Before the biggest game of the season, The Swamp gets a legend. Former Florida All-American safety Louis Oliver is the honorary Mr. Two Bits for today's showdown with No. 4 Ole Miss. He'll lead the cheer in front of a packed Swamp — and there isn't a better man for the job. A Gator great Oliver played at Florida from 1985 to 1988 and became one of the great defensive players in school history: a two-time first-team All-American and two-time first-team All-SEC safety, a two-time Academic All-American and a first-round NFL draft pick. He went on to an eight-season NFL career with the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals. But in Gainesville, he's remembered first as a Gator — a hitter, a leader, and one of the great defensive backs to ever wear the orange and blue. The tradition Mr. Two Bits is one of the great traditions in college football. It started in 1949 with George Edmondson, a Tampa insurance salesman who led the "Two Bits" cheer from the stands for nearly 60 years. In recent years, students and famous alumni have taken over the role during pregame, with a higher-profile guest usually tapped for the biggest games. Before every home game, the honorary Two Bits leads the crowd in the cheer — and in a game this big, that moment sets the tone for the entire afternoon. The era he represents Oliver's Gator years — 1985 through 1988 — were some of the most talent-loaded seasons in school history. Those defenses were ferocious, and Oliver was the eraser in the secondary: an All-American who could cover the whole field and hit like a linebacker. Gator fans of a certain age remember exactly what it felt like to watch him patrol the back end of The Swamp. Today's crowd gets to welcome him home for the biggest game of the season. Why today matters This isn't just any Saturday. No. 21 vs. No. 4. Both teams 3-0. A first 4-0 start since 2019 on the line. A series tied 13-13-1. Having a Gator legend fire up the crowd before kickoff is the perfect start to the biggest home game of the Jon Sumrall era. The Swamp will be loud today. It always is. But when Louis Oliver leads the Two Bits cheer, it'll be deafening. Welcome home, Louis. Lead the chomp. 🐊 Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated Louis Oliver's years at Florida, the length of his NFL career and the series record. Oliver played at Florida from 1985 to 1988 and spent eight seasons in the NFL (1989-96), and the series was tied 13-13-1 entering Saturday.

GAINESVILLE — Trinidad Chambliss got his yards. Florida got the plays that decided the game. No. 21 Florida’s 52-28 win over No. 4 Ole Miss on Saturday will be remembered for Jadan Baugh and Duke Clark each running for more than 100 yards. But the Gators’ defense and special teams tipped the night. Florida scored 31 of its 52 points on possessions that began with a fourth-down stop, a takeaway or a long return. Florida had no turnovers; Ole Miss had two. “There’s a handful of plays that swing it. And we made a lot of those critical plays tonight,” coach Jon Sumrall said after the game. Woods takes it away The biggest swing came late in the third quarter. Florida led 31-21, but Ole Miss had reached the Florida 40. On first-and-10 with 2:47 left in the quarter, Jayden Woods came off the edge, sacked Chambliss for a 3-yard loss and knocked the ball loose. Myles Graham recovered at the Florida 43. The Gators went 57 yards in seven plays, and Dallas Wilson’s 6-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter made it 38-21. “I just remember coming off the edge, I remember I tried to swipe. Didn’t quite hit. So I brought with a rip. Of course, like I’m taught. And then just ran the hoop,” Woods said. “And then as soon as I ran the hoop, I saw he was right there and his eyes were downfield, and first instinct is to go for the ball.” Woods said he “kind of blacked out” after he came off the edge. “Our offense was doing their thing all night. So I don’t want to credit it to just one play, but it was good to give the ball back to our offense,” Woods said. Fourth-and-1 sets the tone The first stop came on Ole Miss’ opening possession. Facing fourth-and-1 at its own 35, Ole Miss gave the ball to JT Lindsey, and Aaron Chiles dropped him for a 4-yard loss. Lindsey fumbled when Chiles hit him but fell on the ball, and Florida took over on downs at the Ole Miss 31. Three plays later, Patrick Durkin made a 49-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead. “I think that just ignited the stadium,” Sumrall said. “And unbelievable effort by our guys, Aaron Chiles and those guys that came in to make that stop.” Ole Miss did not score a touchdown in the first half, settling for two Lucas Carneiro field goals. By GatorBait’s count of ESPN’s play-by-play, the Rebels were 0-for-5 on third down before halftime. They finished 4-of-11. Woods called the defense’s approach “a bend but don’t break mentality.” Montgomery answers When Ole Miss got rolling after halftime, London Montgomery answered twice. Chambliss’ 8-yard touchdown run and two-point pass cut Florida’s lead to 17-14 early in the third quarter. Montgomery returned the kickoff 41 yards to the Florida 41, and four plays later Clark broke a 45-yard touchdown run. After Chambliss’ 10-yard touchdown run made it 24-21, Montgomery went 74 yards to the Ole Miss 26. Three plays later, Aaron Philo scored from a yard out. Montgomery finished with three kickoff returns for 128 yards. “The first kickoff return that we did bring out wasn’t a great one. But the next two were huge plays,” Sumrall said. “I think we won the special teams battle,” he said. “You could tell that we put a lot of emphasis on it.” Stockton, Clark and Coleman Sumrall said Bailey Stockton took “a pretty significant shot to his back” on the play that drew a targeting flag. Midway through the fourth quarter, Stockton returned an Ole Miss punt 25 yards to the Ole Miss 44. A holding penalty moved the start back to the Florida 37, and the Gators still went 63 yards in eight plays for Baugh’s third touchdown and a 52-28 lead. “To go out and make the play he did was very impressive,” Sumrall said. Alec Clark punted only twice, for 113 yards. His 70-yarder late in the first half went out of bounds at the Ole Miss 2. Sumrall said the staff had hoped to force a fair catch and try a rare fair-catch kick before halftime. DJ Coleman had the last word. With Ole Miss at the Florida 22 and 2:36 left, he intercepted Chambliss at the Florida 5. Next: Missouri Florida (4-0, 2-0 SEC) plays at Missouri on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 3:30 p.m. ET in Columbia.

