WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• This will be the 26th all-time meeting between Ole Miss and Florida … The series is tied 12-12-2 dating back to 1926.
• Ole Miss leads 6-4-1 in Gainesville, its last win a 31-30 upset over No. 4 Florida in 2008.
• Head coach Lane Kiffin (103) is one of three active SEC head coaches with 100 FBS wins (Brian Kelly, 192; Kirby Smart, 102) … Kiffin (42-17) recently became the fastest coach to 40 wins in Ole Miss history.
• The Rebels are 37-12 overall since 2021 and rank third among all SEC schools in wins in that span.
• The Rebels beat No. 2 Georgia, 28-10, on Nov. 9, one of 15 top-five wins in program history and the first since 2015 … Largest margin of defeat for UGA since 2019, first non-Alabama loss since Florida in 2020.
• Ole Miss sacked Georgia five times, the most allowed by UGA in the regular season since 2013, and held the Bulldogs to their fewest yards since 2017 (245) and fewest rushing yards since 2021 (59).
• Ole Miss leads the SEC in 21 different categories and leads the FBS in seven, including sacks (46) and TFL (103).
• Ole Miss’ FBS-leading 46 sacks broke the single-season program record of 39 from both 2021 and 1992.
• QB Jaxson Dart is 372 passing yards shy of Eli Manning’s career record 10,119 … The record would also move Dart past Manning for 10th in SEC history.
• Dart (3,409) owns more passing yards through 10 games than eight of the last 10 Heisman-winning QBs.
• Dart leads the FBS in total offense (371.3), passing efficiency (188.6) and yards/attempt (114).
• DE Suntarine Perkins is second in the SEC in sacks (10.0) and is tied for second in Ole Miss single-season history.
• Ole Miss’ five main defensive line starters (Ivey, Nolen, Pegues, Perkins, Umanmielen) own 54.0 TFL and 33.0 sacks … Ivey, Perkins and Umanmielen (26.5 sacks) ranks more than the season total of 10 SEC teams.
OLE MISS HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN
Lane Kiffin is in his fifth season at Ole Miss and has led the Rebels to four consecutive bowl berths, including two New Year’s Six appearances, under his guidance since 2020. In 11 years at the NCAA level, Kiffin has posted an all-time record of 103-51, including a 42-17 mark at Ole Miss. Kiffin led the 2023 Rebels to the best season in Ole Miss history in terms of wins, notching an 11-2 overall record capped by a 38-25 Peach Bowl victory over Penn State. The Rebels finished No. 9 in both final versions of the AP and Coaches polls, the highest finish overall since 2015 (No. 9 Coaches) and their highest in the final AP poll since 1969 (No. 8). In 2022, Kiffin led the Rebels to the Texas Bowl, thanks to another dynamite offense that ranked No. 3 nationally in rushing offense (256.6) and No. 8 in total offense (496.4) in 2022. Kiffin guided the Rebels to a 10-3 record in 2021, the first 10-win regular season in school history. The Rebels finished the season ranked No. 11 in both the AP and AFCA Coaches Poll, its highest final ranking since 2016. Ole Miss ranked top-20 in the FBS in nine different offensive categories in his first season in 2020. In December 2016, Kiffin took over an FAU program that had won a total of nine combined games over the previous three seasons. Kiffin proceeded to take the Owls to new heights over the last three years, including two conference titles and two 10-win seasons. In his head coaching stops at USC, Tennessee and FAU, Kiffin has shown a propensity in helping turn programs around. Kiffin graduated from Fresno State in 1998 after playing quarterback for three seasons (1994-96) for the Bulldogs. He began his coaching career as a student assistant at Fresno State under Pat Hill in 1997 and 1998.
