The Rebels’ playoff hopes were crushed in a 24-17 loss to Florida on Saturday, Nov. 23. This marks the Rebels’ third loss of the season and final SEC road game.
Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart ended the day going 24/42, with 343 passing yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
First half
In a back-and-forth scoreless first quarter, both offenses struggled to find their rhythm while both defenses were ready to play.
The second quarter is when points were put on the board by both teams, with the Gators striking first. Florida quarterback DJ Lagway opened up the second quarter, finding wide receiver Elijah Badger for an 8-yard touchdown to take the lead early.
With the Rebels given the ball back, Dart made a statement scoring just minutes after the Gators put points on the board. Dart found star wide receiver Tre Harris for 43 yards to put up their first touchdown of the game, with kicker Caden Davis adding the extra point to make it 7-7.
The Rebels’ defensive unit came to play as they handed Lagway his fifth interception of the season when safety John Saunders Jr. picked off a pass intended for a Florida wide receiver and gave Ole Miss possession again. Despite Dart’s rocky start, he played consistently and used both his running and throwing abilities on the field throughout the first half.
The Gators made another scoring effort with a two-yard run from Jaden Baugh to find the Gators second touchdown on the day.
Ole Miss found a pair of touchdowns in the second that gave Rebel fans hope, the first came from Harris’ 43 yard receiving pass and the second came from young talent Cayden Lee for a 19-yard receiving touchdown to level it to 14-14 at the half.
Second half
Florida took possession right out of the gate and was eventually forced to punt on fourth and 16. Ole Miss punt returner and running back Micah Davis fumbled for a loss of five yards, leading to a Florida turnover that gave away a chance for the Rebels to take the lead. The Gators capitalized and took a three point lead.
The Ole Miss defense continued to show up in the third quarter and only allowed a field goal from the Gators’ offense.
Ole Miss kicker Caden Davis redeemed himself after a missed field goal in the second quarter and nailed a field goal to tie things up at 17-17.
Lagway and the Gators’ offense leaned on their running game in the second half, relying heavily on running back Baugh for most of their plays. The Gators lined up prepared to go for it on fourth-and-2, but a delay of game forced Florida to punt at fourth-and-7. The Rebels received the punt for a touchback and got back on offense.
Lined up on the Ole Miss 10-yard line with 11:35 to go, Dart and Micah Davis combined for the first few plays but not enough for a first down. In a crucial third down the Rebels needed, Dart was sacked for a loss of five yards and Ole Miss was forced to punt.
With the Gators back on offense on the Florida 33-yard line, Lagway found wide receiver Chimere Dike for a huge 41-yard pass to give Florida a first down. Looking back to their run game, the Gators found a good rhythm and running back Montrell Johnson Jr scored a touchdown to take the lead for Florida.
The Rebels got the ball back with four minutes left to try and even the score.
Dart’s 35-yard run put the Rebels hopes back up for a big first down from the quarterback. In the backfield was running back Domonique Thomas who had another huge first down to lead the Rebels to the 44-yard line in the final minutes of the game.
In a make-or-break play on third down, Dart threw his second interception of the game to hand it right back to the Gators. Florida failed to convert and punted it away. The Rebels had one more drive with no timeouts to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Dart nearly threw another pick, but the call was reversed and was ruled an incomplete pass. Gifted one more chance for an offensive effort, miscommunication between Dart and wide receiver Juice Wells led to Dart’s third pick and ended the scoring efforts for the Rebels which led to Florida’s second consecutive upset.
What’s next?
Ole Miss will close out the regular season in the annual Egg Bowl game, hosting Mississippi State on Friday, Nov. 29. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and can be streamed on ABC and ESPN+.
