Florida routs No. 4 Ole Miss, rises to No. 8 in AP poll after 52-28 win

# Game result and ranking

# How Florida won The Gators established control on the ground and closed the game with a dominant fourth quarter. Florida led 17-6 at halftime. Ole Miss mounted a comeback in the third quarter with a 15-point run to make it 31-21, but Florida scored 21 fourth-quarter points to put the game away.

• Running back Jadan Baugh carried 29 times for 142 yards and three rushing touchdowns.
• Duke Clark added 126 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
• Florida finished with 302 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.
• Quarterback Aaron Philo completed 16 of 23 passes for 196 yards and one touchdown.
• Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw for 298 yards and one passing touchdown and ran for two scores, but the Rebels couldn't keep pace after Florida's defense created two second-half turnovers.

# Context and milestones This win snapped a 12-game losing streak Florida had against top-five teams. It also made Florida the first Florida team since 2001 to score at least 40 points in each of its first four games. For head coach Jon Sumrall, in his first year, the result is a clear indicator of progress after a 4-8 season in 2025.

# Immediate outlook and tests ahead Florida's schedule provides a quick string of meaningful challenges that will better define how sustainable this run is. The next stretch includes:

• Oct. 3: at Missouri (road)
• Oct. 10: vs South Carolina (home)
• Oct. 17: at Texas (road)
• Bye week
• Oct. 31: vs Georgia in Atlanta (neutral-site rivalry)
• Nov. 7: vs Oklahoma (home)

Texas and Georgia are the hardest upcoming matchups listed and will be the clearest measures of whether Saturday's dominant win signals a long-term turnaround.

# What to watch next

• Can the Gators replicate the rushing balance that produced 302 yards against Ole Miss when facing top-tier defenses such as Texas and Georgia?
• Will Florida's defense sustain the takeaways seen in the second half, or will turnovers reappear as a vulnerability?
• How will the physical workload on primary backs like Jadan Baugh affect the backfield across a tougher October slate?

Florida's jump in the AP poll reflects a big single-game statement and sets higher expectations. The next month will determine whether that ranking is a foundation or a short-lived peak.