FLORIDA HEAD COACH BILLY NAPIER
Billy Napier is in his third season at Florida, seventh overall as a head coach, holding a 16-19 record during his stint in Gainesville. The Gators won six games during Napier’s first year in 2022, followed by five victories last season. Prior to Florida, Napier spent four seasons at Louisiana and finished with a record of 40-12. Napier led the Ragin’ Cajuns to four consecutive Sun Belt West Division titles, four straight bowl appearances, a share of the Sun Belt title in 2020 and outright conference title in 2021. A two-time Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year, Napier took the Ragin’ Cajuns to unprecedented heights when the team broke into the national rankings in 2020 for the first time in the modern era. Prior to his stint at Louisiana, Napier was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Arizona State in 2017. Napier’s first experience in the SEC came at Alabama in 2011 and he later returned to Crimson Tide from 2013-17 as the wide receivers coach. Napier got his college coaching career started at Clemson, where he spent seven years in two different stints. During Napier’s final two seasons at Clemson he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
GATOR SCOUTING REPORT
Florida heads into the matchup with the Rebels at 5-5 overall and 3-4 in SEC play, and are coming off a ranked win over No. 21 LSU. Offensively, Florida averages 378.9 yards per game, with 231.6 yards per game coming through the air. After a season-ending injury to 2023 starter Graham Mertz, true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway has taken over at quarterback for the Gators. Lagway, who has battled injuries as well in 2024, is completing 58.5 percent of his passes for 1,297 yards and seven touchdowns. Chimere Dike and Elijhah Badger are Lagways’s top targets with 30 receptions apiece. Starting running back Montrell Johnson Jr. is working his way back from injury after carrying the load for Florida prior to getting hurt vs. Tennessee. Johnson Jr. has 387 yards rushing on the year with four TDs. Defensively, the Gators allow 26 points and 399 total yards per game. Trikweze Bridges leads Florida with 53 total tackles on the season. Eight different Gators have tallied an interception on the season. Jeremy Crawshaw ranks No. 4 in the FBS, averaging 46.2 yards per punt.
FLORIDA REBELS
Ole Miss features 10 players from Florida: QB Austin Simmons (Miami), RB Henry Parrish Jr. (Goulds), DB Jadon Canady (Jacksonville), CB Chris Graves Jr. (Fort Myers), RB Raphael Ekechi (Tampa), RB Jason Albritton (Lithia), S Andy Jaffe (Tampa), DE DeeJay Holmes Jr. (Pahokee), OL Preston Cushman (St. Petersburg) and DE Chamberlain Campbell (St. Petersburg).
OLE MISS-FLORIDA SERIES HISTORY
• This game will be the 26th all-time meeting between Ole Miss and Florida.
• The series is tied 12-12-2 dating back to its origin 1926.
• Ole Miss leads 6-4-1 in Gainesville, while Florida leads 6-2 in Oxford.
• This is Ole Miss’ first trip to Gainesville since 2015 (W, 38-10).
FLASHBACK: LAST WIN IN GAINESVILLE (at No. 4 Florida, Sept. 27, 2008)
On Sept. 27, 2008, the unranked Rebels went into The Swamp and took down the 4th-ranked Gators, 31-30, a win that proved equally as important for Ole Miss in victory as it did Florida in defeat. For Ole Miss, the win was the 600th in program history, its first over a top-five opponent since 1977, its first top-five win on the road since 1962, and it helped set the stage for a 9-4 season that ended with a Cotton Bowl victory for Houston Nutt’s first-year Rebel squad. For Florida, it spurned an iconic postgame speech from reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Tim Tebow, that inspired a dominant run to the BCS National Title, winning their remaining 10 games by an average of 33.8 points. Ole Miss QB Jevan Snead was 9-of-20 for 185 yards, two TDs, one interception and his first career rushing TD, but no play was bigger than his 86-yard pass to WR Shay Hodge that put the Rebels ahead 31-24 with 5:26 to play. DE Kentrell Lockett blocked Florida’s PAT with 3:28 left in the game to keep Ole Miss in front, stymieing what would have been a game-tying drive by Tebow on a day that saw him go 24-of-38 for 319 yards and one TD. Hodge ended the day with three catches for 133 yards and that one crucial touchdown, while RB Dexter McCluster had 60 yards and one score on the ground.
REBS IN THE POLLS
• Ole Miss ranks No. 9 in the latest CFP rankings, as well as both the AP and Coaches polls for Week 13.
• Dating back to 2021, Ole Miss has been ranked in the top-25 in 57 of the last 61 poll releases.
• Ole Miss’ current ranked streak stands at 29 consecutive appearances since the beginning of the 2023 season, which is tied with a streak of 29 straight across 2021-22 for the longest since being ranked 41 in a row from 2014-16.
• The SEC boasts seven teams in the top 25, including five within the top-10.
