Expert predictions, picks for Florida football vs Ole Miss in Week 4 - Gators Wire
The Jon Sumrall era in Gainesville has started splendidly with Florida football out to its first 3-0 start of the decade. It has been a while since the Gator Nation experienced this much early success — especially on offense, which has been steamrolling the opposition so far.
However, Sumrall and Co. are up against the biggest challenge of their nascent tenure with the Orange and Blue as the Ole Miss Rebels, ranked fourth in the AP Top 25 and sixth in the US LBM Coaches Poll, come to town on Saturday for a Week 4 contest. Florida ranks 21st and 22nd, respectively, in those rankings.
Ahead of the SEC showdown in the Swamp, the Gators Wire staff convened to offer their expert predictions and picks for the Florida-Ole Miss game. Take a look below at what we had to say.
Florida showed plenty of imperfections in its SEC opener — mainly the 15 penalties for 130-plus yards. However, the Gators also proved they can win a shootout. In fact, Buster Faulkner's offense is averaging over 50 points per game this season. This week, the challenge gets significantly tougher. Ole Miss comes to town with one of college football's best under center in Trinidad Chambliss.
A key indicator early in the game will be whether Florida's front that generated seven sacks at Auburn can make Chambliss uncomfortable. Star Rebels running back Kewan Lacy's absence should take at least a little pressure off the Gators' front, allowing them to focus more on Chambliss.
But the Gators' best defense might be its offense. A heavy dose of Jadan Baugh and Duke Clark in an effort to control possession and shorten the game seems like a strong strategy to employ this week. The Gators should lean on Philo's short and intermediate accuracy while keeping the Rebels' defense off balance with well-timed play-action and misdirection. I believe the Swamp will become a weapon on Saturday, propelling the Florida defense to one final stop to seal it. — Michael Long
Florida passed its first major test last weekend against Auburn. While Jon Sumrall and Co. out-duked the Tigers, it was far from a perfect performance — particularly the penalty issue once again reared its head. The offense overall still looks potent and the defense, despite a few letdowns, appears to be rounding into form.
Ole Miss represents the Gators' biggest challenge so far this season and is a formidable foe. But with a raucous Swamp crowd behind them at home, they should undoubtedly have the edge. The key will be improvements in both team discipline and defensive play. If Florida can play a clean, tight game, it should prevail for its first 4-0 start since 2019. — Adam Dubbin
Florida conquered Auburn, and had the Gators not committed 16 penalties, the score would've been more lopsided. They now face stiffer competition and arguably the best quarterback in the country in Trinidad Chambliss.
We know the Gators can score with the best of them, but will the defense do enough to contain Chambliss and not let him dictate the flow of the contest? If Florida’s defense continues to assert itself and consistently get pressure as it did against Auburn, then the Gators can walk out with a victory. — Michael Trim Jr.
This is the part of the season where we get our hopes up, right? Feels like it. Auburn was supposed to tell us whether Florida was ready to compete in the SEC, and the Gators responded by walking into Jordan-Hare and looking like the better team for most of the night. I'm not sure it answered as many questions as expected, though.
Ole Miss is a much tougher test, and Trinidad Chambliss is exactly the type of quarterback who can punish the containment issues Byrum Brown exposed last week. Florida got to Brown seven times, which is encouraging, but it also let him create too much when plays broke down.
I think Florida is good enough to win this game. I’m just not convinced it plays clean enough yet to beat a team this dangerous. An early fall is easier to get back up from than a late one, too… — David Rosenberg
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