Ole Miss knows firsthand how dangerous Florida can be when the Gators get rolling.
Three weeks ago, Florida embarrassed the Rebels in Gainesville, rushing for 302 yards and six touchdowns in a 52-28 victory that exposed significant problems with the Ole Miss defense.
Last Saturday, the same Florida team knocked off Texas 27-24 in Austin. But this time, the Gators didn’t need an overwhelming rushing performance to pull off the upset.
Instead, Florida provided a different kind of blueprint for beating the Longhorns, one that Ole Miss might be able to follow Saturday.
Against the Rebels, Florida totaled 498 yards of offense, including 302 on the ground. Running backs Jadan Baugh and Duke Clark each surpassed 100 rushing yards as the Gators averaged 5.7 yards per carry.
Against Texas, however, Florida managed just 313 total yards, including 158 rushing yards on 46 carries. That’s an average of only 3.4 yards per rushing attempt.
Yet the Gators still found a way to win.
The biggest difference was Florida’s ability to sustain drives and keep the Longhorns’ offense on the sideline.
Florida controlled possession for 38 minutes and 11 seconds, running 81 offensive plays compared with just 50 for Texas.
The Gators converted eight of their 19 third-down opportunities and both fourth-down attempts. That included a pivotal 15-play, 69-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter that consumed more than eight minutes and tied the game at 17.
Later, Florida put together a 14-play, 57-yard drive that lasted another six-plus minutes and produced the go-ahead field goal.
Those possessions weren’t particularly explosive. They were simply effective.
Meanwhile, Texas struggled to find any offensive rhythm.
The Longhorns gained just 272 total yards, managed only 13 first downs and converted two of 10 third-down opportunities. Florida also sacked Arch Manning five times, including a strip-sack late in the fourth quarter that ended Texas’ comeback hopes.
That’s where Ole Miss might find some opportunities.
The Rebels enter Saturday averaging 444.5 yards and 37.5 points per game, considerably more than Texas’ averages of 361.3 yards and 30.2 points.
Ole Miss has also been significantly more successful on third downs, converting 47.9% of its opportunities compared with Texas’ 41.7%.
And while Florida relied on long, methodical drives, the Rebels have the potential to attack Texas in a different way.
Trinidad Chambliss has thrown for 1,676 yards and 14 touchdowns, while Deuce Alexander leads a receiving corps capable of producing explosive plays.
Ole Miss has also been outstanding in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on 21 of its 24 trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
Of course, the Rebels can’t simply assume their offensive success will continue against Texas.
The Longhorns have one of the nation’s best defenses, allowing only 272.5 total yards and 17.8 points per game. Florida’s success came despite that defensive strength, not because Texas suddenly became easy to move the ball against.
There’s also the matter of Ole Miss’ defense.
Florida’s five sacks against Texas played a major role in the upset, and the Rebels will need to create similar problems for Manning.
Encouragingly for Ole Miss, its defensive front has shown improvement since the Florida loss, recording five sacks over its past two games while holding Missouri to just 39 rushing yards in a 31-3 victory.
Perhaps the most important lesson from Florida’s win is that beating Texas doesn’t necessarily require a spectacular offensive performance.
It requires sustained drives, timely defensive stops and avoiding the mistakes that allow the Longhorns to capitalize on their considerable talent.
Florida demonstrated that formula last Saturday.
Now Ole Miss gets its chance to see whether it can produce a similar result.