EYE TEST
Ole Miss remains within playoff contention in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings released on Nov. 19, jumping up to No. 9 two weeks after a historic 28-10 victory over No. 2 Georgia. The 8-2 Rebels are among several current two-loss teams vying for playoff spots down the stretch, with remaining games at Florida (Nov. 23) and at home for the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State (Nov. 29) to bolster their already strong resume.
IT JUST MEANS MORE
Ole Miss has put up impressive numbers on both sides of the ball all season long, but the Rebels have continued to do so within the toughest conference in the nation. The Rebels are currently the lone school ranked within the top-three of SEC play in scoring offense (2nd, 31.2 ppg) and scoring defense (2nd, 17.8 ppg), are currently the lone team averaging 300 passing yards per game at an SEC-play leading 327.7 yards per game, and at 33 sacks have five more than the next-best South Carolina (28) despite playing two fewer conference games. In total, the Rebels lead in eight conference-only categories and fall within the top-three of four others.
REBELS AMONG THE PFF RANKS
Ole Miss ranks among the best FBS teams nationally per Pro Football Focus, leading the SEC and ranking sixth overall in team rating (93.4). Defensively, the Rebels lead the FBS in run defense (95.4) while ranking second in pass rushing (90.3; SEC No. 1), third in tackling (88.4; SEC No. 1) and fourth in overall defensive rating (93.8; SEC No. 2). Offensively, Ole Miss leads in passing (91.6) while also ranking fourth and leading the SEC in receiving (87.2).
HIGH-FLYING OFFENSE
In the Kiffin era, the Rebel offense ranks as the most prolific in the nation, leading the FBS in yards per game since the beginning of the 2020 season at 505.2 yards per game. In terms of total yards, Ole Miss ranks second in the FBS at 29,808 yards within the Kiffin era. In that same stretch, Ole Miss ranks fifth among all FBS schools in passing (296.8) and sixth in rushing (208.5) — which makes the Rebels the lone FBS team to rank within the top-10 in both categories.
DON’T BLINK
Ole Miss is once again running a lightning-quick offense in 2024, currently ranking second in the SEC and eighth in the FBS at 23.4 seconds per play. On the season, Ole Miss owns 25 scoring drives under two minutes and 13 under one minute. Included in the latter total are three furiously fast drives under 10 seconds: two against Furman in the season opener — a 7-second drive that featured Austin Simmons’ first collegiate pass, a 35-yard touchdown strike to Cayden Lee, and a 9-second score on a 61-yard bomb from Jaxson Dart to Tre Harris — as well as an eight-second score on a 62-yard strike from Dart to Jordan Watkins at Arkansas. In the Kiffin era, Ole Miss is 34-8 when scoring first.
RACKING UP THE YARDS
Lane Kiffin’s dynamic Ole Miss offenses have single-handedly dismantled the Rebel record books, recording three of the top-five and four of the top-10 offensive seasons in school history. Kiffin owns 27 games during his Ole Miss tenure with at least 600 yards of total offense, as opposed to just 16 times total from the beginning of the Ole Miss football program in 1893 until Kiffin’s arrival in 2020. At the 700-yard plateau, Kiffin’s Rebels own five of the seven total 700-yard games in Ole Miss history, as well as seven of the top-nine performances all-time.
DOWN GOES THE PASSING RECORD…AGAIN
Ole Miss’ record-breaking aerial bombardment against Arkansas wasn’t even its first flirtation with the school passing record this season, let alone during the Lane Kiffin era. Those 562 passing yards against the Razorbacks on Nov. 2 smashed the previous record of 529 set two months earlier in the season opener against Furman on Aug. 31. And that performance came nearly one year to the day of another record setting outing, a 524-yard contest against Mercer in the 2023 season opener. Kiffin owns four of the top-six passing games in Ole Miss history, including four of the five 500-yard games all-time — two against SEC defenses. Ole Miss’ 562 yards against Arkansas rank fourth in SEC history overall (third against an SEC defense), the most since Mississippi State set the league record of 623 against LSU in 2020.
