Gators Q&A: Can the Gators slow down the Lane Train at Ole Miss?
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GAINESVILLE — Florida heads to Ole Miss with coach Lane Kiffin the headliner on both sidelines.
Kiffin’s No. 6 Rebels (9-1, 5-1 SEC) continue to pursue a spot in the CFP after missing out in 2024 when the Gators stunned Ole Miss Nov. 23 in the Swamp.
UF athletic director Scott Stricklin, in the process of making his third football hire, and a fan base hungry for excitement and wins arrive in pursuit of the show pony in a competitive coaching carousel, featuring an opening at LSU, among others.
As the slough to the finish line of a lost season continues, what happens on the field is less relevant to Florida than the questions and dynamics surrounding Kiffin’s decision to stay or go.
Can the Gators slow down the Lane Train?
Good luck.
Florida’s defense was overrun during a 38-7 loss Kentucky, allowing the Wildcats to score their most points this season against a Power Four foe. The Gators now prepare to face one of the nation’s top offenses and play callers
Ole Miss is an efficient, high-scoring machine.
The Rebels have scored a nation-leading 50 times in 55 trips inside their opponents 20-yard line. Their 36 red-zone touchdowns are fourth nationally for a team-averaging 37.5 points, ranking 13th.
Kiffin might be able to name the score as he attacks the Gators from all angles.
Dual-threat quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has 2,790 total yards, including 434 rushing, and 19 touchdowns, including six on the ground; tailback Kewan Lacy is second in the SEC with 912 rushing yards and first with 16 touchdowns; four pass catchers average more than 15 yards a catch.
The Rebels lead the nation in pass plays longer than 20 yards (52) and 30 yards (30).
Before the Kentucky collapse, Florida’s defense kept the Gators in games. Those days are likely over in Oxford.
Will Florida’s players put their best foot forward?
This is more than a football game.
It’s an audition, less so for Kiffin, whose resumé with the Rebels and offensive acumen have positioned him as the clear-cut favorite to become UF’s next head coach.
UF players will push past Saturday’s 38-7 debacle at Kentucky to convince Kiffin to keep them, rather than blow up the roster and raid the transfer portal.
“I keep telling them that every rep you take is your resume and keep doing a great job what you put on film is who you are as a player,” interim coach Billy Gonzales said.
Gonzales also wants the Gators to put up a fight. When he stepped in after Billy Napier’s Oct. 19 ouster, the 54-year-old receivers coach made it clear he’d like to stick around.
How are Florida fans received, and how do they react?
The Magnolia State’s renowned hospitality could take a weekend off. The Grove, arguably the SEC’s best tailgating scene, might not be too welcoming.
The Gators, after all, are looking to poach the Rebels’ coach during the program’s best run during modern era. Another win will mark three consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time in Oxford. The only time Ole Miss had two in a row was 1959-60, when Johnny Vaught’s teams won 10 of 11 games, along with the 1960 national title.
If things get ugly, Florida fans who make the trip could find themselves switching allegiances, cheering Kiffin’s offensive fireworks with fingers crossed he’ll do the same next season in the Swamp.
Will anyone else opt out?
Sophomore wide receiver Tank Hawkins decided he’d had enough, even though he had his best opportunity yet as a Gator.
Hawkins decided to redshirt ahead of Kentucky, despite injuries to Dallas Wilson and Tre Wilson and Vernell Brown III and Aidan Mizell back after sitting out the Georgia game.
Rather than seizing his chance to shine, Hawkins told Gonzales, his position coach, he was going to sit out the rest of the season. After playing consecutive games, Hawkins still had yet to appear in more than four and negate his ability to redshirt.
“I respect that 100%,” Gonzales said. “Tank was very, very, very, very professional in the way that he approached it. He said, ‘Coach, I’d like to (redshirt).’ I understand that, and so definitely granted that.”
As of Monday, Gonzales said he’d yet to receive similar requests, though the pool is limited.
An intriguing candidate is backup quarterback Tramell Jones Jr., who has appeared in two games with three to go but could be in line to replace struggling start DJ Lagway.
Another option to opt out is true freshman receiver Naeshaun Montgomery, who has played in three games. Defensive tackle Tarvorise Brown’s appearance in Kentucky marked his second game.
“There’s a couple players that are on that cusp,” Gonzales said. “That might be one more game or two games. But our job is to try to make sure that our players are put in a good position that way.”
Meanwhile, several key players are in line to receive medical redshirts: defensive tackle Caleb Banks, defensive back Aaron Gates, linebacker Grayson Howard, tailback Ja’Kobi Jackson, cornerback Dijon Johnson, edge rusher LJ McCray and receiver Dallas Wilson.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
UF (3-6, 2-4 SEC) at Ole Miss (9-1, 5-1)
When: 7 p.m., Saturday
Where:Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford
TV: ESPN
Favorite: Ole Miss by 16.5 points
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