Kerwin Bell (L) and Aaron Philo A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday afternoon: Have you taken the time to notice the similarity? If you are old enough and you remember 1984, then you probably recall a certain No. 12, a walk-on from tiny Mayo (population 1,055) where dairy cows outnumber people probably 10-1. Kerwin Bell became Florida’s starter by default when Dale Dorminey suffered a torn ACL in practice just prior to the season-opener in Tampa with 1983 national champ Miami in the Big Sombrero. All he did was lead the Gators to a 9-1-1 record, SEC Player of the Year and an SEC championship that was stripped away in the spring by a vote of the league’s presidents. In 1985, Kerwin led the Gators to a second straight 9-1-1 record, which again was best in the SEC, but NCAA sanctions made them ineligible for the championship. Despite the harsh sanctions, the Gators went 12-11 the next two years, quite an achievement considering the depleted roster. Kerwin took a beating those last two seasons but delivered some memorable wins including a heart stopping 18-17 comeback against No. 5 Auburn. Future Gator quarterbacks put up Star Wars numbers and two – Danny Wuerffel and Tim Tebow – won Heisman trophies, but those who saw him play have always found a place among Florida’s greatest quarterbacks of all-time for Kerwin Bell. So here we are some 42 years later and the Gators are off to a 3-0 start, 1-0 in the SEC after a 44-39 win on the road at Auburn last week. Florida’s starting quarterback is Aaron Philo, a small town kid from Bogart, Georgia (population 1,340), a place where everybody knows his name. A third-year player who spent years one and two at Georgia Tech, Philo also wears No. 12 and just like Kerwin, a mustache is sprouting on his upper lip. The similarities extend beyond small town upbringing and facial hair. Just like Kerwin Bell, Aaron Philo has a remarkable capacity for processing information on the fly and translating it into productive plays. Decision-making was always at the top of Kerwin Bell’s list of intangibles and it is the exact reason why Philo beat out Tramell Jones Jr. for the starting job at Florida in August. Philo sees the field, makes a snap decision and gets the ball where it needs to be. Through three games he is 47-64 passing for 721 yards (11.3 per attempt, 5th best nationally) and six touchdowns. He has two interceptions, neither his fault since both were catchable passes deflected by Florida receivers into the hands of opponents. He has run for two touchdowns. In Kerwin Bell’s first season as the Florida QB, the Gators were a run first team that featured three future No. 1 draft picks at running back – Neal Anderson, John L. Williams and Lorenzo Hampton – running behind one of the two or three greatest offensive lines in the history of the SEC. The Gators ran the ball so well that Bell only threw 184 passes in 11 games (completed 98) for 16 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. It’s not like the Gators lacked explosive wide receivers since Ricky Nattiel, Ray McDonald, Frankie Neal and Gary Rolle all went on to play in the NFL, but one of the reasons they were usually wide open had everything to do with the bodies that had to be committed to stop the UF run game. Because Jadan Baugh has emerged as perhaps the top running back in the country – 54-458, eight touchdowns so far – Philo doesn’t have to win games with his arm. Baugh is such a threat in the running game with runs of 75, 61, 53, 33 and 25 yards that Philo hasn’t been forced into throw every down situations. Philo has shown he can throw the deep ball but his forte seems to be that 14-17-yard intermediate range pass that keeps the safeties from hedging into the box for run support. Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner has turned first down into a money down throwing the football. Philo is 22-25 on first down passes for 335 yards and four touchdowns. Thirteen of his first down passes have moved the chains for a first down with eight passes completed for 15 or more yards, another four for +25. Early down success has required few third-and-long yardage situations. Philo has thrown only 11 third down passes (6 completions, 89 yards). In his first road game against an SEC opponent, Philo got the win with a very efficient performance while outdueling Auburn’s Byrum Brown. Saturday, the stakes are higher as Florida’s opponent at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is No. 4 Ole Miss, led by Trinidad Chambliss, whose first three games have turned him into the odds-on Heisman favorite. Chambliss has a story almost as compelling as that of Kerwin Bell. Almost unknown out of high school, Chambliss went the small school route to Ferris State where it wasn’t until his fourth year that he emerged as a star while leading his team to the Division II national championship. A year ago this time he was the backup at Ole Miss who became the starter when Austin Simmons went down with an injury and led the Rebels to within a final drive against Miami of making the College Football Playoff championship game. In three games this year, Chambliss has wins over No. 16 Louisville and No. 10 LSU. The LSU win vaulted Ole Miss to No. 4 nationally and very much into the early discussion for a national championship. Florida is a surprising 3-point favorite for Saturday’s game (3:30 p.m., ABC). Perhaps it is due to the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium mystique. The Gators have been road kill for most of the years since Urban Meyer hung up his Florida whistle after the 2010 season, but they have remained formidable at home. The idea that the No. 21 Gators could spring the upset over Chambliss and the Rebels is seen as a home field advantage factor. The idea that Florida might be favored because a Kerwin Bell clone could be the difference-maker probably seems to be a reach for a Tuesday. That might not be the case when the clock at BHG flatlines at 00:00 Saturday evening. ELSEWHERE IN THE SEC No. 8 Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC): After taking a step backward against Kentucky, true freshman quarterback Keelon Russell rebounded with a 3-touchdown, 320-yard passing effort while leading a come from behind win over Florida State. He will be going against a bend but don’t break South Carolina pass defense Saturday that allows only 6.2 yards per attempt. Saturday: vs. South Carolina (2-1, 0-1 SEC) Arkansas (1-2, 0-1 SEC): The Razorbacks can’t run the ball (75.33 yards per game). They need a get well game but Saturday they go against a Tulsa team that gives up only 102 yards a game on the ground. Saturday: vs. Tulsa (3-0) Auburn (2-1, 0-1 SEC): The Tigers have to re-work the offensive line after giving up 13 sacks for -60 yards in three games. The Tigers also have issues with their own pass rush that has generaged only seven sacks. Saturday: vs. Vanderbilt (3-0, 0-0 SEC) No. 2 Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC): Leading rusher Nate Frazier seems likely to play Saturday against Oklahoma. Banged up in the win over Arkansas, Frazier is averaging 8.42 yards per carry and has five rushing touchdowns. Oklahoma allows only 111 yards per game and 2.85 per carry. Saturday: vs. Oklahoma (2-1, 0-1 SEC) Kentucky (2-1, 1-1 SEC): The Wildcats are dead last in the SEC and 134th nationally in third down conversions (7-31). Defensively, they are dead last in the SEC and No. 129 nationally in opponents’ third down conversions (22-43). Saturday: vs. South Alabama (2-1) No. 10 LSU (2-1, 0-1 SEC): LSU is an 8.5-point favorite to beat Texas A&M at Tiger Stadium Saturday night in what amounts to an early season elimination game. The loser will be off to an 0-2 start in SEC play and likely out of the College Football Playoff picture. Saturday: vs. No. 24 Texas A&M (2-1, 0-1 SEC) No. 23 Mississippi State (3-0, 1-0 SEC): The Bulldogs are 6.5-point favorites against Missouri. It is the first time Mississippi State has been ranked in the top 25 and matched against another top 25 team since 2017 when Dan Mullen was the coach and the opponent was No. 1 Alabama. Saturday: vs. No. 19 Missouri (3-0, 0-0 SEC) No. 19 Missouri (3-0, 0-0 SEC): Missouri’s pass defense has held opponents to fewer than 50 percent completions and just 5.9 yards per attempt while picking off three passes. Saturday they have to go against Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor, who has thrown 11 touchdown passes and is averaging 10.1 yards per attempt. Saturday: at No. 23 Mississippi State Oklahoma (2-1, 0-0 SEC): The Sooners have the 9th-best defense in the country (215.33 yards per game) and the worst offense in the Southeastern Conference (329 yards, 25 points per game). Saturday: at No. 2 Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC) No. 4 Ole Miss (3-0, 1-0 SEC): The health of running back Kewan Lacy is a major concern for Saturday’s game in The Swamp against Florida. Lacy’s value goes well beyond running the football. He’s a fierce pass protector. Is backup JT Lindsey capable of picking up blitzes and EDGE rushers? Saturday: at No. 21 FLORIDA (3-0, 1-0 SEC) South Carolina (2-1, 0-1 SEC): The Gamecocks will be going against an Alabama run defense that gives up only 53 yards per game and 1.79 per carry. That puts plenty of pressure on LaNorris Sellers to avoid throwing interceptions. He’s thrown three so far, two last week in critical situations in the loss to Mississippi State. Saturday: at No. 8 Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC) No. 14 Tennessee (3-0, 0-0 SEC): A key for the Vols Saturday will be affecting Texas QB Arch Manning. Through three games the Vols are third nationally in sacks (13) and they have been credited with 15 quarterback hurries. Saturday: vs. No. 1 Texas (3-0, 0-0 SEC) No. 1 Texas (3-0, 0-0 SEC): The challenge this week is stopping a Tennessee offense that is averaging 510.3 yards and 47.7 points per game. The Longhorns haven’t allowed a touchdown in five straight quarters. Last week UTSA managed two field goals and just 142 total yards. Texas is a 5.5-point favorite Saturday against 14th-ranked Tennessee on the road in Knoxville. Saturday: at No. 14 Tennessee (3-0, 0-0 SEC) No. 24 Texas A&M (2-1, 0-1 SEC): There are concerns about quarterback Marcel Reed, who has thrown three interceptions and is averaging only 6.1 yards per pass attempt. One CBS Sports analyst claims Reed is the worst quarterback in the SEC. Saturday: at No. 10 LSU (2-1, 0-1 SEC) Vanderbilt (3-0, 0-0 SEC): The Commodores rank fourth nationally in sacks (12). Saturday they go against an Auburn offensive line that has allowed 13, which is dead last in the country. Saturday: at Auburn (2-1, 0-1 SEC) ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The ongoing soap opera that is Florida State University football has entered a Wizard of Oz phase. First off is the problem of Mike Norvell, his more than $50 million in buyout money and the fact the Seminoles are highly unlikely to post a winning record this year. Secondly, there is Jimbo Fisher, who won a national championship as the FSU head coach in 2013. He lives in Tallahassee, squeezing by somehow on the $75 million Texas A&M paid him in a lump sum to agree not to coach the Aggies ever again. Jimbo, it seems, has a pair of garnet and gold slippers that he’s ready to don and click together while chanting “there’s no place like home! There’s no place like home!” Jimbo wants to return to FSU and FSU is at least exploring the opportunity. Whether it happens or not probably is in the hands of Jimmy Sexton, Fisher’s agent. Known for striking hard, unbreakable deals, Sexton is the one who not only negotiated the 10-year deal that got Fisher to leave FSU for Aggieland in the first place, but the contract that got the huge lump sum buyout without any mitigation. If Jimbo were willing to be the FSU head coach for $1-2 million per year while directing the $4-5 million it would normally take to hire a head coach to the assistant coach/NIL pool, this might be a do-able deal. FSU would still have to pony up the buyout money for Norvell but the cost of hiring a new coach would be reduced by millions since Jimbo already has a semi-palatial home in Tallahassee. Would Jimmy Sexton be willing to negotiate such a creative deal and allow Fisher to take a job that pays less than Florida pays offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner? If Sexton can deal with it then FSU may have found a way out of the Norvell debacle. That leaves FSU with a decision to make. Jimbo is certainly an upgrade to Norvell, but even getting him on a K-Mart Blue Light Special may not work if they can’t hold enough bake sales and car washes to buy out Norvell. Do they roll the dice and fire Norvell on the belief they can raise the funds for the buyout or do they bite the bullet and keep Norvell one more year?

