Florida Gators Upset No. 9 Ole Miss 24-17 in The Swamp, Clinches Bowl Eligibility
By Noah White, FloridaGators.com // November 23, 2024
ABOVE VIDEO: Danny Kanell, Mackenzie Brooks, and Damien Harris join CBS Sports HQ to recap Florida’s upset win over No. 9 Ole Miss
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA (Florida Gators)– It appears that 67 degrees is when hell freezes over in The Swamp.
On a chilly (by Florida standards) late-November afternoon, the Florida defense dominated in the grandest moments. Ninth-ranked Ole Miss entered the contest with the Gators leading the Southeastern Conference in scoring (40.7 points per game) and near the top of the national standings in multiple categories.
The Rebels finished Saturday’s game with 464 yards, but it was all Florida on the most significant plays.
Ole Miss — specifically head coach Lane Kiffin — has been known for its aggressive nature in third- and fourth-down situations. The Rebels entered their penultimate regular-season contest with 21 fourth-down conversion attempts and had been successful on 12 for a 57.14% rate. Against Florida, the Rebels attempted another four.
The first came in the opening quarter, with Ole Miss having driven down the field to the Florida 11-yard line. The Rebels brought well-documented defensive tackle and part-time linebacker-punisher JJ Pegues in to pick up a 4th-and-1. The 325-pounder rushed to the right, but the Florida defensive line met him immediately. Eleven plays later, UF scored to take an early lead.
And that’s how the game went — when Ole Miss picked up third and fourth downs, it would sometimes score, but more often than not, the Gators held up in their 24-17 win at sold-out Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
“It was just confidence,” UF defensive tackle Caleb Banks said. “We knew we were a great defensive line. We just needed to believe in ourselves.”
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