Some SEC teams have a history of struggles against other SEC teams.
Georgia has an Alabama problem, Texas has a Georgia problem, Mississippi State has problems with everyone except Arkansas and, apparently, Alabama has an Oklahoma problem.
Ole Miss was almost added to that list with “a Florida problem” but that dilemma came to an end Saturday night in a 34-24 win for the Rebels. No. 3 Texas A&M also was nearly added to that list with “a South Carolina problem.”
You got to love SEC football.
We’ll call that a free random thought and here are 10 more after the Rebels won their 10th game of the season:
Random Thought #1
For 30 minutes, it looked like Ole Miss was playing the Florida team that upset Texas a month ago and not the one that lost to Kentucky last week.
Flashbacks to a year ago were common and this writer spent part of halftime looking at the most recent College Football Playoff rankings to see how far the Rebels might fall.
But, alas, Ole Miss shutout Florida in the second half, scored 14 points and kept its dreams of going to a playoff alive.
Random Thought #2
Congratulations to Kewan Lacy on setting a new single-season rushing touchdown record. I
Saturday was a big night for Lacy. Not only did he set the record, he also ran the ball 31 times for 224 yards (7.2 yards per carry) and three touchdowns. He didn’t have any negative runs, either.
Have a day @kewanlacy22‼️
31 Carries
224 Yards
3 Touchdowns pic.twitter.com/5IURlZXSeD— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 16, 2025
“He’s elite,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said. “I think in the second half of the season, he’s gotten stronger, which is highly unusual. That’s unusual because you get wear and tear normally throughout the year. Really, maybe Derrick Henry is the only one we’ve had like that that got stronger. He carried the ball 90 times in the Iron Bowl and SEC Championship against Florida in a seven-day span. And I think Kewan could do something like that.”
That’s pretty good company to be mentioned with for Lacy.
Random Thought #3
During his post-game press conference, Kiffin was asked multiple times about his coaching future and whether it’d be in Oxford or Gainesville. At one point he was directly asked if he would be the Ole Miss head coach next season.
Kiffin never directly answered the questions. There were no pronouncements about a new contract or desire to stay in Oxford and why should he?
Ole Miss fans understandably want clarity, but Kiffin is one of the most talked about people right now and that pool isn’t limited to just sports.
Jerry Jones once famously said any publicity is good publicity and all this talk is great publicity for Kiffin and the Ole Miss program.
Random Thought #4
Two big pass plays and an interception are the reasons why Florida led at halftime and made Ole Miss fans very nervous.
And the sequence could’ve been fatal because the interception came after the gators’ first 50-plus yard pass completion that set up DJ Lagway’s five-yard touchdown run.
On the first play of the ensuing drive, Trinidad Chambliss threw an interception and the Gators took possession inside the 10 yard line and got a 14-10 lead.
How the Rebels responded after that could’ve been bad, but they answered right back with De’Zhaun Stribling’s 43-yard touchdown catch.
Random Thought #5
The first half feels like it was a bad half for Ole Miss, but maybe it was just a really good half by Florida?
The Rebels had five possessions in the first half and all but one ended in points being scored. Florida had six total possessions and scored points on the final four possessions.
So, maybe it was a mix of a bad first half for the Rebels and good first half for the Gators.
Random Thought #6
How does a team run for 237 yards and allow five sacks in the same game? It’s not a major concern considering the final score and that Florida does have a lot of talented players on its roster. But it did give me some pause.
Random Thought #7
With Aflac now having its logo on the field at Vaught Hemingway Stadium, was I the only person waiting to see if Kiffin showed up in one of those commercials with Nick Saban and Deion Sanders?
I was? OK, good to know.
Random Thought #8
We should see Ole Miss up at least one spot in Tuesday’s updated CFP rankings thanks to No. 4 Alabama’s loss to No. 11 Oklahoma.
The Rebels probably struggled too much against Florida to warrant a leap over No. 6 Texas Tech, even if the road win against the Sooners looks a lot better now.
Random Thought #9
The Egg Bowl in two weeks could be very interesting.
Ole Miss will be playing for a spot in the playoff. Mississippi State will be playing for bowl eligibility and the game will be in Starkville.
A lot more than a golden egg will be on the line.
Random Thought #10
We’ll get more into this later, but if you want an early Egg Bowl prediction just look at these two stats from Saturday night games.
Lacy vs. Florida: 31 runs, 224 yards, 7.2 ypc, 3 touchdowns.
Ahmad Hardy vs. Mississippi State: 25 runs, 300 yards, 12 ypc, 3 touchdowns.
Feel free to make your own deductions.
