The Good, Bad and Ugly of Ole Miss' Loss to Florida

The Rebels took an embarrassing loss to Florida today.

Florida Gators safety DJ Coleman breaks up a pass to Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Samari Reed during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels lost big to the No. 21 Florida Gators on Saturday night in a 52-28 defeat at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

This loss is the first of the Rebels' season and puts them in a more difficult position going forward if they want to return to the College Football Playoff.

It's hard to find positives in this performance, but let's look into the good, the bad and the ugly of Ole Miss' performance against Florida.

Good: Trinidad Chambliss and The Passing Game

Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss passes during the first half an NCAA football game against Florida at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 26, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Trinidad Chambliss and wide receiver Deuce Alexander were practically the only two players performing well today. Chambliss was 25 of 34 for nearly 350 total yards, three total touchdowns and an interception that came in garbage time.

Alexander caught seven of Chambliss' passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. No other receiver reached the 50 receiving-yard mark.

Unfortunately, even another Heisman-caliber performance from one of the front-runners in Chambliss wasn't enough to get Ole Miss close to beating Florida.

Bad: Ole Miss' Running Game

Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss hands off to Mississippi running back JT Lindsey during the first half an NCAA football game against Florida at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 26, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Running the ball effectively was always going to be a tough task for Ole Miss with running back Kewan Lacy out with a shoulder injury.

However, nobody on the team reaching 50 rushing yards is inexcusable. The best rusher was Chambliss with 44 yards and two touchdowns.

Trinidad Chambliss, for all of his talent, cannot do everything on offense, and when he's forced to try, results like today's happen.

Ole Miss will be hoping this upcoming bye week will help Kewan Lacy get healthy. The depth behind him simply hasn't been good enough to step up in his absence.

Ugly: Ole Miss' Defense

Florida running back Jadan Baugh runs during the first half an NCAA football game against Mississippi at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 26, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Defense is supposed to be the calling card of Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding, who had spent years as a defensive coordinator at Alabama and Ole Miss. However, today's performance was a brutal watch.

Florida QB Aaron Philo was very efficient, completing 16 of 23 passes for over 200 total yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. What set Florida apart today, though, was their running backs.

Florida running backs Jadan Baugh and Duke Clark combined for 268 yards and four touchdowns on the ground today. They were the main reason Florida was able to once again put up more than 50 points.

Ole Miss never stood a chance while giving up that much on the ground.

Going forward, Pete Golding has to get the defense that he calls plays for in check. If he can't, it may be time to look at passing along defensive play-calling duties to exclusively focus on his head coaching tasks.

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