Update, Saturday afternoon: Ole Miss has ruled out running back Kewan Lacy (left shoulder), one of 10 Rebels out. Read the latest. (Photo by Chris Spears) History has an offhand way of repeating itself. In the not so distant past, the Ole Miss Rebels ventured into The Swamp on a Saturday afternoon ranked No. 9 on the heels of a 28-10 whipping of No. 2 Georgia in Oxford. The Rebels were 11.5-point favorites to improve to 9-2. With only the Gators and Mississippi State left on the schedule, the Lane Kiffin-coached Rebels had the look of a mortal lock to get an at-large bid for the College Football Playoff. A funny thing happened on the way to a sure thing that afternoon in Gainesville. The Ole Miss defense couldn’t contain Montrell Johnson Jr., who pounded out 127 yards, DJ Lagway threw touchdown passes to Elijhah Badger and freshman running back Jadan Baugh, and the Florida defense sacked Jaxson Dart four times and picked him off twice. Final score Florida 24, Ole Miss 17. Instead of the playoff, Ole Miss went to the Gator Bowl to play Duke. It was one of the best wins in the four-year Billy Napier era at Florida. Since then, Napier has taken his $20 million of pink slip money to James Madison. DJ Lagway has taken his never met an interception he couldn’t throw act to Baylor. Kiffin has taken his vaudeville show to LSU where he just last week got skunked by Ole Miss, 32-24, a game that might ultimately cost the Tigers an at-large bid for the playoff. And now Ole Miss is riding high at 3-0 (1-0 SEC), coached by Pete Golding, who was the Rebels’ defensive coordinator that fateful day in Gainesville two years ago, and they’re ranked fourth in the nation. On paper the Rebels have the look of a playoff team that is quarterbacked by the current Heisman Trophy favorite Trinidad Chambliss. So how is it that despite their lofty ranking, Ole Miss is a 3.5-point road dog at The Swamp today (3:30 p.m., ABC) where a close encounter is scheduled with No. 21 Florida (3-0, 1-0 SEC), coached by Jon Sumrall, whose ultra-competitive nature probably has him frothing at the mouth for a chance to kneecap Ole Miss? Last year, you see, when he was coaching Tulane to the American Conference title and a playoff bid, Sumrall found himself left in the tall grass on the side of the road twice by Ole Miss, 45-10 in the regular season, 41-10 in the playoff. Looking at this game through logical lenses, there is no way Ole Miss should be an underdog. Logic also says no way the Rebels began the week as 1.5-point road dogs on Sunday, then watched as the spread increased to its current 3.5 points. Logic says that shouldn’t happen, but since when does logic apply when the Florida Gators are not only on a bit of a roll, but playing before 90,000 screamers in that outdoor insane asylum on the corner of University Avenue and Gale Lemerand Drive? Not taking anything away from the Gators, who are unquestionably better off this season with Sumrall as the HBC than they were in all four years of the Billy Napier Error, but Florida has yet to play a ranked team – Ole Miss has wins over two (Louisville and LSU) – and they certainly haven’t faced a player of the caliber of Trinidad Chambliss. Not only that, the Gators are coming off a win at Auburn in which the zebra crew engaged in a friendly game of drop the yellow hankee in which 12 of the 16 penalties against UF were committed by the offense. Ole Miss has such a collection of top tier talent that you can’t afford to turn the ball over (Florida did twice against Auburn) and you don’t shoot yourself in both feet with all those penalties. Sumrall was barely off the field in Auburn last week when he began his lament about all those penalties that made the final score (Florida won 44-39) a lot closer than it really was. Early on in his Monday morning press conference when it was pointed out that the Gators are favored, Sumrall quipped “There’s a lot of good drugs out there.” A bit of poor mouthing makes for good sound bites and looks awfully good in print, but behind the I’m just a humble football coach look on his face, Jon Sumrall is that guy you never want to pick a fight with. Outwardly, he has tried to shift all the focus to Ole Miss by proclaiming the Gators aren’t yet worthy, but inwardly there is a fire that burns and this week it’s blast furnace hot. So, how do the Gators reward their coach with payback for his two losses to Ole Miss a year ago while at the same time avenging a 34-24 defeat to the Rebels in Oxford? The answer is complicated but do-able: (1) Keep Chambliss contained in the pocket where he’s far less dangerous than when he breaks free with the option to run or pass; (2) Tall D-linemen like Emmanuel Oyebadejo (he’s 6-7) keep their hands up. Chambliss is listed at 6-0, but 5-10 might actually be a stretch; (3) With coverage and pass rush make certain the Ole Miss receivers can’t get deep; (4) A steady diet of Jadan Baugh, especially in the second half. He has gained 273 of his 458 rushing yards in the second half. By the fourth quarter he is that heat-seeking missile that is looking for a linebacker to run over; and (5) Lots of play action for Aaron Philo. The downfield shots will be there for Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson if Philo can sell the run. The Soothsayer is predicting the rowdiest crowd at The Swamp since Alabama came to town in 2021 and before that, Auburn in 2019. The theme should be one deafening voice on Saturday, no voice on Sunday. Affect the game. Make the Ole Miss ears ring for days to come. The Sayer says Sooth!: Buster Faulkner delivers a paybacks are hell offensive game plan and Brad White’s rushers off the edge keep the pocket collapsed. Jadan Baugh moves way up the Heisman Hopeful list. THE SEC SOOTHSAYER No. 1 Texas (3-0, 0-0 SEC) at No. 14 Tennessee (3-0, 0-0 SEC): If the Arch Manning who led three fourth quarter touchdown drives to beat Ohio State shows up, Vol fans are going to be in for a fairly long afternoon. If Will Muschamp’s defense which hasn’t given up a touchdown in six straight quarters shows up foaming at the mouth, it will also be a long day for the Vols. Ohio State couldn’t run the ball on Texas. If the Vols can’t run they can’t win the game even if Arch Manning doesn’t do a decent impersonation of uncles Peyton and Eli and grandpa Archie. The Sayer says Sooth!: Not so sure about Arch but he won’t have to be good if the defense shows up. Texas but it won’t be easy. Oklahoma (2-1, 0-0 SEC) at No. 2 Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC): Oklahoma might have the best defense Georgia will see all season. The Sooners are big, fast and nasty. They have a space age defense but unfortunately for Brent Venables a stone age offense. Kirby Smart could keep his defense on the sideline for an entire series and it would still take the Sooners five minutes and 12 plays to score. Gunner Stockton doesn’t have to have a brilliant day, just one in which he doesn’t turn the ball over for Georgia to win. The Poodles are favored by 13.5 points. The Sayer says Sooth!: Georgia’s defense pitches a shutout for a cruise control win. South Carolina (2-1, 0-1 SEC) at No. 8 Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC): The fact that Florida State lit up the Bama defense for 36 points and nearly 500 yards should alarm the folks in Tusks Are Loosa. South Carolina can move the football and LaNorris Sellers is the best QB Bama will have seen this year. Alabama is favored by 12.5 points and definitely should win this game, but if South Carolina scores more than three touchdowns and moves the ball consistently against the Bama defense, it should set off alarm bells from Decatur all the way down to Mobile. The Sayer says Sooth!: Bama gets an uncomfortable win. No. 23 Texas A&M (2-1, 0-1 SEC) at No. 10 LSU (2-1, 0-1 SEC): The conductor of the Lane Train wanted Trinidad Chambliss but settled for Sam Leavitt. If he wanted Chambliss that bad he should have stayed at Ole Miss. Leavitt is way too mistake prone. It might not matter Saturday night against the Aggies, but it’s going to be a problem down the road. This is a playoff elimination game. The Aggies have tied their fortunes and future to Marcel Reed, which ranks right up there with Lane getting Sam Leavitt. The Sayer says Sooth!: LSU’s offense isn’t that good but its defense will daze and confuse Marcel Reed, thus ending the Aggies’ dreams of making the College Football Playoff a second straight year. No. 19 Missouri (3-0, 0-0 SEC) at No. 24 Mississippi State (3-0, 1-0 SEC): When Mississippi State is playing good football, the cowbells are deafening in Starkville. Mizzou has never heard anything like they will hear Saturday night nor have they faced anything like Kamario Taylor, who has an arm like Dak Prescott and feet like Jayden Daniels. The Bulldogs are favored by six points, which seems reasonable after their road win against South Carolina last week. Mizzou doesn’t have Ahmad Hardy yet, but