FINAL: No. 6 Ole Miss 34, Florida 24 — Rebels Rally Late To End UF's Upset Bid

Saturday, November 15

Oxford, Miss.

7 PM

Florida Gators

3-7 , 2-5

Ole Miss

10-1 , 6-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Florida

Ole Miss

Receiver J. Michael Sturdivant races past an Ole Miss defender on the way to a 57-yard touchdown catch Saturday night at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. (Photo: UAA Communications)

FINAL: No. 6 Ole Miss 34, Florida 24 — Rebels Rally Late To End UF's Upset Bid

Saturday, November 15, 2025 | Football, Scott Carter

Box Score

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

What Happened

OXFORD, Miss. — The Gators held up the conductor longer than many anticipated, but the Lane Train eventually pulled away in the second half as No. 6-ranked Ole Miss defeated Florida 34-24 on Saturday night at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

In Florida's first game at Ole Miss since Lane Kiffin's debut as Rebels coach in 2020, rumors swirled Saturday that Kiffin could be Florida's coach next season. The Gators did little on their first two drives of the game, but they began to build momentum and led 24-20 at halftime.

However, instead of Florida (3-7, 2-5) pulling off the upset, Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1) responded by shutting out the Gators in the second half as the Rebels completed a perfect home record led by running back Kewan Lacy, who rushed for 224 yards on 31 carries. Lacy scored on 1- and 4-yard runs in the fourth quarter to account for all the scoring after halftime.

Gators interim head coach Billy Gonzales, in his third game in charge of the program, complimented the way the Gators bounced back from a 31-point loss at Kentucky a week ago.

"They battled," Gonzales said. "Thought they played their hearts out, to be honest with you. They've defined who they are all year long. They did it all week long, they're gonna continue to do it for the next couple games, they're gonna continue to battle."

On the other sideline, Kiffin praised the way his defense answered the bell after halftime. Florida's offense produced 223 yards in the first half but only 103 after the half.

"I thought our defense did great things in the second half,'' Kiffin said.

Ole Miss regained the lead on the first play of the fourth quarter, a 1-yard run by Lacy that capped a six-play, 86-yard Rebels drive that took only 1:48. The Rebels started on their 14 after a 62-yard punt by Tommy Doman flipped the field. However, on the final play of the third quarter, Lacy raced 59 yards to Florida's 1, scoring on the next play.

"It definitely wasn't good enough,'' said UF linebacker Myles Graham, who played one of the best games of his young career with nine tackles, two tackles-for-loss and a sack. "We beat ourselves in the run game, not making plays. The offense gave us enough points on the board, and we didn't capitalize."

The Gators quieted the crowd of 68,138 with some big plays that put them ahead at the break and threatened to knock the Rebels out of the College Football Playoff chase, reminiscent of last season when Florida knocked off Ole Miss, 24-17, at The Swamp.

UF quarterback DJ Lagway's 57-yard touchdown pass to J. Michael Sturdivant put the Gators up 21-17 midway through the second quarter, and after Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carneiro connected on the second of his two field goals (27 and 23 yards) to make it 21-20, Trey Smack's 38-yard field goal with three seconds left in the first half gave the Gators a 24-20 lead.

That is when the Ole Miss defense began to rise to the occasion while its offense sustained drives that kept UF off the field. The Rebels outgained the Gators 538-326 for the game, and the Gators had only five possessions in the second half.

Before the Rebels pulled away, Lagway led a scoring drive late in the first quarter, highlighted by a 47-yard strike to TJ Abrams that gave UF the ball at the Ole Miss 17. Three plays later, Lagway scored on a 5-yard run with 1:13 left in the opening quarter, the first rushing score of his career.

On the ensuing possession, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss' pass was picked off by freshman defensive lineman Jayden Woods, who returned the interception 25 yards to the Rebels' 5-yard line, setting up a Jadan Baugh 2-yard run that gave Florida its first lead, 14-10.

The first quarter ended 10-7 in favor of Ole Miss, with the Gators facing first-and-goal from the 2-yard line after a facemask call on Ole Miss' Kam Franklin, which led to Baugh's rushing score. The Rebels responded to take a 17-14 lead on a 43-yard TD pass from Chambliss to wideout De'Zhaun Stribling. Ole Miss' drive was kept alive after a third-down pass by Chambliss dropped incomplete out of bounds. But instead of having to punt, Gators edge rusher Tyreak Sapp was penalized for lining up in the neutral zone. The Rebels' redo resulted in Chambliss' scoring dart to Stribling, who caught the pass in the middle of the field and then split defenders and raced to the end zone.

Woods, Jayden (2025 at Ole Miss) — Freshman defensive lineman **Jayden Woods** shifted momentum with a 25-yard interception return that gave the Gators the ball deep in Ole Miss territory in the first half. (Photo: UAA Communications)

What it Means

The Gators' dwindling hopes of becoming bowl-eligible or finishing with a winning record officially died on Saturday night. The defeat guaranteed a fourth losing season in five years for Florida, and it marked the program's 19th consecutive loss away from home against a ranked opponent. Florida's last win over a team ranked in the AP Top 25 that was not at The Swamp was a 44-28 victory over No. 5 Georgia in 2020 in Jacksonville. Meanwhile, Kiffin beat the Gators for the first time as a head coach after losses in 2009 when he was at Tennessee, and in 2020 and 2024 with the Rebels.

In the Spotlight

Gators quarterback DJ Lagway responded well in his first game since being benched at halftime of last week's 38-7 loss at Kentucky. Lagway scored his first career rushing touchdown and finished 16 of 31 for 218 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Lagway, after throwing three interceptions at Kentucky, played a turnover-free game until a nasty break midway in the fourth quarter when his pass was tipped by Ole Miss lineman Suntarine Perkins and intercepted by Wydett Williams Jr. on second-and-7 from the Rebels' 32-yard line, with the Gators down by a field goal.

Staggering Statistic

The Gators finished winless away from The Swamp this season, losing all six of their games outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. They gave No. 5 Georgia a scare two weeks ago in Jacksonville, and did the same to the sixth-ranked Rebels on Saturday. But in the end, this is the first Florida team to not win away from home since the winless 1979 team (0-10-1).

Up Next

Florida (3-7, 2-5) plays at home for the first time in more than a month, hosting a rare late-season matchup against Tennessee. The No. 23-ranked Vols (7-3, 4-2) beat New Mexico State on Saturday. The Gators are no longer eligible for a bowl game, but a win over the Vols would be a nice homecoming gift.

Email senior writer Scott Carter at scottc@gators.ufl.edu. Find his story archives here.