Instant Recap: Baugh, Clark Each Rush for 100 as No. 21 Florida Downs No. 4 Ole Miss

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Behind 100-yard efforts from running backs Jadan Baugh and Duke Clark, the No. 21 Florida Gators knocked off No. 4 Ole Miss, 52-28, to give the team its first 4-0 start since 2019.

The win marked Florida's first win over a top-five opponent since 2015, while giving head coach Jon Sumrall his first ranked win as the Gators' head coach. More importantly, it puts the Gators firmly in the early conversation for the College Football Playoff.

Florida recorded 302 yards and six scores on the ground with Baugh's142 yards and three touchdowns. Scores from Clark, Aaron Philo and Dallas Wilson kept the Gators ahead by double digits in the second half.

Baugh didn't stop 🤙 pic.twitter.com/ZWNdE5EyKH
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) September 26, 2026

Baugh's first score, a four-yard rush on the game's first drive, plus a 49-yard field goal by Patrick Durkin gave the Gators a 10-0 lead early in the first quarter. Baugh added a two-yard rush late in the second quarter to make it 17-3.

Baugh's efforts marked his fifth straight 100-yard, multi-touchdown game dating back to last season. He is now up to 600 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns just four games into his junior season.

Clark, meanwhile, finished with a career-high 126 yards. A 44-yard rush midway through the fourth quarter, which put him above the 100-yard mark, set up a five-yard touchdown pass from Philo to tight end Amir Jackson. Philo finished with 196 yards passing and has a touchdown pass in every game.

Baugh and Clark became Florida's first 100-yard duo in a single game since Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson Jr. in 2022.

Duke with the juke...and six 🕹️ pic.twitter.com/ikHU2mSNjT
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) September 26, 2026

While Florida's defense was dominant in the first half, holding the Rebels to just a pair of field goals on just 148 yards of total offense, breaks in coverage and penalties hurt early in the second half. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss led drives of 80 yards and 74 yards, which ended in a pair of rushing touchdowns by the senior.

However, edge rusher Jayden Woods forced a fumble on the Rebels' third drive of the second half, which was recovered by Myles Graham. The play led to Wilson's six-yard rush, which gave the Gators a 38-21 lead less than two minutes into the fourth quarter.

Ole Miss recovered quickly with Chambliss hitting Deuce Alexander for a 32-yard completion and a two-yard touchdown to cut into the lead. Chambliss finished with 298 yards passing (25-for-34) and another 44 yards rushing, but an interception by DJ Coleman with 2:36 left ended his day.

Meanwhile, Florida's wide receiver room appears banged up. Vernell Brown III left the game in the second quarter with an injury, while Bailey Stockton briefly exited the game in the second quarter with an apparent back injury after a targeting penalty on Ole Miss' Joenel Aguero. He returned to the field in the third quarter.

Additionally, Eric Singleton Jr. (ankle) initially did not play after being a game-time decision but returned to the field in the third quarter after Brown III's injury. A 39-yard catch late in the game, his first as a Gator, set up Baugh's one-yard touchdown rush to put Florida above the 50-point mark.

Florida hits the road next week to face No. 19 Missouri.

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