Jamal Roberts is averaging 100 yards a game. He has to go for 100 or more for Missouri to win. The Sayer says Sooth!: White knuckles all the way, but Taylor will be the difference as the Bulldogs move within two games of bowl eligibility. Whodathunkit? Vanderbilt (3-0, 0-0 SEC) at Auburn (2-1, 0-1 SEC): It is only game four but Auburn fans are already mailing in the season. The O-line can’t block anybody and the defense, which was supposed to be the strong suit of the team got torched for nearly 500 yards and 44 points by Florida. It would have been worse except the zebra crew kept dropping hankees when the Gators had the ball. Vandy is a work in progress on offense, but the defense definitely knows how to get to the passer (tied for fourth nationally with 12 sacks). A lot of factors favor Vanderbilt but Auburn somehow is a 9.5-point favorite. For the Tigers to win Byrum Brown will be in feets don’t fail me now mode from the moment he steps on the field. The Sayer says Sooth!: Auburn isn’t very good but it’s hard to imagine the Tigers losing two straight at Jordan-Hare. South Alabama (2-1) at Kentucky (2-1, 1-1 SEC): A week after losing their swagger to Alabama in Lexington, the Wildcats got it back in College Station. They’re 20.5-point faves to blow the doors off of South Alabama. Two weeks ago this was looking like the only remaining game on the schedule that would see Kentucky favored but now we don’t know. Is Kentucky a team to reckon with or are the Aggies as overrated as it gets in the SEC this year? The Sayer says Sooth!: If the same Kentucky team that hosed Texas A&M last week shows up it’s going to be a long day in Lexington for the boys from Mobile. Tulsa (3-0) at Arkansas (1-2, 0-1 SEC): This was supposed to be one of the few winnable games on the Arkansas schedule. Well, it isn’t. Tulsa manhandled Oklahoma State in game one then Okie State beat Oregon the week after. Translation: Tulsa is a lot better than anyone thought. Even so, the Hurricanes are getting zero in the way of respect from Las Vegas. Oddsmakers favor Arkansas by seven. If you are prone to wager on such things, put your money on Tulsa. The Sayer says Sooth!: It’s going to be a very long season in Fayette-Nam for Ryan Silverfield and the Razorback faithful. It’s so bad that the hottest ticket in town is for John Calipari’s basketball team and the season is more than a month away. This column was updated to correct Jadan Baugh's season rushing total to 458 yards.

BUDDY MARTIN | COLUMN The national picture runs through Ben Hill Griffin Stadium this weekend, whether Gator Nation asked for the responsibility or not. By Buddy Martin · GatorBaitMedia.com Illustration: GatorBait Media (AI-generated). Florida hosts No. 4 Ole Miss Saturday as roughly a field-goal favorite, a number that ought to feel obscene for a program four losing seasons deep and somehow doesn’t. Somewhere in Columbus, a man in a scarlet golf shirt is arguing that blowing a 23-3 lead to Texas doesn’t count against the Big Ten’s case for supremacy — the way a three-time truck-wrecker insists he’s still a fine driver. Gator fans have every right to feel like bystanders in that argument. They aren’t. And the betting calculus is mind-boggling. If any of you MIT, Harvard or Stanford men out there could phone home and explain the fluctuating odds in Florida’s favor — because it sure isn’t just about which team’s better — and how The Swamp figures into the math, I’d sit still for the whole tutorial, coffee included. My own theory requires no calculus: It’s the sellout crowd’s sheer bullheaded willpower, the kind that doesn’t THINK the Gators are fixing to do something, it KNOWS it, the way a revival tent knows the collection plate’s coming back full. The Vegas wizards apparently smell the same thing. Smart money’s piling onto Florida even as three-quarters of the public tickets ride with Ole Miss — the kind of split that usually means somebody in a windowless room has watched more tape of that stadium than any tout ever will. And it isn’t just the choir singing this one’s praises at home. The bookies themselves are calling Florida-Mississippi the most fascinating — but scariest! — bet on the board this weekend, ahead of anything the NFL is serving up Sunday or Monday — which is either a hell of a compliment to Gainesville or a hell of an insult to the NFL, take your pick. Meanwhile this just came in from Vegas: 77% of the Money on Rebels money line. 75% of the Bets on Rebels ML. 79% of the Money on Rebels Spread. 85% of the Bets on Rebels Spread. Make of it what you will, but it’s all starting to feel like TMI. Florida has won 3 of the last 5 vs. Ole Miss. Beat the Rebels, and Jon Sumrall’s 3-0 Gators stop being a nice comeback story and start being Exhibit A in the SEC’s argument that it, not the three-time defending champion Big Ten, is the best league in the country. Lose, and Florida’s still living in the only conference actually fighting to end the drought. Either way, the national picture runs through Gainesville this weekend, whether Gator Nation asked for the responsibility or not. Because here’s the SEC’s real problem, and it isn’t a rumor: The league that won 13 of 17 national titles between 2006 and 2022 hasn’t sniffed a championship game in three years, its longest dry spell since 1999-2002. Michigan won it. Then Ohio State won it. Then Indiana — a program the AP itself once called the losingest outfit in major college football history — went 16-0 and beat Miami 27-21 for the whole marble. Fernando Mendoza collected a Heisman and a national championship in the same season like a man who’d hit the lottery twice. Three schools, three straight coronations, the Big Ten’s best run since 1942. Urban Meyer, who’s won titles wearing both colors, put it plainly: “That was last year. We’ll see [what happens] this year.” We’re seeing it. The SEC and Big Ten played exactly three games against each other all season, all on September 12, and it’s already over. Texas beat then-No. 1 Ohio State 24-23 in Austin. Michigan beat Oklahoma 17-10. And Mississippi State walked into Minneapolis and hung 38-13 on Minnesota, a quarterback named Kamario Taylor throwing three first-half touchdowns like he had somewhere better to be. SEC 2, Big Ten 1, and that’s the entire ledger — no rematch on the calendar. Part of that is by rule: The SEC requires every school to schedule an additional nonconference opponent from another Power Four league or Notre Dame; the Big Ten has no equivalent requirement. Which is how defending champion Indiana opened its title defense against North Texas, Howard and Western Kentucky — outscoring that trio 145-16 without leaving Bloomington. The polls noticed anyway. Texas sits No. 1, Georgia No. 2, Ole Miss No. 4 after hanging 32-24 on then-No. 7 LSU — the SEC owns three of the AP’s top four spots and roughly 40 percent of the whole Top 25. Against Power Four opponents outside their own league, the SEC is 10-2, the only conference above .500; the Big Ten is 4-9, worst among the power leagues. Prefer numbers to vibes? Georgia and Ohio State are separated by a coin flip atop SP+ — the tip of the Big Ten’s spear is still sharp, the drawer behind it just isn’t. None of that buys a trophy. The Big Ten is 9-3 against other conferences in the Playoff over two seasons, including 8-2 against the SEC once games mean more than a T-shirt. But current Playoff projections show four probable SEC entrants against three likely Big Ten teams, Georgia alone drawing an 86 percent shot at the field. My honest verdict: The SEC has climbed out of the ditch, and this is its best crack at ending the drought since Georgia stopped winning titles. But it starts getting decided in Gainesville, not Indianapolis. If Florida beats Ole Miss Saturday, revise everything upward. If Florida loses by that same field goal, the conclusion barely changes. The SEC is still the conference showing up, and the Big Ten is still holding the trophy until somebody pries it loose. Either way, I’ll be here Sunday, cheerfully wrong about something. Keep up with the Gators Florida Gators 2026 roster and schedule Buddy Martin: Saturday’s Bill Comes Due Shop GatorBait

LIVE NOW: The Florida Gator Lowdown with Loren Meadows is on The Buddy Martin Show breaking down No. 21 Florida vs No. 4 Ole Miss. Loren is joined by Ole Miss insider Yancy Porter and Swamp247’s Zach Goodall for an inside look at Saturday’s matchup in The Swamp. Florida enters 3-0 after a 44-39 road win at Auburn. Ole Miss is also 3-0 after beating LSU 32-24. The show is digging into Aaron Philo and the Florida offense, Jadan Baugh, the Gators defense, the Ole Miss attack, Kewan Lacy’s status and the matchups that could decide the game. WATCH LIVE WATCH ON THE BUDDY MARTIN SHOW PAGE WATCH LIVE ON YOUTUBE SUBSCRIBE Subscribe to The Buddy Martin Show on YouTube so you don’t miss the next live GatorBait show. GatorBaitMedia.com — Florida Gators news, analysis and live shows.

