Previews and Predictions: No. 9 Ole Miss at Florida

GAINESVILLE — The No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels are looking to add another win to their tally and improve their chances of making the expanded 12-team College Football Playoffs. But before looking to the postseason, the Rebels need to take care of business one weekend at a time. Today, they take on the Florida Gators who currently stand between Ole Miss and a 9-2 record.

The Rebels aren’t the only one with something to play for here. Head coach Billy Napier and the Gators have been pinned up against the wall this season and now boast a 5-5 record with only two chances left to reach bowl eligibility. A win over Ole Miss would be a statement victory that could show that behind quarterback DJ Lagway, Florida’s program is starting to turn things in a positive direction to gain some momentum.

The Rebels appear to be as healthy as they have been all season in the latest version of their injury report. Only four names were mentioned ahead of Saturday’s game. This is a long stretch away from where Ole Miss appeared when these reports initially started this season. Expected to be able to play is Ole Miss WR Tre Harris who has missed three-and-a-half games after suffering an injury in the first half of the LSU game. Speaking of LSU, former Tiger RB Logan Diggs, although listed as ‘out’ for the game today, is getting closer to making his debut on the gridiron for Ole Miss and we perhaps may see him if the Rebels make the playoffs.

This game is somewhat of a homecoming for Ole Miss edge rusher Princely Umanmielen, who spent four seasons as part of the Florida program before transferring to join the Rebels this offseason. Umanmielen has seen tremendous success since moving to Oxford and looks to have another big game in an environment he is familiar with.

Game Details 

• Kickoff: Saturday, November 24th, 11:00 AM CT
• TV: ABC
• Radio: OleMissSports.com
  • Memphis: WHBQ-AM 560
  • Oxford: WOXF-FM 105.1
  • Jackson: WFMN-FM 97.3
• Betting Odds:  Ole Miss -12; O/U: 55.5  (as of Saturday morning)

So what happens in Saturday’s game?

The Rebel Walk has put together a group of panelists who are weekly sharing their predictions for the upcoming game. Our panel brings a variety of perspectives that showcase many different points of view.

The Leaderboard

Kam Wicker (The Rebel Walk): 22 Points

TJ Oxley (The Rebel Walk): 21 Points 

Grayson Weir (BroBible): 19 Points

Adam Brown (The Rebel Walk): 14 Points

Zach Moreth (The Rebel Walk): 9 Points 

Caleb Salers (Supertalk Mississippi): 5 Points

Scoring Metric and Panel Predictions

Scoring: Each panel member can earn a total of six points per week.

• One point will be awarded for correctly picking the winning team outright.
• Two points will be awarded if the predicted score is within 7.5 points total. There is a caveat to this. For example, if a panel member says that a team wins the game 21-0 and that team loses 0-21, the total score is technically within 7.5 points. However, points will only be awarded if the score is close to the prediction (i.e. – a score of 24-3 has a total of 27 and is within 7.5 points of 21).
• Lastly, a panel member will be awarded three points if his prediction is correct.

With that being said let’s get to the predictions as Ole Miss hits the road to Gainesville.

Grayson Weir, Bro Bible

Score: Ole Miss 38— Florida 13

Prediction: Tre Harris receiving touchdown and Cayden Lee tallies 100+ receiving yards

Although I have not predicted a loss all season, because I did NOT see Kentucky or LSU coming, this will not be the first. The Rebels are on a different level at this point in the year and they know what is at stake.

DJ Lagway is a very talented quarterback and Florida is trending slightly upward after looking completely dead in the water during the early season. Bill Napier is no longer in jeopardy of being fired so the Gators are playing with house money. That will allow Florida to show up in the first half with a long drive that stalls out for a field goal and a fluke touchdown before halftime.

However, Ole Miss’ defensive front is too much to handle. Princely Umanmielen is back in Gainesville with a chip on his shoulder. I expect this to be his best game of the year, which will allow the interior guys to get loose for at least three sacks. Tre Harris’ return to the offense is a great thing. Who wouldn’t want the best receiver in the country on the field? With that being said, the Rebels are going to look his way a little bit too often in the first half, which will result in a frustrating three-and-out late in the first quarter. From there, it will be nothing but success. Harris scores, Caden Lee finishes with more than 100 yards, and Ulysses Bentley gets loose for a 50+ yarder.

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Kam Wicker, The Rebel Walk

Score: Ole Miss 30 — Florida 10

Prediction: Princely Umanmielen records 2.0+ sacks

DJ Lagway is one of the most impressive freshmen in the country, using his dynamic play to bring life to the Gator program late in the 2024 season. I expect Lagway to cause problems early in the game for the Rebels with the help of the Swamp crowd. However, Umanmielen said it himself after the win over Georgia win; this Landshark defense is on another level right now. After a quarter, the Ole Miss defense is too much for Florida and the Rebel offense runs away with it.

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Zach Moreth, The Rebel Walk

Score: Ole Miss 31 — Florida 24

Prediction: Tre Harris has 2+ Touchdowns

Ole Miss will be tasked with likely their toughest opportunity for the remainder of the season this Saturday. Florida is coming off of an electric win over LSU, including a defensive performance consisting of seven sacks. The Rebel offensive line has to protect Jaxson Dart and give him time to throw in the pocket. On the flip side, Pete Golding’s defensive line has to record over 4.5 sacks and make an injured DJ Lagway extremely uncomfortable. I have the Rebs winning, putting them one win away from the College Football Playoffs.

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Adam Brown, The Rebel Walk

Score: Ole Miss 35  — Florida 7

Prediction: Jaxson Dart has a huge day in the Swamp, throwing for over 375 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

I don’t think this one will even be close. With Tre Harris back and getting a lot of attention, I look for a huge day for Jordan Watkins, scoring two TDs. The Rebels’ defense is peaking at the right time, as Coach Kiffin has said of the team. They’re healthy now and won’t be bothered by the noise in The Swamp. Today, I would not be surprised if they collect eight sacks and hold Florida to 75 rushing yards.

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TJ Oxley, The Rebel Walk

Score: Ole Miss 28 — Florida 17

Prediction: Florida completes <50% of its passes

The Ole Miss football program has been playing with little room for error the past few weeks. After a big win against Georgia, the Rebels catapulted themselves back into contention for a spot in the College Football Playoffs. With that time off, pressure mounts and Ole Miss travels on the road to play a Florida team that took down a ranked LSU squad last week.

The Rebels come focused and the defense, led by one of the best front sevens in the country, will come into The Swamp against the second-rated pass blocking group in the SEC. DJ Lagway’s completion percentage is nearly 10 points higher when he is kept in a clean pocket and his average depth of target increases to just north of 15 yards.

Ole Miss’ defense will look to make life tough for Billy Napier’s prized freshman; expect a blitzing effort in most cases. The Rebels can find success on offense with the inclusion of Tre Harris back in the lineup. I expect Ole Miss to try and take control of this one early. If they don’t, Florida can make Ole Miss sweat in this one.

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Caleb Salers, Supertalk Mississippi

Score: Ole Miss 38 — Florida 20 

Prediction: Princely Umanmielen records 3.0+ sacks 

The Rebels press the issue early, scoring touchdowns on their first two drives to take a commanding lead. Juice Wells, after sniffing the end zone against Georgia, gets score happy and reaches the end zone at least once and tacks on more than 70 receiving yards in Tre Harris’ highly-anticipated return. Speaking of returns, Ole Miss edge rusher Princely Umanmielen will have a homecoming of sorts, wreaking havoc on the backfield. The former Florida Gator will be responsible for slinging DJ Lagway to the ground at least three times as the Rebels look to keep playoff hopes alive.