Florida’s senior day had just about everything you could want from a college football game: beautiful weather, high stakes for both squads, nonstop action from start to finish and a shocking result that shook the college football world to its core.
In their final home game of the 2024 campaign, the Gators (6-5, 4-4 SEC) stunned the No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels (8-3, 4-3 SEC) in a 24-17 upset victory at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
“I think the whole message this week was [to] earn the right to win,” UF head coach Billy Napier said. “The game was a game of turnover margin [and] red zone scoring, and ultimately, I think you put those two things together, we'll be very difficult to beat.”
UF senior running back Montrell Johnson Jr. showed out in his final home game as a Gator. Johnson Jr. tallied 127 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries in the contest. He also notched the go-ahead score for Florida on a nine-yard rushing touchdown out of wildcat formation in the fourth quarter.
Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway helped to keep Florida in front as well, finishing the day with 180 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 10-of-17 passing.
Florida was also dominant defensively, finishing with four sacks, nine tackles for loss and two interceptions. Both picks came from sophomore defensive back Bryce Thornton in the fourth quarter, which in turn all but eliminated any hopes of an Ole Miss comeback.
UF redshirt junior defensive lineman Caleb Banks also had another outing to remember. Banks finished the afternoon with 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss, setting the tone for an all-around impressive defensive performance.
Florida’s day started off with a literal bang, courtesy of a big hit by sophomore defensive back Jordan Castell to force an incompletion on a potential Ole Miss deep ball. Castell was initially whistled for targeting on the play, but the call was subsequently overturned.
This, in turn, set up a crucial third down that saw Rebels senior quarterback Jaxson Dart get sacked by Banks. As the latter strutted off the field and the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium crowd erupted, Ole Miss was forced to punt the ball away to the UF 35-yard line.
On the Rebels’ second offensive possession, they faced a 4th-and-1 deep in UF’s territory. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin opted for a trick play to senior defensive tackle JJ Pegues, who directly received the snap. Florida, however, was not fooled. Pegues was immediately met at the line of scrimmage and taken down, forcing a turnover on downs.
From there, freshman quarterback DJ Lagway got right back to work for the Gators. On a pair of plays where the Rebels’ pass rush had seemingly gotten to the true freshman signal caller, Lagway managed to escape and air out a pair of tight first down completions to close out the first quarter.
Facing third-and-goal to open the second quarter, Lagway found senior wideout Elijhah Badger on a perfectly placed pass in the back right corner of the end zone, giving Florida its first lead of the game at 7-0 with 14:56 remaining in the second quarter.
“Me and [Badger] have been connecting a lot recently,” Lagway said. “He's been making a heck of a lot of plays for me, and it's great to have a senior veteran like him to help me on and off the field.”
The Rebels needed just less than three minutes to respond with a touchdown of their own. Lining up near midfield, Dart connected with a wide-open senior wideout Tre Harris in between the numbers. In turn, Harris took the catch to the house for a 43-yard touchdown to get Ole Miss on the board and tie the game 7-7.
Things quickly went from bad to worse for the Gators following an interception from Lagway on the next drive. As he attempted to find senior wideout Chimere Dike near the 45-yard line, the freshman’s pass went high and through his receiver’s hands before being wrangled in by Ole Miss senior safety John Saunders Jr.
Florida’s defense initially had the Rebels right where it wanted them on the subsequent drive, forcing Ole Miss into a 4th-and-2 at the UF 47-yard line. Dart found senior wide receiver Jordan Watkins on a 25-yard strike up the middle for a first down.
One play later, Dart showed off his cannon of an arm once more to give the Rebels their first lead of the day. The Ole Miss signal caller found sophomore wide receiver Cayden Lee in stride on a 22-yard strike down the middle for the score. Ole Miss took a14-7 lead with 9:05 left in the second quarter.
Florida finally got its mojo back on the subsequent drive, courtesy of a 27-yard catch-and-run from Badger. The big play, combined with a face mask penalty on Ole Miss one play later, put Florida at the Ole Miss 25-yard line for another prime scoring opportunity.
Lagway immediately cashed in with a screen pass to freshman running back Jadan Baugh, who sliced through the Rebels secondary and cruised across the goal line for a touchdown asFlorida and Ole Miss were tied at 14 apiece.
In the blink of an eye, the Gators and Rebels were in ashoot-out at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. As Dart and company made their way back onto the field, Ole Miss responded with another quick drive to cross back over into UF’s red zone. Nevertheless, Florida managed to stop the Rebels before reaching the end zone.