Aaron Philo runs for a first down against Auburn (Photo by Chris Spears) It was an odd time to call a trick play Saturday night. Second quarter, third-and-8 at the Florida 39, the Gators needing to keep the chains moving to not only to keep Auburn’s offense on the sidelines but to quiet the Jordan-Hare crowd that had significantly raised the decibel level following the Tigers’ touchdown that trimmed the UF lead to 14-10. Conventional wisdom says wide receivers run intermediate routes that open things up underneath for a slot or tight end, something effective but safe. Instead, Florida offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner went completely against the grain with a double pass – Aaron Philo with a horizontal pass behind the line of scrimmage to Kahliel Jackson, Kahliel loading up and throwing deep to tight end Amir Jackson, wide open and running behind everybody. Amir had to lay out to bring the ball in at the Auburn 13. Had Kahliel put a little more air under the throw, Amir would have run under it, made the catch and walked into the end zone. This pass would have gone down as one of those “wasted plays” as Faulkner describes what happens when you resort to trickery, but the Gators wound up with points – a 25-yard field goal from Patrick Durkin – that extended the Florida lead to 17-10. Over on the Auburn sideline, there was rejoicing because the defense had regained its composure to keep the Gators out of the end zone after giving up a 48-yard pass on a trick play. The Auburn crowd, stunned by the trick play, let out a collective sigh of relief that the Gators had been forced to settle for a field goal rather than grind it in for a touchdown. From a purely psychological standpoint, this was a victory because while the difference between a 17-10 deficit and a 21-10 deficit may only be four points it kept Auburn within a single possession of tying the game. The play helped put points on the scoreboard, but it also sent a message to every defensive coordinator the Gators will face this season that Buster Faulkner not only has plenty of bullets in his clip, but he’s willing to fire away when you least expect it. So, call the double pass exactly what it was – a purpose play. From here on out, every time Kahliel Jackson is in the game opposing safeties have to be on their heels, knowing Jackson can throw to a receiver who is trying to sneak behind the secondary. “I’m not known for calling many trick plays, but that one was sound,” Faulkner said Tuesday when speaking to the media. It’s hard for me to call them because sometimes I feel like they’re wasted plays but I also know what they can bring and if they’re at the right time – and that one happened to be at the right time, got the right look, got everything that they wanted and my kids executed at a high level.” There is no shortage of talented skill people at Faulkner’s disposal but he chose a Jackson-to-Jackson pass play rather than something to Vernell Brown III or Dallas Wilson. Although he played quarterback at Hawthorne High School, Kahliel Jackson had never attempted a pass in a collegiate game. Amir Jackson had four career catches before the diving grab at the Auburn 13. The longest catch of his career went 14 yards against Florida Atlantic in game one. Once again, method to Faulkner’s madness. Ignore the obvious and go with the least expected, a play call nobody in his right mind would expect executed to near perfection by two guys who had never been part of something so devious. Through three games, the Gators are No. 2 in the nation in scoring (54 points per game) and third in total offense (544.3 yards per game). They are doing it with an almost 60-40 run-to-pass ratio. The Gators have run the ball 124 times for 738 yards (5.95 per carry) and 12 touchdowns. The Gators have thrown 80 passes, good for 895 yards (11.0 per attempt) and seven touchdowns. Three players have thrown passes, 14 have caught at least one and there have been 11 different ball carriers. On first down, the Gators have run the ball 69 times for 245 yards (3.55 per carry) and three touchdowns. Thirty-two second down runs have produced 243 yards (7.59 per carry) for six TDs. Third down 17-168 (9.88) and a TD. Fourth down 6-82 (13.67) and one TD. The Gators have run the ball 66 times in the first half for 289 yards (4.38 per carry) and seven touchdowns. In the second half, they are 58-449 (7.74 per carry) and five touchdowns. The Gators are 26-30 passing the ball on first down, good for 376 yards and four touchdowns. Second down the Gators are 23-33 for 321 yards and one TD. On third down 10-17 for 189 yards and two touchdowns. All three interceptions the Gators have thrown have come on third down. The Gators are 1-1 on fourth down for nine yards. The Gators are 32-46 for 560 yards and four touchdowns in the first half, 28-35 for 335 yards and three touchdowns in the second half. A year ago, the Gators averaged 21.6 points and 343.1 yards per game, both down at the bottom of the SEC and outside the top 100 in the country. Early in the third quarter against Auburn, the Gators had already surpassed those numbers on their way to 495 yards and 44 points. The season is 25 percent complete with eight SEC opponents and Florida State still to be played. Two of the three games so far have been against weaker, non-conference opponents so there is competitive inflation that has to be taken into account, but the consistency and lack of predictability in the play calls are far more revealing than the sheer volume of yardage. Faulkner trusts his troops, which is evident in the way he involves so many players and the willingness to do things like run a trick play with a pair of novices in an SEC road game. It helps to have a lot of talent on hand. Aaron Philo seems to be the perfect triggerman for the Faulkner offense. Jadan Baugh is the best running back in the country. The dynamic receiving duo of Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson will be bolstered by the return of Eric Singleton Jr. from injury, perhaps as early as Saturday when the Gators entertain Ole Miss (3:30 p.m., ABC) in The Swamp. The stars are going to get the football but it is difficult to focus on taking them out when the offensive coordinator spreads the ball around. “We’ve got a lot of good players,” Faulkner said. “We’ve got to distribute the football and he’s [Philo] done a great job of doing that. I still believe you’ve got to be able to run the football to win in really all the levels of the game and especially when you go on the road so that’s part of who we are and hopefully our identity is starting to be established.” This is easily the best offense the Gators have had since the COVID year of 2020 when Dan Mullen was calling the plays for a team that averaged 39.8 points and 509.8 yards game. That was against a 10-game SEC schedule in a regular season played under very difficult circumstances, which makes those stats even more impressive. Can Faulkner and the 2026 Gators equal or surpass the 2020 team? That remains to be seen since there isn’t a single cupcake game on the schedule to artificially inflate the stats. Still on the schedule are games against the likes of Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas who boast fast, athletic defenses so the offensive numbers might not be as gaudy as they are now, but Faulkner’s history and tendencies say the Gators will be just fine.

