GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida coach Jon Sumrall has spent the past 10 months describing the Gators as a sleeping giant waiting for the right moment to awaken.
On Saturday afternoon inside The Swamp, the giant finally made plenty of noise.
Jadan Baugh rushed for 142 yards and three touchdowns, Duke Clark added 126 yards and another score, and No. 21 Florida overwhelmed No. 4 Ole Miss 52-28 to remain unbeaten.
The victory moved the Gators to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in SEC play, giving Florida its first 4-0 start since 2019. It also marked the Gators’ highest point total against a top-five opponent since they defeated Florida State 52-20 in the 1996 national championship game.
For Sumrall, the victory was another step toward transforming the program into the contender he envisioned when he arrived.
“It’s not asleep, but it ain’t fully awake yet. It’s being kind of stirred up a little bit,” Sumrall said. “We’re going to get there. It’s coming.
“I didn’t come here for us to be average.”
Florida certainly wasn’t average Saturday.
The Gators established control from the opening minutes and never surrendered the lead. They scored touchdowns on five consecutive possessions in the second half, turning what had been a competitive game into a rout.
The biggest difference was Florida’s rushing attack.
The Gators ran for 302 yards and six touchdowns, repeatedly breaking through an Ole Miss defense that had no answer for Baugh and Clark.
Baugh was particularly effective between the tackles, producing another milestone performance in what has become an impressive stretch of games.
With his latest 100-yard outing, Baugh became only the third player in Florida history to rush for at least 100 yards in five consecutive games. He joined two legendary Gators, Emmitt Smith and Fred Taylor, on that list.
“That means everything to me, just having my name up there with those guys,” Baugh said. “They did so much when they were here. And just being able to follow their footsteps and excel, that just means so much to me.”
Clark provided the explosive complement Florida needed.
His 45-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter became one of the defining plays of the afternoon. Clark made cornerback Antonio Kite miss before also shaking former Florida safety Sharif Denson on his way to the end zone.
Ole Miss briefly appeared to be gaining momentum during a wild stretch spanning the second and third quarters.
Trinidad Chambliss and the Rebels scored 11 points in roughly three minutes, cutting Florida’s lead to 17-14. But any hope of Ole Miss taking control disappeared almost immediately.
London Montgomery ripped off a 74-yard kickoff return, setting Florida up with excellent field position. Clark then finished the opportunity with his long touchdown run.
From there, the Gators took over.
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding summed up his team’s defensive struggles bluntly.
“That was an old-fashioned butt whooping,” Golding said.
Florida’s dominance was especially notable against an Ole Miss team that entered the game ranked fourth nationally and had just defeated LSU in an emotional victory the previous week.
The Rebels never found the same rhythm in Gainesville.
Ole Miss struggled to establish its running game and also had to deal with an injury to Chambliss, who hurt his left thigh during the second series.
Chambliss returned to the game and spent time on an exercise bike between possessions. Despite the injury, he continued to produce, throwing for 298 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 44 yards and two scores. His only interception came late in the game.
Still, Florida’s defense repeatedly forced Ole Miss to play from behind.
One early sequence illustrated the Rebels’ problems. After falling behind 7-0, Chambliss handed the ball to backup running back JT Lindsey on four consecutive plays. Lindsey was stopped short on fourth-and-1, giving Florida favorable field position.
Lindsey was filling in for Kewan Lacy, who missed the game with a shoulder injury. Lacy had torched Florida a year ago in Oxford, rushing for 224 yards and three touchdowns. Lindsey finished Saturday with 31 yards on 11 carries.
Florida, meanwhile, continued to find holes.
The Gators became the first Florida team since 2001 to score at least 40 points in each of its first four games.
They also snapped a 12-game losing streak against top-five opponents.
Sumrall’s team entered Saturday facing one of its biggest tests of the young season. Instead of simply surviving the challenge, Florida dictated the game from beginning to end.
Baugh believes the Gators are only beginning to show what they can become.
“We have more grit and resilience than anybody in the country, and I feel nobody can mess with us,” he said.
The Takeaway
Ole Miss: The Rebels struggled to match Florida’s physicality, particularly against the run. Missing Lacy was significant, and Ole Miss never established enough balance to keep the Gators from controlling the game. After an emotional victory over LSU, the Rebels now have to regroup and find consistency.
Florida: The Gators delivered their most impressive performance of the season. The rushing attack was relentless, the offense repeatedly capitalized on favorable field position, and Florida finally ended its long drought against top-five opponents.
What’s Next:
Ole Miss will have a bye next week before traveling to Vanderbilt on Oct. 10.
Florida remains on the road next Saturday when the Gators visit No. 19 Missouri.
