No. 9 Ole Miss ‘peaked at the right time’ but can’t afford disappointment in Florida

GAINESVILLE, FL. Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin feels his team has “peaked at the right time.”

No one would argue after the Rebels won back then… No. 2 Georgia won its third game in a row two weeks ago.

The hot series puts ninth-ranked Ole Miss (8-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference, No. 9 CFP) on the verge of securing a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Kiffin’s team simply can’t afford to miss the opener, starting with Florida (5-5, 3-4) on Saturday.

The Rebels are 10-point favorites heading into the Swamp and will be an even bigger pick in the regular-season finale against lowly Mississippi State next week, according to sportsbook BetMGM.

“I think we’re playing really well right now, and it’s great to be playing well at the end of the season — in any season, let alone in the new playoff format,” Kiffin said. “So that’s interesting.”

Playing well and getting better is the ideal scenario for any CFP team.

The Rebels return star wide receiver Tre Harris after missing the last three games with a lower-body injury. Harris still leads the team with 59 receptions for 987 yards.

And Harris will return to face a Florida secondary playing without its top three cornerbacks: Jason Marshall, Devin Moore and Ja’Keem Jackson. The Gators will also be without linebacker Grayson “Papa” Howard.

However, Florida’s confidence continues to rise after it routed LSU last week and went head-to-head with Georgia and Tennessee. The Gators need wins in their final two games to qualify for the bowl, next week against struggling Florida State.

Achieving that goal against Ole Miss will serve as a launching pad for Florida coach Billy Napier and his program to try to gain much-needed momentum in 2025. The Gators play more than two dozen freshmen and sophomores.

“When you have young players that are gaining experience and winning games like this, going into the future and being able to learn from that and move forward is huge,” senior receiver Kaymer Dyke said.

The Gators had won three straight at home and took advantage of the raucous crowd against the Tigers. The environment stood out on film for Kiffin, whose team is 3-1 on the road this season.

“It’s a big challenge, man,” Kiffin said. “How many were there, 4-5 last week? The crowd was electric. The conference championship seemed to be on the line. They are two completely different teams home and away.”

Dart approaches passing record

Ole Miss quarterback Jackson Dart is 372 yards shy of Eli Manning’s school passing record of 10,119 yards. Dart leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in total offense (371.3 yards per game), passing efficiency (188.6 yards per game) and yards per attempt (11.4).

“We need to stop the run, like we do every week, and then get him off his feet and force him into positions where he’s not comfortable and force him to make mistakes,” Florida defensive back Jack Pieburn said.

Lagway at almost full speed after injury

Florida defensive back DJ Lagway will need to be more mobile against Ole Miss, which leads the nation with 46 sacks. Lagway was sidelined for three weeks by a left hamstring strain. He returned last week against LSU but did not run out of the pocket.

He completed 13 of 26 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown and also completed all first-team reps in practice for the second week in a row.

“He’s getting a little better every day,” Napier said. “There are no failures here. It’s positive.”

Big-play receivers for both QBs

Mississippi and Florida are two of only three teams in the country with two receivers averaging at least 19 yards per catch.

The Rebels have Jordan Watkins (21.3) and Antwain Wells Jr. (19.1), while the Gators have Elijah Badger (23) and Kaymere Dike (19).

And now Ole Miss is adding Harris to the mix.

“Having Tre back will only add depth and explosiveness to the offense,” Watkins said.