Ole Miss vs. Florida: Everything to Know About the Rebels' Next Opponent

Ole Miss will travel to The Swamp this Saturday, September 26.

Mississippi Rebels head coach Pete Golding and Florida head coach Jon Sumrall talk on the field prior to last season's playoff game between Ole Miss and the Tulane Green Wave at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels will travel to The Swamp to take on the No. 23 Florida Gators this Saturday.

Ole Miss is coming off a major win over their former coach Lane Kiffin and his No. 10 LSU Tigers. The Rebels can't afford to take their foot off the gas this week, though, because head coach Jon Sumrall and his Florida Gators have something to prove.

Sumrall and Ole Miss Have History Together

Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss runs the ball during the fourth quarter against the Tulane Green Wave at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Before accepting the job at Florida, Jon Sumrall was the head coach of the Tulane Green Wave. Last season, he and Tulane made the playoffs as the No. 11 seed and were matched up against No. 6 seed Ole Miss in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

The Rebels would win that game 41-10 in Pete Golding's first-ever game as head coach. The score wasn't an indicator of Sumrall's lack of ability, but instead just the talent gap that comes with a Group of 6 standout running into a top SEC team.

Now, Sumrall has an SEC team of his own and will be looking to prove himself as a premier head coach in the conference, and what better way to do that than by knocking off a top-five team in the country?

Ole Miss Has Bad Memories of The Swamp

Florida Gators defensive lineman Caleb Banks sacks Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Prior to the Florida game in 2024, Ole Miss was No. 9 in the country and coming off a 28-10 victory over Georgia that had seemingly saved the Rebels' playoff hopes, and, by extension, their season.

That day in The Swamp, Florida would beat Ole Miss 24-17 and ruin any realistic hopes the Rebels had of qualifying for that season's College Football Playoff.

Pete Golding was the defensive coordinator for Ole Miss at that time, and the memory is as sore for him as it is for Ole Miss fans.

"My last memory of going to this place was going as the No. 14 team in the country and getting beat by a 5-5 team," Golding said today.

With Ole Miss once again coming off a major win, this time against LSU, Golding and the Rebels will be trying not to repeat the same mistakes that have ruined seasons in the past. With the difficult schedule Ole Miss has this year, they cannot afford to lose winnable games.

Florida's Roster Is Talented

Florida Gators running back Jadan Baugh rushes with the ball against the Campbell Fighting Camels during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the first three games, Florida is 3-0 thanks to the play of Georgia Tech transfer QB Aaron Philo, running back Jadan Baugh and wide receivers Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson.

All four of these players have put up impressive numbers, but running back Jadan Baugh has been the star of the show, having 458 rushing yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 8.5 yards per carry.

Considering the Ole Miss defense has been hit or miss this season, and Florida has scored 66, 52 and 44 points in each of their first three games, the Rebels have to take Florida seriously.

The encouraging thing for Ole Miss is that Auburn was able to put up 39 against Florida in Week 3. Auburn QB Byrum Brown scored four touchdowns and had more than 300 total yards.

Ole Miss will once again be putting their faith in QB Trinidad Chambliss to have a similar performance to win the game, and so far this season, he's shown no reason why he can't.

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