GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — New Florida coach Jon Sumrall called his program a sleeping giant when he took over 10 months ago and has said repeatedly since that it's time to “wake the beast."
Well, the Gators are officially growling.
Jadan Baugh ran for 142 yards and three touchdowns, Duke Clark added 126 yards and a score on the ground, and No. 21 Florida manhandled fourth-ranked Mississippi 52-28 on Saturday to reach 4-0 for the first time since 2019.
It tied Florida's most points against a top-five team since beating Florida State 52-20 in the 1996 national championship game.
“It's not asleep, but it ain't fully awake yet. It's being kind of stirred up a little bit," said Sumrall, who became the first coach in Southeastern Conference history to lead his team to 200 or more points in his first four games. “We’re going to get there. It’s coming.
“I didn't come here for us to be average.”
The Gators (4-0, 2-0 SEC), installed as 3 1/2-point favorites, proved Las Vegas oddsmakers right by leading from start to finish. They scored touchdowns on five consecutive drives in the second half to pull away.
The Rebels (3-1, 1-1), meanwhile, insisted that last week’s victory against LSU, the one that spoiled former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin’s return, was not their “Super Bowl.” But they failed to build off that emotional win.
Florida had a lot to do with it in the Swamp.
“That was an old-fashioned butt whooping,” Ole Miss coach Pete Golding said.
The Gators jumped on the Rebels early, leading 10-0 before Heisman Trophy front-runner Trinidad Chambliss even threw a pass, and set the pace the rest of the afternoon. Florida was unstoppable running the ball.
Baugh became the third player in school history to top 100 yards rushing in five consecutive games, joining Emmitt Smith (1987, ’88) and Fred Taylor (1997).
“That means everything to me, just having my name up there with those guys," Baugh said. "They did so much when they were here. And just being able to follow their footsteps and excel, that just means so much to me.”
Baugh was elusive between the tackles, and Clark allowed the Rebels no break when he subbed into the game. Florida finished with 302 yards rushing and six TDs on the ground.
“Tackling the guy with the ball is a real thing on defense,” Golding quipped. “That’s kind of important.”
Clark's 45-yard TD run early in the third was the play of the game. He juked cornerback Antonio Kite and former Florida safety Sharif Denson on his way to the end zone.
Chambliss and Ole Miss scored 11 points in a 3-minute stretch spanning the second and third quarters and seemed to have all the momentum although Florida still led 17-14. But London Montgomery returned the ensuing kickoff 74 yards to set up Clark’s scamper.
Ole Miss seemed out of sorts from the start. Trailing 7-0, Chambliss handed off four consecutive times to backup running back JT Lindsey. Lindsey failed to move the chains on a fourth-and-1 play, giving the Gators great field position.
Chambliss injured his left thigh on the team’s second series. He returned and used the exercise bike between drives. He ended up throwing for 298 yards, with a touchdown and an interception late. He also ran seven times for 44 yards and two scores.
“We have more grit and resilience than anybody in the country, and I feel nobody can mess with us,” Baugh said.
Mississippi: The Rebels missed star running back Kewan Lacy. He ran for 224 yards and three touchdowns against Florida last year in Oxford but missed this game with a shoulder injury. Lindsey started in his place and finished with 31 yards on 11 carries.
Florida: The Gators had dropped 12 in a row against top-five teams. They became the first Florida team since 2001 to score at least 40 points in its first four games.
Mississippi gets a week off before playing at Vanderbilt on Oct. 10.
Florida plays at No. 19 Missouri next Saturday.
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