Florida football vs Ole Miss: Revisiting 17 years of Gators dominance since the 2008 upset
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Florida football heads up to face the Ole Miss Rebels this week, carrying a 17-year reminder of how this series has flipped.
The last time the Rebels actually beat the Florida Gators was that 2008 shocker in the Swamp — the one that sparked Tim Tebow's "promise" and helped launch Florida to a national title.
Since then? It's been all Gators.
Every matchup that's followed has had a different Florida head coach, a different SEC landscape and, most of the time, a different style of game.
But the result has stayed the same: Florida has handled Ole Miss four straight times after that 2008 loss, from shootouts to nail-biters.
As the Orange and Blue make a return to Oxford, Miss., here's how the series has played out since Ole Miss' last win over Florida.
2015: Florida buries No. 3 Ole Miss
No. 25 Florida 38, No. 3 Ole Miss 10 — Oct. 3, 2015(Gainesville)
Will Grier threw four first-half touchdown passes to lead the Gators to a 25-0 halftime lead over the third-ranked Rebels. The Gators' defense overwhelmed Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly and company, forcing three turnovers and limiting Ole Miss to 328 total yards. The 38-10 rout vaulted Florida into the national spotlight and served as payback for 2008.
2020: Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts and a yardage avalanche in Oxford
No. 5 Florida 51, Ole Miss 35 — Sept. 26, 2020 (Oxford)
Kyle Trask threw for 416 yards and six touchdowns — four of the scores to tight end Kyle Pitts — as Florida piled up 642 yards in a wild shootout. Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral helped the Rebels put up some points, but Florida's offense never slowed down. It was Dan Mullen's first game of the pandemic season and a statement that Florida's passing attack was among the best in college football.
2024: Florida's defense steals one back
Florida 24, No. 9 Ole Miss 17 — Nov. 23, 2024 (Gainesville)
Behind freshman quarterback DJ Lagway and a resurgent defense, Florida stunned the ninth-ranked Rebels to secure bowl eligibility. Lagway threw two first-half touchdowns, and Montrell Johnson Jr. scored the game-winner out of the wildcat in the fourth quarter. The Gators intercepted Jaxson Dart twice in the final 90 seconds to preserve a gritty 24-17 win.
Coaching through the years
Every Florida win over Ole Miss since 2008 has come under a different head coach. Jim McElwain led the 2015 rout, Mullen's offense exploded in 2020 and Billy Napier manned the upset last year.
Now, in 2025, interim head coach Billy Gonzales will look to extend that streak and make it five straight for the Gators. 17 years after that shocking loss, Florida hasn't let it happen again — no matter who's been in charge.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football vs Ole Miss history: 17 years since upset over Tebow
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