Will Florida’s Dominance Against Ole Miss End Saturday?
“But I promise you one thing: a lot of good will come out of this.”
You may have heard this line before. Quarterback Tim Tebow delivered it in his postgame speech following Florida’s only loss in the 2008 season. This was the last time the Gators lost to Ole Miss.
The Florida Gators travel to Oxford to take on the No. 7 Rebels Saturday as heavy underdogs. The Gators haven’t dropped one to the Rebels in 17 years
The two teams have faced off 26 times with a record of 13-12-1 favoring Florida. The Gators go into this game on a three game win streak against the Rebels with a 6-2 record in Oxford.
Their last meeting resulted in a 24-17 victory for Florida. That game knocked the then No. 9 Rebels, who had only lost two games prior, out of playoff contention. Florida went into that game 5-5 as 11.5-point underdogs. The win against the Rebels pushed the Gators to 4-0 in games where DJ Lagway was the starter.
The Gators also beat the Rebels in 2020 and 2015. In 2020, the Gators won 51-35 in their season opener with an offense starring Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts and Kadarius Toney. Trask threw for six touchdowns with five of those going to Pitts. In 2015, the team won 38-10 led by quarterback Will Grier.
The Gators last loss to Ole Miss came in 2008 with Tebow behind center and Urban Meyer as head coach. The 31-30 upset was the team’s only loss that season. The Gators went into that game as the favorite by three touchdowns. Following that game, Tebow delivered what is now referred to as “The Promise” speech.
The betting lines for Saturday have the Gators as a 14.5-point underdog. Florida has now lost 19 straight road or neutral-sight games against ranked opponents. The Rebels currently stand at 7-0 at home.
Since their last matchup, the Rebels have gone 11-1, winning their final two games of the 2024 season and going 9-1 so far this season. The Gators finished the 2024 season by winning their final two games as well but have gone 3-6 since, firing their head coach, Billy Napier, on Oct. 19.
It is hard to ignore the conversation going into this game surrounding the Florida head coaching position, with Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin at the forefront.
As the Gators travel to Oxford, spirits are low coming off of the back-to-back losses to Kentucky and Georgia.
Category: College Football, Gators Football, SEC
