GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators have a unique opportunity Saturday to close out the home portion of their schedule with a statement.

A loud announcement from the roof.

The story of Florida’s 2024 season is one with more twists than San Francisco’s famed Lombard Street. The drama started in the season opener, a 24-point loss to the hated Miami Hurricanes. The Gators followed a home win over FCS-ranked Samford with another deflating home loss to Texas A&M.

(Read our extended preview of the “Opening Kickoff” here)

Head coach at that time Billy Napier was under fire and Ole Miss coach Avenue Kiffin was the knight in shining armor. The season had barely begun when rumors of Napier’s death, coupled with rumors of Kiffin as his potential replacement, set the Internet and college football podcasts ablaze.

As the season progressed, the Gators began to show improvement and the Rebels, a 12-team College Football Playoff contender, stumbled in losses to Kentucky and LSU. Finally, two weeks ago, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin informed Gator Nation that Napier would continue to lead the program. That same weekend, Kiffin led the Rebels to a dominant victory over Georgia to get the Rebels back into the CFB Playoff race.

Yes, it’s been a wild and crazy season, which continues Saturday with the Gators (5-5, 3-4) taking on No. 9 Ole Miss (8-2, 4-2) at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida can become bowl eligible with a win. The Rebels need to win to remain a playoff contender.

“It shows our resilience, man. It just shows how much we care, how much these guys care about this team, no matter what.” Tyreak Sapp said. “We’re going to lose together. We’re going to win together. And that’s something I always take pride in and never let my brothers down, no matter what.”

The Gators enter as a decisive underdog despite being at home for the last time this season. They close the regular season next week in Tallahassee against in-state rival Florida State.

The Rebels come to town with the No. 2 offense in the FBS, averaging 539.5 yards per game and 40.7 points per game. Ole Miss is also good defensively, leading the Southeastern Conference in rushing defense (79.9 ypg), second in scoring defense (12.9 ppg) and fifth in total defense (309.2). Meanwhile, the Rebels’ pass rush ranks first in the FBS with 46 sacks, presenting a huge test for Florida’s offensive line as they attempt to protect the true freshman quarterback. DJ Laway.

Florida’s defense, which ranks 15th in the SEC, is giving up 399.7 yards and 26.4 points per game. The Gators need to be on edge against the Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dartwho has more passing yards in 10 games (3,407) than eight of the last 10 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks.

The Gators rose to the challenge a week ago by upsetting No. 21 LSU in The Swamp. Ole Miss had a bye week after its biggest win of the season, a 28-10 thrashing of Georgia two weeks ago.

Kiffin and Napier have never faced each other as head coaches, but the former Alabama assistants know each other’s tendencies well.

“Lane has always done a good job of playing to those strengths with the skills of players he has,” Napier said.

Although Kiffin has the team most expected to win Saturday, he warned the Rebels that playing at home in Florida is much different than playing the Gators on the road. Since the start of the 2020 season, Florida is 22-8 at home and 8-22 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

“I’m telling you, this is a big challenge,” Kiffin said this week. “What were they last week, 4-5? The crowd was excited. It looked like the conference championship was on the line. They’re playing really well at home.”

The Gators will celebrate 21 players on Saturday during Senior Day, always an emotional farewell. Napier wants to transfer some of that emotion onto the pitch in front of the home fans.

And also in the stands.

“If you’re trying to be a championship contender, you have to be strong at home. You have to win it,” Napier said this week. “I mean, home field advantage in this league has to be – it’s a big piece to the puzzle. If you look at the history of this program, when we won championships here, they dominated at home. We understand that and we know that.”

Coverage begins at noon on ABC, with the crew of Bob Wischusen per game, Greg McElroy providing analyzes and Molly McGrath on the sidelines. The Gators Sports Network broadcast from Learfield will air with pregame coverage starting at 9 a.m., eventually giving way to Sean Kelley And Shane Matthews in the cabin, with Tate Casey reporting from the field. For GSN stations click here.


The game will be re-aired on the SEC Network on Sunday at 4:00 PM and Tuesday at 12:00 PM.


Finally, follow FloridaGators.com senior writer Scott Carter (@GatorsScott) for commentary and analysis throughout the game. FloridaGators.com will receive full post-match coverage late Saturday evening as well as follow-up content on Sunday.