UAA Photo Why every Gator fan ought to love Jadan Baugh, forever. By Buddy Martin Gatorbaitmedia.com Last December, Jadan Baugh's dad could not put his phone down. "It rang from eight in the morning to nine at night. Every day." Florida had just fired its head coach. Baugh was coming off a 1,170-yard season and second team All-SEC. Every program that needed a running back wanted him in the transfer portal. The offers, his dad said, were "substantial." The top of the running back market that cycle hit seven figures. Texas was the biggest threat. Florida's new head coach, Jon Sumrall, had just been hired. And days before Christmas, his own father died. On Christmas Eve, Sumrall showed up at Baugh's grandmother's house anyway. He brought his family. He brought his offensive coordinator, Buster Faulkner, the man who had recruited Baugh out of high school. Baugh's dad put out Chick-fil-A chicken minis, donuts and fruit. Faulkner walked through the offense. Then Baugh's dad made his own pitch. "You can go to Texas and have a great year, but it'd be just a great year. If you stay at Florida and have another great year, you'll go down as one of the best running backs to ever come through the place." But what got Baugh was simpler than that. "I knew it was going to be home when Coach Sumrall came to my grandmother's house on Christmas." "For him, coming around at that time, even though his dad had just passed. That was the main thing. He showed he cared." He stayed. Now look. Through three games: 54 carries. 458 yards. 8 touchdowns. He leads the country with 30 missed tackles forced. Saturday at Auburn, he ran for 162 yards and three touchdowns, including a 53-yard run on fourth and 1 in the fourth quarter. Florida won 44-39. Sumrall's first SEC win. Florida's first 3-0 start since 2019. This is the kid from Decatur, Georgia who scored five touchdowns in his first college start, a school record. Who ran for 266 yards against Florida State last year, second most in school history behind only Emmitt Smith. Saturday, No. 4 Ole Miss comes to the Swamp. Dating back to last season, Baugh has four straight games with multiple rushing touchdowns. The last SEC player with a longer streak was Derrick Henry in his Heisman-winning 2015 season (five straight). FanDuel has Baugh's “over/under” for rushing yards vs Ole Miss set at 118.5 (-114 odds either way). He's produced 160, 136 and 162 yards on the ground. There’s a special bond between Baugh and his teammates. Listen to tight end Lacota Dippre on Jadan Baugh: "I went up to him on the sideline, and I was like 'Bro, you're different. It's a pleasure to block for you.'" The running back who almost left will be in the backfield Saturday, so Dippre will have plenty of chances. All because his coach showed up at Grandma's on Christmas Eve.

Jadan Baugh (13) strikes a Heisman pose after a 53-yard TD run (Photo by Chris Spears) The play that best defined what Jadan Baugh called “another day at the office” came early in the fourth quarter, the Gators facing fourth-and-1 at their own 47. Everybody on both sidelines and all 88,000 screamers packed inside Jordan-Hare Stadium knew what was coming. Two tight ends, nobody wide, Baugh the dot in Florida’s I-formation, no time for trying something cute. This was one of those you know who’s getting the football, see if you’re man enough to stop him moments, the kind that extend drives and ultimately decide who wins and who loses. At the first twitch of center Harrison Moore’s right hand, linebackers were full speed by their second step, each of them seeking a potential gap to stonewall Baugh. Nothing at all wrong with the strategy but proof positive that knowing what’s next and actually doing something about it are two different things. Baugh took the handoff from quarterback Aaron Philo and headed straight for the gap between Moore and right guard TJ Shanahan, so quick through the hole that he blew past the onrushing linebacker, hitting the second level full speed with nothing but green grass and white stripes on the field in his path. As well he should, Baugh gets plenty of credit for that 53-yard touchdown run but he needs to take the firm of Moore, Harris and Shanahan to dinner this week. Moore, Harris and Shanahan. Sounds like the name of a law firm but instead of negotiating for an injured client they are at the core of what Buster Faulkner intends to do with Florida’s offense. Whether it’s a blast up the middle, a stretch play between the tackle-guard gaps on the outside hips of Harris on the left side and Shanahan on the right or pass protection these are the guys that make the offense go. It’s grunt work for sure, almost always done in obscurity but when the three guys in the middle of the O-line are cranking Florida’s offense goes beast mode. Baugh’s 53-yard TD run in the fourth was reminiscent of his 33-yard TD run on the third play of the third quarter. This one, just a straight handoff from Philo out of the shotgun with Baugh taking it straight up the gut of the Auburn defense untouched into the end zone. The BDA – battle damage assessment – for Baugh alone was frighteningly good. He carried 26 times for 162 yards and three touchdowns, his third straight game this season in which he has eclipsed 100 yards, his fourth dating back to that running wild spree against Florida State in the last game of 2025. With 458 yards on 54 carries (8.54 per attempt) in three games, Baugh ranks second nationally and first in the Southeastern Conference in rushing. He does it with power, he has added the dimension of some wiggle that makes him elusive, a jump cut that enables him to instinctively find open space and breakaway speed that you don’t expect for a Jim Brown-size running back. Auburn defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, widely regarded for years as one of the best in the business, tried every different alignment he could think of to neutralize Baugh but committing extra bodies in the box meant leaving his DBs in one-on-one coverage with Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson. It just wasn’t fair. The Gators rarely threw but when they did Philo (15-22, 204 yards, 1 TD) picked Auburn apart. There was no defense for Brown (5-88) or Wilson (4-79, 1 TD). This came as no surprise for Florida head coach Jon Sumrall who knew the game plan offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner was cooking up during a week in which multiple media sources questioned how the Gators would fare against a Durkin-coordinated defense as opposed to the two nobodies – Florida Atlantic and Campbell – steamrolled in weeks one and two. Watching the Gators in warmups, Sumrall felt a surge of confidence. As the game wore on he understood that whatever Faulkner dialed up it was going to work. “I knew we were going to do what, we did on offense,” Sumrall said in the tiny, cramped media room where he held his post game press conference after the Gators (3-0, 1-0 SEC) took out Auburn (2-1, 0-1 SEC) 44-39 in the first Southeastern Conference game of the season for both teams. “I'd watched them enough to know how we were going to play on offense.” For the most part, Auburn knew what was coming but other than a double pass – a horizontal throw to Kahliel Jackson and a vertical Jackson-to-Jackson (Kahliel to Amir) launch for a 48-yard gain in the second quarter – Florida couldn’t have been less transparent. Once again, it’s one thing to know what’s coming. Stopping it is a totally different animal. “I knew we were going to run the ball and I knew we were going to throw the ball,” Sumrall said. “They’re [Auburn] good up there, but I felt like we were better. I felt like the matchup leaned our way.” The matchup more than leaned Florida’s way and there was very little Auburn could do to stop the onslaught. Florida ran 76 plays from scrimmage that gained 495 yards – 53 runs for 242 yards, 23 passes for 253 – and controlled the clock to the tune of a 39:16-20:44 advantage. About the only thing that slowed the Gators down was the hankee-tossing competition going on among the SEC zebra crew headed by Adam Savoie. They flagged the Gators 16 times overall, 12 on offense. The Gators were whistled for three false starts, two holds, two delays of game, two personal fouls, an ineligible receiver, a facemask and an unsportsmanlike conduct. There was also an interception credited to Philo but not his fault. The ball bounced off Baugh’s chest and into the hands of Auburn DB Da’Shawn Womack. Take away the penalties and that one turnover and Florida was virtually unstoppable. That it came against the Auburn defense made it a teensy bit sweeter for Sumrall who spent the week prior to Saturday hearing a barrage of disrespect, that Florida’s two wins came against Florida Atlantic and Campbell, Swamp visitors willing to take a beating in exchange for a paycheck that not only helps fund the spermwhale harpooning team but keeps the lights on in the athletic complex. Somehow, Florida’s two wins measured less prominently than Auburn’s two over Baylor and Southern Miss, hence the attempts to sow doubt prior to the game. Sumrall didn’t see much in the way of comparison that should have sown seeds of doubt. “I'm going to use the motivation from outside people that said, like, we weren't really that good, that we hadn't played anybody,” Sumrall said. “That's what I heard a lot of from, like, some people out in the media – we hadn’t played anybody. I think FAU's pretty good. I think Campbell's a decent football team, but they talked about how they [Auburn] had played people. Well, they played us tonight and so we were going to be ready to