Under the lights of a record-setting crowd at Vaught Hemingway Stadium on Saturday, Florida led then-No. 7 Ole Miss 24-20 at the start of the second half. 

The Gators had a less-than-ideal start to the game, immediately fell behind 10-0, then outscored the Rebels 24-10 in finishing the half with four straight scoring drives.

The defense did not have the greatest start to the half, as it allowed Ole Miss to march right down the field to set up a goal-to-go situation. But like it has done this season, the unit bent but did not break to keep Ole Miss out of the end zone on four straight plays from inside the UF 3-yard line to force a turnover on downs.

Unfortunately, Florida’s offense that found success against Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 SEC) in the first half ran into a brick wall in the second half, managing to do nothing. The Gators opened the second half with a 38-yard pass down the right sideline to tight end Tony Livingston but punted shortly after. On the ensuing possession, Florida went three-and-out in a staggering 58 seconds before handing the ball right back to Ole Miss.

Florida managed just 51 yards of offense in the third; meanwhile, the Rebels’ high-powered offense was held off the scoresheet, but put up 181 total yards and had momentum heading into the final frame. On the opening drive of the fourth, the Rebels flew down the field — going 86 yards in six plays, taking just 1:48 off the clock. Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy highlighted the drive with his 59-yard run that set up his 1-yard rushing score, his second of three on the night.

Trailing 27-24 and needing an answer, Florida looked primed to respond with a touchdown to retake the lead or, at worst, tie the game with a manageable field-goal try. However, a story that has haunted the Gators all season is turnovers in critical moments of games. On third-and-5 from the Ole Miss 30-yard line, DJ Lagway delivered his FBS-leading 13th interception of the season and gave the ball right back.

“That’s who he is; it’s in his DNA as well. But we’ve got to make great decisions. I talked about that before: there’s a time to try to extend the play, but there’s also a time to understand you’ve just got to be able to pull the ball down and run, or get the ball out of our hands at certain times,” Gators interim coach Billy Gonzales said. “It’s a learning experience, obviously, but we can’t throw back across our body, especially when we’re coming back to the left.”

Shortly after getting the ball back, Ole Miss marched back down the field in 10 plays to set up another goal-to-go situation inside the UF 5-yard line. But again, the Gators’ defense bent and didn’t break — forcing another goal-line stand to keep them in the game. However, the offense just could not get out of its own way, picking up one yard and turning the ball over at its own 4-yard line, where Lacy found the end zone for the third time to cap off his historic night and put the game out of reach at 34-24.

Defensively, Florida had absolutely no answers for Lacy, who shredded the Gators. To go with his three rushing touchdowns, Lacy also ran the ball 31 times for 224 yards, averaging 7.2 yards per carry.

“They gave him the ball. He did an excellent job; he made some people miss,” Gonzales said. “We need to do a better job of wrapping up and tackling. But give him credit, he’s a fantastic football player.”

Florida put up 223 yards and 24 points in the first half, but Ole Miss shut the Gators out after halftime and held them to just 103 total yards in the third and fourth quarters. You can credit Ole Miss for making strong defensive adjustments, but this isn’t the first time Florida’s offense has fallen flat in the second half.

Against LSU, the Gators were blanked in the second half, and Miami managed just one score. Facing Texas A&M, Florida scored 14 points in the first quarter before scoring three points the rest of the way. Just two weeks ago in Jacksonville, the Gators had Georgia on the ropes but only scored three points, and poor execution cost them another chance of victory.

Despite the obvious struggles, Gonzales believed Florida still moved the ball well and blamed poor field position for why Florida’s offense went cold in the second half.

“As far as moving it, yeah, I thought we did a decent job in that drive right there,” Gonzales said. “Then the next drive we got the ball in the minus-three like I said. So, it’s a little tougher situation.”

Regardless, the offense still has a major chronic issue that will carry with them the rest of the way. Not only that, but the loss moves UF to 3-7 overall following another double-digit road loss and will miss being bowl eligible for the second time in three seasons. Now, Florida will look to play for pride as it finishes the season with two final home games before closing the chapter on this dreadful 2025 season.

“The message is going to be the same,” Gonzales said. “Go back, gather up, get ready to work, continue to work hard.”