LEAD THE WAY
Senior QB Jaxson Dart stands among the more decorated signal-callers nationwide in 2024. Dart is one of four active FBS quarterbacks with 12,000 career yards of total offense, the lone QB in the SEC and the only one with 11,000 passing yards at 1,300 rushing yards. Dart owns a career line of 787-of-1,207 (65.2 percent) for 11,100 yards, 74 TD and a career rushing line of 1,350 yards and 14 scores on 354 carries. In a Rebel uniform since 2022, Dart has gone 670-of-1,018 for 9,747 yards and 65 touchdowns, while racking up 1,307 yards and 12 touchdowns rushing on 332 attempts.
LEGENDARY STATUS
Senior QB Jaxson Dart has etched his name all over Ole Miss’ record book in three highly successful seasons leading the Rebel offensive attack, but against Arkansas Dart became the winningest quarterback of Ole Miss’ modern era. At 26-9 as a starter at Ole Miss, Dart has now passed Eli Manning (24-13) and Bo Wallace (24-15) for the record. For this scenario, Ole Miss’ modern era is considered since the first career start by Archie Manning on Sept. 21, 1968 at Memphis. Verifying games started prior to Manning’s 1968 season is inconsistent via available records, as well as considering that underclassmen rarely started and the quarterback was less of a permanent position in John Vaught’s offensive scheme. One unverified source has College Football Hall of Famer Jake Gibbs at 23-3-1 as the starter of Ole Miss’ powerhouse teams from 1958-60, while several other QBs during the highly successful 1950s would have potentially high (but unlikely) win totals as well.
TOTAL OFFENSE KING
Jaxson Dart’s record-breaking performance against Arkansas also vaunted him to the top of Ole Miss’ all-time leaderboard in total offense, toppling Bo Wallace’s decade-old record of 10,478. Dart enters this week with 11,054 yards of total offense as a Rebel (12,450 in his overall career), recently passing Peyton Manning for ninth in SEC history and also becoming only the 10th in conference history to break 11,000 yards.
PASSING RECORD WITHIN RANGE
The next important milestone coming up for QB Jaxson Dart is Eli Manning’s 21-year old career passing record of 10,119, with Dart currently sitting 372 yards shy in second place. If Dart is able to surpass Manning, that would also elevate him into the SEC’s all-time top-10 and make him the 11th conference QB to ever break 10,000 yards.
ELITE DEFENSE
Under Lane Kiffin, the explosive Rebel offensive units have received a lot of attention, but the 2024 Ole Miss defense not only ranks as among the most stifling in the FBS this season, but is on pace to become one of the best in recent program history. The Rebels lead the FBS in five defensive categories — tackles for loss (103), TFL yards (447), sacks (46), sack yards (296) and yards per rush allowed (2.23) — while leading the SEC in rushing defense (79.9 ypg; FBS No. 2) and rushing touchdowns allowed (5; FBS No. 4). At 46 sacks and 103 TFL, the Rebels have flown past their entire season total for 2023 of 35 sacks and 82 TFL. Right now, the Rebels’ SEC-leading 79.9 rushing yards allowed per game would rank fifth in Ole Miss history and would be the best since 1963. Only one Rebel defense has held opponents below the century mark this millennium: the 2008 Rebel squad that ended with an 85.5 yards per game clip.
HIDE YOUR QB
Ole Miss doesn’t just own the FBS’ best pass rush, it also has what is already the best in program history. At 46 sacks, the Rebels have broken the single-season team record of 39 set twice prior in 1992 and 2021. The Rebels have notched at least four sacks in seven of their 10 games this season, with an additional five games with at least five, three with at least six and the most sacks in back-to-back games in recorded Ole Miss history after bruising Oklahoma for nine and then Arkansas for eight. Ole Miss dominated the line of scrimmage against Oklahoma, racking up nine sacks for 50 yards and 15 TFL for 79 yards. Those nine sacks tie for the most ever yielded by an Oklahoma offense, and are tied for the third-most in Ole Miss history behind 10 in 1996 against Vanderbilt and an 11-sack effort against Mississippi State in 2008. The 15 TFL, meanwhile, were Ole Miss’ most against an SEC opponent since charting 17 against Mississippi State in 2000. In terms of yards lost, both the 79 total yards lost are the most since 120 against Mississippi State in 2008, while the 50 lost via sack are the most since 54 against State in 2022. Ole Miss followed that up with a five-sack effort in a historic 28-10 upset over No. 2 Georgia, the most yielded by a Bulldog team in the regular season since 2013. More than half of Ole Miss’ season total of 447 forced yards lost have come via the QB sack (296).
