Florida rolls past Ole Miss and Trinidad Chambliss to remain unbeaten
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida entered the College Football Playoff conversation and completed a perfect September while bringing Heisman frontrunner Trinidad Chambliss and No. 4 Ole Miss back to earth Saturday in the Swamp.
The No. 21 Gators’ 52-28 win was their first against a top-five opponent since a 38-10 rout of then-No. 3 Ole Miss in 2015 at home as Florida remained unbeaten under first-year coach Jon Sumrall.
With a sellout crowd of 90,683 looking on, Florida (4-0, 2-0) rode another explosive day by Buster Faulkner’s offense to hold off a second-half surge by Chambliss.
Star running back Jadan Baugh recorded his fifth consecutive 100-yard game while sophomore backup Duke Clark recorded his first as a collegian on a day when the Gators piled up 302 rushing yards against the Rebels (3-1, 1-1 SEC).
Despite playing without All-SEC tailback Kewan Lacy, who injured his left shoulder last week against LSU, Chambliss and the Ole Miss offense awoke from a sleepy first half and shook off their LSU hangover to keep pace.
A week after an emotional home win against the Tigers and former coach Lane Kiffin in Oxford, Miss., the Rebels quickly trailed 10-0 against Florida before their star quarterback had even thrown a pass.
Ole Miss trailed 17-6 at halftime as Baugh scored his ninth and 10th touchdowns of 2026 on short runs. But Chambliss cut the lead to 17-14 less than two minutes into the third quarter.
A 49-yard completion to Deuce Alexander highlighted a five-play drive ending with Chambliss’ 8-yard scoring run. He connected with Horatio Fields for a two-point conversion cut the lead to 17-14.
Florida, though, quickly responded behind a 45-yard touchdown run by Clark extending his team’s advantage to 24-14.
The 6-foot-2, 208-pound Clark broke through the line and juked two defenders, including former Florida defensive back Shariff Denson, and outraced backup safety Andy Jaffe to the end zone.
Jaffe was in the game because officials ejected starter Joenel Aguero during the first half for targeting Gators’ receiver Bailey Stockton.
Chambliss answered, this time with a 14-play, 74-yard drive capped by his 10-yard scoring run to cut the lead to 24-21 with 5:21 remaining in the third quarter.
A shootout in the Swamp was taking shape. Instead, Florida steadily pulled away.
A 74-yard kickoff return by third-string tailback London Montgomery gave Florida the ball on the Ole Miss 26, leading to a 1-yard keeper by quarterback Aaron Philo for a 31-21 Florida lead.
On Ole Miss’ next possession, Gators’ sophomore edge rusher Jayden Woods forced a Chambliss fumble that star linebacker Myles Graham recovered. Chambliss sat on the field dejected and hanging his head, surely aware his defense was on its heels.
Chambliss ended the game with a 298 passing yards, a touchdown and a late interception, his second turnover against the Gators.
After his fumble, the Gators extended their advantage to 38-21 early in the fourth quarter on a 6-yard touchdown by sophomore receiver Dallas Wilson on an end-around.
Ole Miss then drove 76 yards in just four plays covering 81 seconds, culminating with Chambliss’ 2-yard scoring toss to Alexander to make it 38-28. The series proved the Rebels’ last gasp as Florida’s offense continued to apply the pressure en route to a 498-yard day against the SEC’s 15th-ranked defense.
Baugh’s 2-yard TD run to cap the scoring with four minutes was his third of the day, and 11th in just four games. The 6-foot, 222-pound junior struck a Heisman pose in the left corner of the south end zone, ending his day with 142 yards on 29 carries.
Clark added 126 yards on just 12 attempts as Florida closed September undefeated for the first time since 2019.
Seeking their first 5-0 start since that season ended with an Orange Bowl win, the Gators hit the road next week for Missouri, where the Tigers have won three of the schools’ past four meetings in Colombia, Mo.
Having scored at least 44 points in four wins, Florida has not been much-improved under Sumrall. The 44-year-old lost twice to the Ole Miss last season while at Tulane by a combined score of 86-20.
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