Ole Miss vs. Florida: Game Grades, Analysis for Rebels and Gators

What a statement from the Florida Gators on Saturday.

Following a miraculous comeback over Tennessee and with their quarterback battling the flu, the Gators proved that they're contenders with a 38-10 win over Ole Miss. Will Grier was lights-out, throwing all four of his touchdowns in the first half to put this one away early.

Gifted a big lead, the Florida defense teed off on the Rebels and Chad Kelly. The Gators forced four turnovers, refusing to allow a touchdown until garbage time.

It's a good thing the Rebels have time to fix their issues, because they have plenty. The offensive line was a liability from start to finish, never allowing Kelly the time to make the right decision. Without the ability to create big plays, this offense looked lost.

One thing is for sure: If you're a Florida fan, you're loving new coach Jim McElwain.

Positional Unit	1st Half	2nd Half
Passing Offense	C	D
Rushing Offense	D	D-
Passing Defense	F	D
Rushing Defense	D	C
Special Teams	F	C
Coaching	F	D

Grade Analysis for the Rebels

Passing Offense

The raw numbers don't look horrendous for Kelly, but he was never in this game. The Florida pass rush lived in the backfield, forcing him into three turnovers (one interception, two fumbles) that put the Rebels in a huge hole early. He has to make better decisions with the ball, and his protection must improve for the Rebels to recover.

Rushing Offense

As a team, the Rebels ran for 69 yards on 33 carries. They also got the ball down to the 1-yard line and failed to get a touchdown on three rushing attempts. That says it all.

Passing Defense

Grier slowed down in the second half, but only because this game was over early. Florida's quarterback had all day to throw, and his receivers were making plays all over the field. The Land Sharks looked like the Puddle Tadpoles, and that was against a redshirt freshman.

Rushing Defense

Ole Miss held the Gators to 84 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries. That looks good in the box score, except the Gators were bleeding the clock for most of the second half and hardly struggled to get tough yardage in the first half. 

Special Teams

Gary Wunderlich missed a field goal, Will Gleeson was solid punting the ball, and the return game didn't do anything special. The near-recovered onside kick would have helped, but it came way after things were done being interesting.

Coaching

Hugh Freeze and his staff looked like they never saw this coming. When Florida was blowing guys off the ball and pouring on the points, there wasn't much of an attempt to adjust the game plan. The end result was Kelly getting skewered, a horrible showing at the goal line and a weak performance on defense.

This was not Freeze's best work. Fortunately for him, the schedule gets easier over the next couple of weeks. He and this team will bounce back.

Positional Unit	1st Half	2nd Half
Passing Offense	A+	A
Rushing Offense	A	B-
Passing Defense	A-	A
Rushing Defense	A	A
Special Teams	C	B
Coaching	A	A

Grade Analysis for the Gators

Passing Offense

Grier did his damage in the first half, completing 17 of his 20 passes for 229 yards and all four of his touchdowns. The offensive line gave the redshirt freshman all day to throw, and his receivers made it simple. With a real quarterback throwing him the ball, Demarcus Robinson is going to open some eyes this season.

Rushing Offense

Though he finished with modest numbers, Kelvin Taylor ran hard all night. He ran for 73 of his 83 yards in the first half, contributing to the onslaught that put this one to bed early. Once again, Florida's offensive line did a tremendous job of manhandling a talented Ole Miss front.

Passing Defense

Kelly is going to be sore Sunday. The pass rush was absolutely relentless in harassing the junior into three turnovers, including a fumble that was almost returned for a touchdown by freshman CeCe Jefferson. Vernon Hargreaves reeled in a nice interception, easily outshining Ole Miss receiver Laquon Treadwell on the night.

Rushing Defense

Ole Miss never could get anything going on the ground, especially when the Gators defense hunkered down against the run. This group's stand at the goal line, in which it made three straight stops, slammed the door on any possible comeback attempt.

Special Teams

Jorge Powell hit two short field goals, and Johnny Townsend punted the ball well. Other than Powell's missed extra point, everything was solid in this phase of the game.

Coaching

McElwain looks like a great hire for the Gators. He and his staff did everything necessary to pull off an upset at home—start fast, force turnovers and make the opposing quarterback uncomfortable. He and the Gators went after the Land Sharks and came out looking like one of the best teams in the SEC.

This team has a brutal schedule, but the Gators have some real talent. They're going to be a team to watch moving forward.