The No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels suffered their first loss of the season to the No. 8 Florida Gators, 52-28, in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., on Sept. 26. This loss exposed many areas of the Ole Miss team which need improvement. Here are some grades for Ole Miss’ Week 4 contest against Florida.
Defensive line — F
The Ole Miss defense had its worst showing of the year against the Gators. The Rebels had just come off an incredible defensive performance against LSU and were finally beginning to look promising.
The Rebels allowed 303 rushing yards. Ultimately, they could not stop Florida’s biggest playmaker, running back Jadan Baugh. Overall, the Rebel defense missed many tackles and allowed for far too many explosive plays.
The Rebel defensive front did not have a single sack and had just one tackle for loss. The group could not break into the backfield to stop Baugh, who averaged nearly five yards a carry. To make things worse, Florida’s second running back, Duke Clark, had nearly 130 yards and a touchdown. He averaged an astounding 10.5 yards per carry.
Special teams — D
Kicker Lucas Carneiro was able to make both of his field goals, but the Ole Miss special teams unit had an atrocious performance against the Gators.
On kickoff returns, Carneiro was unable to kick the ball beyond the end zone, allowing the Gator kick returner to run the ball back and get in great starting field position. This was not all Carneiro’s fault; overall, the Rebels’ kickoff coverage was quite poor. Florida kick returner London Montgomery accumulated 128 yards on just three kickoff returns, including one return of 74 yards.
Trinidad Chambliss — B
Chambliss had a mixed performance against Florida. He totaled 298 passing yards, one passing touchdown and two rushing touchdowns. In the Rebels’ final possession, Chambliss threw an interception, his only one of the day.
Chambliss was slow to get the offense going in the first quarter and seemed to be out of sync with the play-calling. The Rebels only scored two field goals in the first half. Chambliss also briefly left the game in the first half after taking a big hit on a scramble.
To start the second half, Chambliss led the Rebels on two straight scoring drives, single-handedly getting the team back in the game. However, on the third drive of the half, he fumbled after a sack, killing the last of the Rebels’ momentum.
Secondary — C
The Rebel secondary certainly played better than the defensive front, but the unit’s performance was still far from stellar. It gave up 196 passing yards and a passing touchdown.
The group gave up several large gains and struggled to make tackles, while also leaving receivers open all game. However, defensive back Jaylon Braxton was a bright spot for the Rebel secondary.
Road Rebs — C
Saturday’s game was Ole Miss’ true first road game in the Golding era. The Rebels last played on the road in Starkville, Miss., against Mississippi State in November 2025. Since then, the Ole Miss faithful have traveled to New Orleans, Nashville and Phoenix for neutral site matchups.
This game was different. There was only a small pocket of Rebel fans in The Swamp. Considering the team’s chance to climb even higher in the AP poll and bolster its College Football Playoff odds, Ole Miss fans had a surprisingly low turnout.
Still, Rebel fans cannot be blamed for this 24-point loss. The Swamp was a loud, raucous environment. The Rebels have not played against that kind of crowd since their road trip to Georgia last season, and it showed.
Rebel fans will get the chance to show up for Ole Miss in Week 6 with a short trip to Nashville.