play the game the way we need to play it.” There were well-deserved questions about Florida’s defense, which remains a work in progress despite discovering a pass rush that rarely factored in the wins over FAU and Campbell. Jacksonville State transfer Emmanuel Obadejo and Jayden Woods led a relentless harassment of Auburn QB Byrum Brown, sacking him seven times for 35 yards in losses. The front seven turned in a solid effort. Where the Gators struggled defensively was on the back end which Brown exploited for 271 yards. The defense has much room for improvement and as good as the offense has been there is room for growth, particularly in the area of the discipline necessary to eliminate the penalties which have increased each game since starting out with four against FAU. “I'm not a mathematician, but four to eight is doubling them, and eight to 16 is doubling them again,” Sumrall said. “If we don't get that fixed and get back to how we were in week one, we are about to get absolutely embarrassed when we play high-end SEC teams.” There are four ranked teams remaining on the UF schedule – No. 4 Ole Miss next Saturday followed by No. 19 Missouri in two weeks, plus No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Georgia in back-to-back games – and here is what we know. Florida has a lethal offense that currently ranks second nationally in scoring (54 per game), third in yards (544.3) and fourth in yards per offensive play (7.97) and fifth in passing yards per attempt (11.0). The defense is 11th in the SEC (326.3 yards per game), but that is marked improvement over last year. This is hardly a finished product of a team but the Gators are already within a game of last year’s win total (4) and they’ve got a road win, something they failed to do last year in six games away from the friendly confines of The Swamp. Sumrall has the Gators on the right trajectory so it isn’t difficult to imagine them equaling or even bettering the eight wins of the 2020 or 2024 teams. Sumrall will be the first to tell you he didn’t come to Gainesville to win eight games. Back in August the oddsmakers in Las Vegas set at 7.5 the over/under for Florida football wins. Taking the under might have seemed the prudent thing to do back then, but back then nobody envisioned such a capable and explosive Florida offense, one with enough weapons to cover for mistakes made by their brethren on offense. Beating the over doesn’t seem such a far fetched notion after Saturday night. If the Gators deliver another “day at the office” performance Saturday when No. 4 Ole Miss comes to Gainesville (3:30 p.m., ABC) it will send a jolt of hope that resonates throughout the Gator Nation. That might have seemed impossible back in August but back then no one in his right mind would have envisioned the Gators opening as 3-point favorites over the Rebels. There is so much we didn’t know back in August but we’re learning quickly that when faced with fourth-and-1 from his own 47 he trusts his gut, his offensive coordinator and stud running back to get the yard and then some. ASSOCIATED PRESS (SEC teams bold face) TOP 25: 1. Texas 3-0; 2. Georgia 3-0; 3. Notre Dame 3-0; 4. Ole Miss 3-0; 5. Indiana 3-0; 6. Miami 3-0; 7. Ohio State 2-1; 8. Alabama 3-0; 9. BYU 3-0; 10. LSU 2-1; 11. Texas Tech 3-0; 12. Southern California 4-0; 13. Penn State 3-0; 14. Tennessee 3-0; 15. Utah 3-0; 16. Louisville 2-1; 17. Iowa 3-0; 18. Michigan 3-0; 19. Missouri 3-0; 20. Oregon 2-1; 21. FLORIDA 3-0; 22. SMU 2-1; 23. Texas A&M 2-1; 24. Mississippi State 3-0; 25. Houston 2-1 AFCA COACHES (SEC teams told face TOP 25: 1. Texas 3-0; 2. Georgia 3-0; 3. Notre Dame 3-0; 4. Indiana 3-0; 5. Miami 3-0; 6. Ole Miss 3-0; 7. Ohio State 2-1; 8. Alabama 3-0; 9. BYU 3-0; 10. Texas Tech 3-0; 11. LSU 2-1; 12. Southern California 4-0; 13. Tennessee 3-0; 14. Penn State 3-0; 15. Utah 3-0; 16. Oregon 2-1; 17. Iowa 3-0; 18. Michigan 3-0; 19. Louisville 2-1; 20. Texas A&M 2-1; 21. Missouri 3-0; 22. FLORIDA 3-0; 23. Washington 3-0; 24. Oklahoma 2-1; 25. SMU 2-1 AROUND THE SEC No. 8 Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC): Alabama has rediscovered a ground game. In its 50-36 win over Florida State the Crimson Tide ran for 247 yards. Saturday: South Carolina (2-1, 0-1 SEC) Arkansas (1-2, 0-1 SEC): The Razorbacks can’t run the football. They’re averaging 75.33 yards per game and only 2.33 yards per carry. Saturday: Tulsa (3-0) Auburn (2-1, 0-1 SEC): Auburn is dead last in the SEC in protecting the passer, having given up 13 sacks in three games. Saturday: vs. Vanderbilt (3-0, 0-0 SEC) No. 2 Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC): Through three games, Gunner Stockton is 38-45 passing for 583 yards (13.0 per attempt, 9 touchdowns, 0 interceptions). Saturday: Oklahoma (2-1, 0-9 SEC) Kentucky (2-1, 1-1 SEC): Kenny Michey was brilliant at Texas A&M, completing 14-18 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Saturday: vs. South Alabama (2-1) No. 10 LSU (2-1, 0-1 SEC): Safety Da’Shawn Sears will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Tight end Tre’Dez Green is expected to miss some games with a knee injury that won’t require surgery. Saturday: No. 23 Texas A&M (2-1, 0-1 SEC) No. 24 Mississippi State (3-0, 1-0 SEC): Kamario Taylor is having a brilliant season, already with 11 touchdown passes, 832 passing yards and another 178 yards rushing with a TD. Saturday: No. 19 Missouri (3-0, 0-0 SEC) No. 19 Missouri (3-0, 0-0 SEC): Austin Simmons has thrown for eight touchdowns without a pick, averaging 9.5 yards per pass attempt. Saturday: at No. 24 Mississippi State (3-0, 1-0 SEC) Oklahoma (2-1, 0-0 SEC): Oklahoma’s defense is giving up only 215.3 yards per game, but the Sooners have the worst offense in the SEC (329.7 yards and 25 points per game). Saturday: at No. 2 Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC) No. 4 Ole Miss (3-0, 1-0 SEC): Running back Kewan Lacy injured his shoulder against LSU and is not expected to play Saturday against Florida. Saturday: at No. 21 FLORIDA (3-0, 1-0 SEC) South Carolina (2-1, 0-1 SEC): Running back Matt Fuller leads the Gamecocks with 272 rushing yards for three touchdowns. He has also caught eight passes for 93 yards and another TD. Saturday: at No. 8 Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC) No. 14 Tennessee (3-0, 0-0 SEC): Led by the 1-2 punch of DeSean Bishop (286 yards) and Duane Morris (234), the Vols rank fourth nationally in rushing at 298.67 yards per game. Saturday: No. 1 Texas (3-0, 0-0 SEC) No. 1 Texas (3-0, 0-0 SEC): Arch Manning struggled with accuracy against Texas-San Antonio, completing just 17-33 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Saturday: at No. 14 Tennessee No. 23 Texas A&M (2-1, 0-1 SEC): Marcel Reed threw two interceptions and averaged only 4.8 yards per pass attempt in the loss to Kentucky. Saturday: at No. 10 LSU (2-1, 0-1 SEC) Vanderbilt (3-0, 0-0 SEC): Despite two early interceptions, freshman QB Jared Curtis came back to throw three touchdown passes as Vandy scored 21 fourth quarter points for a comeback win over North Carolina State. Saturday: at Auburn (2-1, 0-1 SEC)

The competition for the Gators gets tougher around here. (UAA Photo) When you look at the results, Coach Sumrall is justified in saying that the Gators had been tested more than some in the media thought. The two teams the Gators have played are off to a good start in their respective seasons. By Eddie Gilley GatorBaitMedia.com We don’t really know how good an opponent is when we play them early in the season. My goal will be to keep us aware of how our opponents fare after they play the Gators. Knowing how those schools compete the rest of the year will make our wins look better, our losses more acceptable, and help temper our evaluations of our own team. FAU followed up the loss in Gainesville with a win over Navy at home by a score of 38-30. This past Saturday they defeated the FIU Panthers at home by a score of 16-10. They now sit at 2-1. Quarterback Caden Velkamp is 85-120 passing with 864 yards, 6 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. They continue to struggle to run the ball with a total of only 218 yards but that includes 132 yards lost, much of that from sacks. Campbell entered the Swamp 2-0 with wins over East Tennessee State and Western Carolina. ETSU was receiving votes at the start of the season, and they lost 49-37 to the Fighting Camels. They then upset Kerwin Bell’s team who was ranked #24 at home in Buies Creek by a score of 28-19. This past week they beat NCA&T 42-14 to sit at 3-1 on the season. QB Camden Sixkiller is 97-141 with 8 TDs and 4 Ints. He has accumulated 1141 yards through the air. They rushed for 660 net yards. When you look at the results, Coach Sumrall is justified in saying that the Gators had been tested more than some in the media thought. The two teams the Gators have played are off to a good start in their respective seasons. Including Auburn, our opponents are undefeated against everyone not named the Gators. They won’t be that way for the rest of the season, but they probably won’t finish last in their conferences either. The competition for the Gators gets tougher here as well. Games with currently #1 ranked Texas, #2 Georgia, #4 Ole Miss this week, and #19 Missouri all loom down the road. Only this week is at home. We will take a look back at the opponents throughout the season, but moving forward we will have a better idea of the quality of the teams we play because the body of work coming into the games will be greater. For now, looking back gives us a better understanding of just how good those wins were in the Swamp.

