On a perfect night for the final home game of the regular season, 7th-ranked Ole Miss welcomed the down-and-out Florida Gators to Vaught Hemingway Stadium for the final tuneup before the Egg Bowl on Black Friday. With all the talk surrounding Lane Kiffin and the Florida Head Coaching vacancy, the environment inside the Vaught Hemingway was about as wild as it has ever been in the Lane Kiffin era in Oxford. 

Florida won the opening toss and elected to receive, but quickly went three and out, giving Lane Kiffin the Ole Miss offense the ball early in the first quarter. Ole Miss would take it right down the field for a touchdown, capped off by Kewan Lacy’s 17th record-breaking rushing touchdown. Ole Miss would add a field goal to extend the lead to 10-0 over the Gators before a quick touchdown response from the Gators would cut the Ole Miss lead to 10-7. Florida would pick off Trinidad Chambliss to give the Gators first and goal with a chance to take the lead. Florida would open the second quarter with a touchdown to take a 14-10 lead over Ole Miss. Ole Miss would respond with a 46-yard touchdown pass from Trinidad Chambliss to De’Shaun Stribling to retake a 17-14 lead over the Gators. Florida responded with a long touchdown pass of their own to retake a 21-17 lead over Ole Miss with 6:54 remaining in the first half. Ole Miss would have to settle for a field goal with 1:52 in the half to cut the Florida lead to 21-20. Florida would add a 38-yard field goal as time expires in the half to take a 24-20 lead over the Rebels at the break. 

Trinidad Chambliss finished the half going 15-18-1 for 177 yards and one touchdown. Per the norm for Ole Miss, the bright spot came in the way of Kewan Lacy, who rushed for 112 yards and one touchdown. 

For the Gators, DJ Lagway finished his half 9-17-0 for 155 yards and a touchdown. 

With Playoff implications hanging in the balance by a thread, the Rebels would need the halftime adjustments to keep the season alive. 

After an impressive long opening drive of the second half, the Rebels would stall out on 4th and goal, giving it back to Florida on the one-yard line with 7:51 in the third. Florida would see their drive stall out on 4th and two, giving the Rebels the ball back after a long punt that pinned the Rebels deep in their own territory on the 16-yard line. Kewan Lacy would deliver Ole Miss with a 59-yard first down run to end the third by giving Ole Miss first and goal to start the 4th quarter. 

Ole Miss would have to burn their second timeout of the second half to open the 4th, but made up for it with a direct snap to Kewan Lacy for the go-ahead Ole Miss touchdown to retake a 27-24 lead over the Gators with 14:47 remaining in the game. Wydett Williams would come in clutch for the Ole Miss defense on a Florida third and give with an interception, giving the Rebels the ball back with a little over nine minutes remaining in the game. Ole Miss would add another touchdown as the Rebels close out the final home game with a 34-24 victory over Florida. 

Ole Miss will head into the bye week before the Egg Bowl with a 10-1 record.

Photo Credits- Ole Miss Football on X