PERKINS AND PRINCELY AND IVEY, OH MY
Aside from being part of the most fearsome defensive fronts in college football, Ole Miss defensive ends Jared Ivey, Suntarine Perkins and Princely Umanmielen have also formed one of the most powerful edge rush contingents in the FBS. All three rank within the top-25 nationally in sacks, with Perkins leading at sixth nationally and second in the SEC with his 10.0 sacks — already tied for the second-most in Ole Miss single-season history. Umanmielen isn’t far off, tied for seventh nationally and third in the SEC at his 9.5 sacks — six of which have come within the last three games. Ivey, meanwhile, is tied for fifth in the SEC and 22nd nationally at 7.0 — pushing him to ninth in Ole Miss career history with 16.0. Perkins had a career day against Oklahoma, sacking the Sooners four times for a loss of 14 yards in addition to 5.0 total tackles for loss and 11 total tackles. Those 4.0 sacks rank as the most by an individual Rebel defender since 1993, when Cassius Ware recorded four sacks against Georgia.
TACKLES FOR POOH
LB Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr. has consistently ranked among the top rated defenders in all of college football in 2024, currently rated as PFF’s No. 2 overall defender and No. 1 linebacker at a season grade of 90.9. Paul Jr. is the lone linebacker in the SEC to have a grade in the 90s by PFF, and he also ranks as the No. 5 coverage defender in the FBS at a 90.4 grade. Paul Jr. leads Ole Miss with 74 total tackles and ranks third on the team with 10.0 TFL alongside 2.5 sacks, nine QB hurries, four pass breakups and one fumble recovery. Paul Jr. is currently a semifinalist for both the Bednarik Award and Butkus Award.
GIVE JJ THE ROCK!
Ole Miss senior DT, Wuerffel Trophy semifinalist and Chucky Mullins Award winner JJ Pegues isn’t just a great defender or a caring member of the Oxford community: he’s also the not-so-secret offensive weapon for the Rebels. In his career, Pegues has scored seven TD since coming home to Lafayette County: a one-yard receiving TD in the 2022 Egg Bowl, and six rushing scores so far this season. Since 2015, Pegues is among 13 total FBS defenders to score at least five rushing touchdowns, and one of two defensive linemen in that span alongside UConn’s Jelani Stafford in 2023 (6). Offensive prowess is no stranger to Pegues, though, who was a top-10 prospect nationally coming out of Oxford High School as a tight end before switching to defensive tackle while at Auburn. At six touchdowns for 36 points this season, Pegues is the all-time leading points scorer by Chucky Mullins Award winners, and he is the first to score those points on offense.
UNSTOPPABLE
WR Jordan Watkins didn’t just have a career day at Arkansas — he had an otherworldly day. Watkins was the key cog in Ole Miss’ record-breaking offensive explosion against the Razorbacks, breaking the single-game school records in both receiving yards (254) and touchdowns (5) on eight catches. His five receiving scores tied the SEC single-game record, making him one of six in SEC history to ever haul in five touchdown passes and the first since Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt against Alabama in 2022. His 254 yards, meanwhile, constituted the 12th game of 250 yards receiving in SEC history, and it made him one of two receivers in SEC history with 250 yards and five scores in the same game alongside Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith’s 2019 performance against Ole Miss. Since 2013, Watkins is among five FBS receivers nationally to haul in five touchdowns in one game, and one of three total to add on 250 yards through the air. Prior to Nov. 2, Watkins’ single-game receiving career-highs were 119 yards and one touchdown.
WIDE OPEN WATKINS
Jordan Watkins has been a deep threat since first arriving at Ole Miss, as evidenced by his seven career receptions of at least 60 yards as a Rebel. That includes an FBS-leading four catches of at least 60 this season, three of which came for TDs in a record-setting day at Arkansas. That game, all eight of Watkins’ catches went for a least a first down, averaging a whopping 31.8 yards per reception against the Razorbacks. Per PFF, Watkins has the second-highest yards per route run when targeted at least 20 yards downfield in the FBS at 26.5, hauling in nine of his 16 targets beyond 20 yards for 424 yards and five TDs. Teammate Tre Harris also ranks on this list in fifth at 23.73 yards per route run.