Following a controversial play where Harris seemingly fumbled after picking up a first down, the referees reversed their initial call and deemed it an incomplete pass. Rebels senior kicker Caden Davis subsequently missed a 34-yard field goal attempt, leaving the score tied at 14-14.
Neither squad managed to get back on the board until the third quarter. However, things quickly went awry as Ole Miss senior returner Micah Davis lost the ball in the Sun and muffed the punt. UF redshirt senior defensive back DJ Douglas immediately pounced on it and came away with possession.
Nevertheless, Florida immediately went three-and-out once more, forcing the Gators to settle for a 53-yard field goal. UF junior kicker Trey Smack sailed his attempt through the uprights with ease, giving Florida a 17-14 lead with 10:57 remaining in the third quarter.
Ole Miss made its way back into Florida territory on the next drive, thanks in part to some nifty footwork from Dart. The Rebels signal caller scrambled for a combined 29 yards on the drive, including a nine-yard run in the red zone to set up a 4th-and-11 at UF’s 10-yard line.
Once again, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin opted to send Pegues out for a fourth down trick play and this time was stuffed well short of the first down marker. The play forced yet another Ole Miss turnover on downs.
The Rebels eventually managed to tie the score following another UF three-and-out and a 42-yard field goal from Davis. Entering the fourth quarter, Ole Miss and Florida were tied at 17-17.
With the Rebels facing a 3rd-and-2 in its first drive of the fourth quarter, Banks stuffed Dart for a loss of four yards to force an Ole Miss punt.
As Lagway took back over under center, he connected with a wide open Dike down the middle of the field for a 41-yard gain.
Florida subsequently made its way down to the Ole Miss nine-yard line, where Johnson Jr. lined up in the wildcat formation. The UF senior back charged into the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown, allowing the Gators to reclaim the lead at 24-17 with 7:40 left in the game.
“When I got there, I was just thinking ‘Touchdown,’” Johnson Jr. said. “I have to score, I have to get in the end zone for senior night… I was just proud of myself at that moment.”
With 3:56 left to play in the fourth quarter, the matchup had seemingly come down to its waning moments. The Gators were just one stop away from pulling off a massive upset and spoiling any hopes for the Rebels’ playoff ambitions.
Initially, Ole Miss looked to be driving. Dart methodically led his squad down the field, giving the Rebels a 1st-and-10 at the 50-yard line with exactly 2:00 remaining in the game. But soon enough, it all came crashing down for Ole Miss.
Following a pair of short-gaining plays, Dart fired a deep pass into the end zone that saw a mad scramble of Rebels and Gators alike going for the ball. In the end, the pass landed right in the hands of sophomore defensive back Bryce Thornton, who subsequently fell down in the end zone for a touchback.
After Florida fans in attendance lost their minds and Thornton was mobbed by his teammates behind the goalpost, Ole Miss did still manage to get the ball back with zero timeouts following a quick UF three-and-out. Taking back over at their own 34-yard line, the Rebels needed a miracle if they were to somehow stay alive in this ballgame.
Alas, a comeback was not in the cards for the Rebels. Dart looked to throw it deep in the game’s final seconds, but Thornton came away with his second interception of the day. His pick allowed Florida to finally emerge victorious in a poetic home season finale.
“I just seen the ball in the air, and I just told myself, it's time to go make a play,” Thornton said.
The Gators will conclude their regular season on the road on Nov. 30 against the Florida State Seminoles. What has normally been a highly touted rivalry matchup in the past between the two Sunshine State squads is expected to be all but a runaway victory for the Gators next weekend.
FSU currently sits at 2-9 with one of the worst offenses in the country; the Seminoles have averaged just 13.3 points per game through their first 10 contests this season. With this in mind, Napier and his squad will look to end their regular season in style before bowl season officially kicks off in December.
“I think belief is the most powerful thing in the world,” Napier said. “At some point there mid-season, I think we figured out and started to believe, ‘Look, we can play with any team in the country’… Football is a conditional game. You've got to find something that's unconditional.”
Kickoff between Florida and FSU is set for either 7:00 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. ET.
Contact Jack Meyer at jmeyer@alligator.org. Follow him on X @jackmeyerUF.
Jack Meyer is a fourth-year journalism major and the Assistant Sports Editor for The Alligator. In his free time, he enjoys reviewing music, spending time with friends, playing video games and going to the gym.
