Can Florida Football Keep Up with Rebels’ Heisman Hopeful?

Statistics say the Gators’ defense will have its work cut out for itself Saturday when No. 21 Florida hosts the No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels led by Heisman Trophy hopeful Trinidad Chambliss, but Florida’s high-powered offense should be ready to respond. 

The Gators’ undefeated start is their first since 2019. However, they are yet to run into an offense as talented as Ole Miss (3-0, 1-0 SEC) or a quarterback as talented as Chambliss. 

Coach Jon Sumrall had high praise for the Rebels star. 

“He’s as good of a college football player I’ve ever seen with my own two eyes,” Sumrall said Monday. 

Chambliss sits at ninth nationally in passing yards (924), 22nd in passing touchdowns (seven) and 32nd in completion percentage (70%). He is eighth in completion percentage among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts. 

He has favored short throws so far, completing 37 of 47 passes for 389 yards and a touchdown on throws less than 10 yards from the line of scrimmage, and he ranks 76th in average depth of target (7.7 yards) among quarterbacks with at least 75 dropbacks, according to PFF.

While Chambliss has not thrown many deep passes, he has been efficient. He ranks 19th in completion percentage (54.5), sixth in yards per attempt (22.4) and 10th in touchdowns (four) on throws more than 20 yards downfield among quarterbacks with at least 10 attempts more than 20 yards downfield, according to PFF.

Aside from Chambliss’ ability, the Gators’ pass defense has also given fans a reason to be worried about this matchup. 

UF has given up the 40th most passing yards per game (231.7) nationally and third most in the SEC, and last week it allowed 271 yards and three touchdowns to Byrum Brown, who ranks 37th nationally in passing yards (756), 76th in yards per attempt (7.6) and 54th in passing touchdowns (five). 

“The last touchdown they had makes me want to puke,” Sumrall said. 

On a positive note, both of Chambliss’ interceptions have come in between the numbers, according to PFF. This is a good sign for the Gators, as two of their three interceptions have come in the same area of the field.

Additionally, the Gators (3-0, 1-0) offense should be able to keep up with Chambliss. 

They have been one of the best offenses in the country, ranking second nationally in points per game (54) and third in total yards per game (544.3). The last time the Gators averaged more than 50 points through the first three games was 2007.

Junior running back Jadan Baugh has also been on his own Heisman Trophy campaign. Baugh ranks second nationally in rushing yards (458), first in rushing touchdowns (8), fourth in yards per carry (8.5) and first in missed tackles forced (30). On top of that, Ole Miss has missed 46 tackles this season, second among the Power Four, according to PFF’s Max Chadwick.

Baugh has had a carry of 50 yards or more in three consecutive games, a feat that has not been accomplished by a Gator since at least 2002. In addition, he is on a four-game streak of rushing for at least 100 yards, going back to last year’s Florida State game. That streak puts him in a club with Fred Taylor, Errict Rhett and Emmitt Smith as the only Gators to reach this statistic, according to SI’s Cam Parker.

Finally, the Gators need to focus on staying disciplined. The Gators have committed three, eight and 16 penalties in the first three games of the season, respectively. 

If a similar trend continues, the Gators will commit 32 penalties Saturday and more than 8,000 penalties when they face Florida State. 

“I want them to play with a mindset of we’re not going to take anything from everybody, we’re going to bring it every time,” Sumrall said. “You have to at some point draw the line and go, hey, it’s time to stop.”

Coverage Saturday starts at 12:30 p.m. on WRUF 98.1-FM/850-AM/103.7 HD2 and at 3:30 p.m. on ABC. 

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