No. 25 Florida dismantles No. 3 Ole Miss in rout
On another Saturday of shuffling the SEC pecking order, Florida made its case for contention in a lights out defensive performance against No. 3 Ole Miss. The No. 25 Gators were ferocious, flying all over the field and limiting the Rebels’ big play opportunities in a 38-10 win under the lights in the Swamp.
Will Grier and the Gators offense seemed to stun Ole Miss early, jumping out to a 25-0 halftime lead behind four Will Grier touchdown tosses (and 17-of-20 first-half passing) and the beginning of what would be the most surprising defensive performance of the day in the SEC.
We knew Florida’s defense was good, with a deep rotation up front and pro-quality players in the secondary. But Ole Miss entered this game averaging 54.8 points per game, 543 yards per game and 7.63 yards per play. On Saturday night, the Rebels didn’t find the end zone until the fourth quarter and finished the game averaging 4.5 yards per play.
To squeeze out quarterback Chad Kelly and the Rebels offense in a way that Alabama – which had arguably the best defensive performance of the day against Georgia – was unable to do suggests the Gators might have something special going in Gainesville right now.
A few notes on Florida’s big win:
1. Is Florida back? Florida is 5-0 for the first time since 2012, and it’s worth considering that this group could resemble that defensively dominant bunch that won 11 games and got picked to play in the Sugar Bowl. Jim McElwain and Doug Nussmeier have successfully established an offense that can hide some of the weaknesses along the offensive line and allow Will Grier to succeed. Combined with a stellar defense, the Gators have suddenly become a much tougher foe than expected in the SEC.
2. There’s a tough road ahead for the Gators. But there is no time to get caught up in good feelings at the expense of preparation for Florida. The next three weeks — at Missouri, at LSU and vs. Georgia in Jacksonville, Fla. — will likely define the Gators’ role in the SEC East. This sudden surge from the young Gators suggests at least one win is guaranteed, but it will take two or three victories in that stretch to keep Florida in the division title race.
For McElwain, it’s just a good thing to even be in this conversation. The Gators aren’t perfect, but they have one unit that could be as good as anyone else in the SEC. In this already-unpredictable 2015 season in the conference, an elite defense might be just enough to win big.
3. History made in The Swamp. The win over Ole Miss ends an 0-11 run against top three competition in the regular season dating back to a win against Tennessee in 1999. McElwain also became the first Florida head coach to start 5-0 in his first season since Steve Spurrier. Grier also became the first quarterback since Chris Leak (2005) to throw four touchdown passes in one half.
4. What’s ahead for Ole Miss? With a win against Alabama, the Rebels are still sitting in the top spot of the SEC West. This is no time to panic, but Hugh Freeze and his staff certainly have plenty of “teaching material” after a season of highlights so far in Oxford. Ole Miss won’t play another SEC game until a three-game run of Texas A&M-Auburn-Arkansas begins on Oct. 24. If Ole Miss wins all three, the Rebels will still be in position to win the SEC West’s bid to Atlanta. But with Saturday’s loss the margin for error has slimmed, and any missteps in that stretch could result another SEC Championship Saturday spent at home.
Demarcus Robinson was a huge part of Florida’s great start against Ole Miss. (USATSI)This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
