Florida Runs Past No. 4 Ole Miss, Boosts Playoff Hopes with 52-28 Win

Florida ended a five-year drought against top-five competition on Saturday, blowing past fourth-ranked Ole Miss 52-28 behind a ground game that gashed the Rebels for over 300 yards. The win pushes the Gators to 4-0 and marks their first victory over an AP top-five opponent since 2020.

How Florida’s Rushing Attack Took Over

The Gators leaned almost entirely on their backfield to win this one. Jadan Baugh carried 29 times for 142 yards and three touchdowns, while Duke Clark added 126 yards and a score of his own — including a 45-yard breakaway in the third quarter that snapped a short-lived Ole Miss comeback. Combined, Florida’s backs produced 302 rushing yards, exploiting a Rebels defense that had struggled with tackling all season.

Quarterback Aaron Philo didn’t need to do much, going 16-for-23 for 196 yards and a touchdown, but the balance made Florida’s offense difficult to key on.

Chambliss Keeps It Close, But Ole Miss Defense Couldn’t Hold

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, a Heisman contender heading into the weekend, kept his team within striking distance for three quarters. He accounted for 342 total yards and three touchdowns, and — with starting running back Kewan Lacy out with a shoulder injury — led the Rebels in rushing himself with just 44 yards. That imbalance became a problem once Florida’s defense settled in, and Ole Miss couldn’t generate enough stops to keep pace down the stretch.

What the Win Means for Florida’s Season

• Fast start: Florida is 4-0 for the first time in years, a sharp turnaround after last season’s 4-8 finish under a different coaching staff.
• Offensive surge: The Gators have scored 214 points through four games — their best output to open a season since 1996 — and have racked up 96 points across two SEC contests.
• Manageable stretch ahead: Matchups with Missouri and South Carolina come next before a tougher back-to-back against the nation’s top two teams.
• Heisman buzz: Baugh now has 600 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the year, and is drawing comparisons as the first back with a real Heisman case since Derrick Henry won it in 2015.

The Bottom Line

Florida didn’t just beat a ranked opponent — it did so by imposing its will on the ground against a team that entered the day as a Playoff hopeful. Whether this was a signature win or the start of something bigger will depend on how the Gators handle the gauntlet still ahead, but for one Saturday night in Gainesville, they looked like a team built to contend.