Oyebadejo, Old No. 99, rumbled through Jordan-Hare like a freight train Saturday night and left Auburn aghast, mumbling “Did anybody get the number of that truck?” Oyebadejo led the fight -- then he led the fight song. (UAA Photo) By Buddy Martin GatorBaitMedia.com Somewhere in a lecture hall back in Exeter, England, there’s a professor who probably still wonders what happened to that tall kid who used to show up for anatomy class. Turns out he went and became one of the best players on the field in the loudest building in the state of Alabama. Emmanuel Oyebadejo didn’t grow up dreaming of sacking SEC quarterbacks. He grew up watching Manchester United, dribbling a basketball, and — get this — training to be a doctor at the University of Exeter. He’d never touched a football until a coach spotted a 19-year-old giant loitering on the sideline of a club practice and figured, why not. “So, that next Wednesday I was there and playing,” Oyebadejo said. “Initially, I was just looking for something to keep myself active and busy in my spare time when I wasn’t studying for tests and exams. But then over time, I grew to fall in love with the sport.” Three years later, that same kid is walking off Pat Dye Field having just put Byrum Brown on his back three different times, and Jon Sumrall’s locker room is singing the fight song because of him. You can’t make this stuff up. Which is good, because nobody had to. From Study Hall to the Swamp Oyebadejo’s tape got him to Jacksonville State in 2024, where he promptly blew out something in fall camp and missed the entire season without playing a down. Most guys would’ve packed it in. Instead, he came back in 2025 and started all 14 games, piling up 41 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles for a 9-5 Gamecocks team that won a bowl game — First Team All-Conference USA, thank you very much. Georgia called. Texas A&M called. Florida called too, and Gerald Chatman did something the other schools apparently didn’t bother to do — he got Oyebadejo’s family on Zoom and made them part of the decision. That’s how you land a 6-foot-6, 299-pound Englishman with the frame of an NFL first-rounder and the résumé of a rookie. On Oyebadejo's rapid rise from a non-football background to producing sacks, Sumrall said, “I don’t know that I can say I’ve been around someone with that big a leap. It’s just as impressive as his newness to the game. He was a true game-time decision last week too — after watching him move Friday, I felt a little better about him.”$ So there he was Saturday night, a game-time decision with a bad ankle, stepping into Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time in his life — 88,000 seats, a road environment that’s swallowed better teams than this Florida bunch whole. And he treated it like a Tuesday practice. Oyebadejo teamed with Jayden Woods to sack Brown on the game’s opening possession, then got one of his own on the very next snap to force a field goal. He batted down a pass at the line in the second quarter. And when it mattered most — fourth-and-10, Auburn still had a pulse in the fourth quarter — he came off the edge untouched and put Brown on the ground to end the drive, effectively ending the game. Final stat line: 2.5 sacks, four tackles, a pass deflection, a team-high 84.5 PFF grade on 37 snaps. Florida finished with seven sacks as a team. He was in on three of them. Three hundred and eighty-eight days earlier, this man had never taken a college snap. Welcome to the SEC, indeed. Singing in the Storm Florida beat Auburn 44-39, its first win at Jordan-Hare since 1999, its first road win in the SEC since 2024, its first SEC victory under Sumrall — pick your streak-snapper, there were plenty. And when the noise finally died down in that visiting locker room, it was Oyebadejo — the medical-school-dropout-turned-terror — leading the fight song, with Sumrall delivering a fiery address laced with a major expletive (was it Sumrall, or was it AI/Memorex?) to a team that had just delivered him a signature win on the field named for Pat Dye. There’s a symmetry to it that’s almost too clean for a football writer to resist. Sumrall’s wife Ginny is an Auburn grad. Auburn nearly hired him before Florida did. His office back home has a photograph of Pat Dye and Bear Bryant hunting rabbits in Moundville, and here he was getting his first SEC win as a head coach standing on Dye’s actual turf. “I can’t tell you what that means to me personally,” Sumrall said afterward. Then, right on schedule, he pivoted to the coach’s version of a cold shower — 16 penalties for 138 yards, and a warning that Florida “won’t win another game all year” if that mess repeats itself. That’s Sumrall in full — sentimental about Pat Dye Field one minute, chewing out his own discipline the next. Ask any Gator right now which mode fires them up more, and I’d bet on the singing. Because outside the cameras, in the hallways of Jordan-Hare where the real stuff happens, Scott Stricklin was working the room in Orange and Blue, giving out hugs and fist bumps to anyone who’d take one, and stopping outside the locker room to catch the last gasp of LSU’s loss at Ole Miss on a hallway TV — the same LSU that had lured away Lane Kiffin before Stricklin ever got a shot at Sumrall. You didn’t need a psychology degree to read that scene. A kid who once studied for exams instead of quarterbacks just became the loudest voice in a Florida locker room that hasn’t had much to sing about on the road in years. If that doesn’t tell you where this Sumrall era is headed, keep watching. The moments, as always, tell you more than the scoreboard ever will.

Quick Slants 1. Yep, Sumrall is the right guy. If you still have doubts, this should end all that. Not only did Jon Sumrall lead Florida to a victory in his first SEC road start at Auburn, a place where wins have historically been hard for the Gators to find, but his staff also had Florida looking like the better-coached team. What said the most came afterward. Sumrall took responsibility for the 16 penalties, refused to let his players off the hook and made it clear the standard is higher. He gets SEC football. I have no doubts they will get that cleaned up. 2. Penalties don’t always kill you. Sumrall warned that Florida cannot keep surviving games with that many flags. But there was also an edge to this team that had been missing for a few years. Some penalties were silly. Others came from the kind of physical, emotional football that winning teams often play. Keep the edge. Clean up the mistakes. The penalties were out of control. I mean, 16 penalties. We won’t win another game all year if we do that again. 3. Jadan Baugh is a beast. Four straight games over 100 yards. Against Auburn, Baugh carried 26 times for 162 net yards and three rushing touchdowns. One bad play did not change his night, and neither did a hand injury. His 53-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave Florida a 41-24 lead and broke the spirits of the Auburn crowd. We agree with Coach Sumrall: we are very thankful No. 13 is still a Gator. 4. The O-Line is going to be OK. The Gators finished with 243 net rushing yards on 53 attempts, an average of 4.6 per carry. Florida’s runners gained 264 yards before losses were deducted. The line also gave Aaron Philo enough time to produce a solid night in the passing game. This unit has become a much more dependable group after plenty of questions at the start of the season. They can play better, but I love the chip on their shoulders and the little bit of nastiness they bring. 5. The defense played better than it looked on TV. With 8:45 left in the game, Florida’s defense had held Auburn to 208 yards and 24 points, including a field goal after the interception — a huge stop. The final two Auburn drives went 90 and 75 yards, which will drive Brad White and Sumrall crazy. Fourteen points in the final eight minutes is never good, and Florida got hurt playing softer coverage late. But the Gators also finished with seven sacks against a mobile quarterback and held Auburn to 102 net rushing yards. It was not a dominant defensive performance, but it was good enough to win at Jordan-Hare. War Dang Gator!