Vegas favors No. 21 Gators against No. 4 Ole Miss, but Jon Sumrall isn’t betting on it
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GAINESVILLE — Florida coach Jon Sumrall isn’t a betting man.
If he were, he might have a tough time putting his hard-earned cash on the Gators to beat Ole Miss on Saturday in the Swamp.
Sumrall was incredulous Monday when told Florida is a 3.5-point favorite in a battle of unbeatens.
“Who’s got us favored against these guys?” he said of the Rebels, who are coming off off an emotional 32-24 win against then-No. 7 LSU and former coach Lane Kiffin in Oxford, Mississippi.
Vegas oddsmakers’ track record of baffling bettors didn’t impress the 44-year-old coach.
“There’s a lot of good drugs out there, huh?” he joked.
Florida’s rebuild appears ahead of schedule after this past weekend’s 44-39 win at Auburn moved the No. 21 Gators (3-0) into the rankings, while setting up an SEC showdown with No. 4 Rebels (3-0) at the coveted 3:30 p.m. time slot.
Yet, Sumrall’s squad will embrace an underdog mentality this week despite being favored by more than a field goal.
“Nobody ever wins a game on paper,” sophomore receiver Vernell Brown III said Monday.
Few teams, though, hold a home-field advantage like the Swamp.
“We may get added points in Vegas for home-field advantage, like more than normal,” Sumrall said.
Florida expects its 21st consecutive sellout Saturday for the Rebels and quarterback Trindad Chambliss. The Heisman favorite, Chambliss leads the SEC with an average of 308 passing yards, while completing 70% of his throws for seven touchdowns and two interceptions.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior’s 14-yard touchdown scamper with 6:14 remaining showcased his dual-threat abilities and was the difference against LSU. It was the ninth time Chambliss has delivered the go-ahead score during the fourth quarter and pushed his record as a starter to 14-2.
“They got the best quarterback in college football,” Sumrall said.
Sumrall’s opinion certainly carries weight.
The Rebels beat Sumrall’s 2025 Tulane team twice by a combined score of 86-20, with Chambliss accounting for 597 yards and three touchdowns passing, along with 148 rushing yards and two scores.
“He’s as good a college football player I’ve ever seen with my own two eyes,” Sumrall said.
Meanwhile, the Gators’ propensity for penalties has been an eyesore for their coach.
Since the second half off the Gators’ 52-3 win Sept. 12 against Campbell, Florida has drawn 23 flags for 213 yards.
Sumrall said he didn’t agree with all the calls. He even sent a few to the SEC office to review.
At the same time, he told his team Monday enough is enough.
“We were not free of guilt on all of them,” he said. “There was plenty of them we were in the wrong. In the team meeting this morning, they got called out.
“There ain’t no hiding.”
Sumrall highlighted three penalties, in particular.
Especially galling to him: A taunting penalty on tight end Evan Chieca after Jadan Baugh’s 53-yard touchdown, a personal foul by Caden Jones after a Patrick Durkin field goal and a personal foul on Dallas Wilson for blocking an Auburn defender who was out of bounds.
Sumrall was more tolerant of Wilson’s penalty, because he showed the aggressiveness his coaches demand when blocking.
Even so, Sumrall said, “Those are the three that we can’t do ever.”
Defensive breakdowns against Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown were another concern as Florida prepares to face Chambliss.
Sumrall was still smarting Monday after Brown’s 35-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-13 cut Florida’s lead to five with 24 seconds to go.
“The last touchdown they had makes me want to puke watching it — just really bad football,” Sumrall said.
There still was as much good as bad on defense, including seven Florida sacks.
Meanwhile, Buster Faulkner’s offense has played at a level last seen when Kyle Trask quarterbacked the 2020 team with All-America pass catchers Kyle Pitts and Kadarius Toney.
Florida averages 54 points entering this game, which is shaping up to be a must-see shootout.
“It’s fun just going out there and being able to execute what we practice with my guys,” Brown said.
If Florida can make more plays against Ole Miss on Saturday, the Gators could enter the College Football Playoff conversation just four games into Sumrall’s tenure.
To keep his Gators grounded, Sumrall told his players Monday their efforts thus far will not be good enough.
“I showed them all the bad from the game and how that will cost us, and made very clear how good the opponent is this week,” he said. “If we play like we did last week or the previous week, really any of the weeks we played so far this year, we will not win Saturday.
“No chance.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
Up next
What: Ole Miss (3-0) at UF (3-0)
When: 3:30 p.m., Saturday
Where:Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville
TV: ABC
Favorite: Florida by 3.5 points
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