned with on the field this season.

"It's really good," interim head coach Billy Gonzales said of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium's atmosphere. "Obviously, they talk about their atmosphere. I've never had a chance to really see the atmosphere, outside, on game day. So they say it's a unique place. But every SEC opponent, it's a hard place to play. It's challenging whenever you go on the road. They've all got their traditions. It's a tough place. Again, they've not lost the game (this season). It's a very tough place."

However, the shorter but detailed history between Ole Miss and Florida in Vaught Hemingway Stadium favors the Gators, giving them a fighting chance in the contest.

Florida is 6-2 all-time in Oxford. They have averaged 23.4 points per game in the eight games compared to 15 points per game for Ole Miss. The Gators also shut out the Rebels in the meetings in 1965 and 1972.

The only losses to the Rebels in their home stadium occurred during the 1935 and 2002 seasons. The Gators lost 17-14 in 2002 and 27-6 in 1935.

Despite losing these two, Florida has been more successful in recent times. They are the winners of the last two and held a four-game winning streak from 1965 to 1994.

In the 2020 season, the most recent contest, the Gators dominated the Rebels, 51-35. Involved in this game were Kyle Trask, Kadarius Toney, Dameon Pierce and Kyle Pitts, all of whom moved on to the NFL.

Trask and Pitts made their presences known, as well. Trask was 30-for-42 for 416 yards and six touchdowns against the Rebels, while Pitts was responsible for 170 receiving yards and four touchdowns on eight catches. Pitts also had the longest touchdown of the day by any player, hauling in a 71-yard touchdown from Trask in the third quarter.

"We checked it and they were they we knew they were gonna blitz, and we had the alert. So Kyle Trask checked the play. We picked it up, and Kyle ran up what we call an over route and ran away," Gonzales, then in his second stint at Florida, recalled. "Tre Grimes had a touchdown on the far right. Kyle Pitts had another great catch, coming to the far left and a one-handed kind of catch, over the top. Kadarius Toney had a catch on us, like a slant coming over the top on another one."

WHO REMEMBERS KYLE PITTS AGAINST OLE MISS 👀👀🐊 pic.twitter.com/G6syPrqMZP
— GATORCHOMP🇺🇲🐊 (@GatorChompXX) November 23, 2024

Florida never trailed in this game from start to finish. The offense also produced 10 or more points in every quarter.

Another interesting detail from this day is that it was Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin’s first game as the head coach in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

The Gators won the one before this, too, in the 2007 season.

It was a game that the Gators dominated from the first quarter to the third. They built up a 27-9 advantage by the 5:17 mark of the third and were looking to run away with it.

"I remember specifically Louis Murphy's scored a touchdown, did the Gator Chomp - and he got a penalty for him. So, yeah, I remember that one," Gonzales, then in his first stint with the program, said. "I remember Percy (Harvin) ran a screen. He hit a screen coming up on the righthand side, took it up to hash and scored a touchdown as well.

Florida Gators wide receiver (1) Percy Harvin had a touchdown in the 30-24 win in 2007. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

However, over the final five minutes of the quarter, Ole Miss scored two touchdowns to make it 27-24 heading into the final quarter.

Fortunately for Florida, its defense closed the game out by allowing zero points. Florida would also add a field goal with 4:59 remaining to make the final score 30-24.

Kickoff for Saturday’s game is set for 7 p.m., with it being broadcast on ESPN.

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