Florida vs Ole Miss Halftime Update: Gators take 28-14 lead into locker room at half

The first half was a thrilling one, even if it was a bit difficult at times to watch as a Gators fan as Ole Miss put up a fight.

The opening game of the Florida Gators’ 2020 football opener kicked off officially 12:04 p.m. EDT at after both teams and coaching staffs kneeled on the sidelines in a showing of solidarity with social justice efforts. As the broadcast began, there was an eerie silence behind the announcers on ESPN in lieu of the typical cacophony of cheers during a typical college football season of past years.

But as we all know, this is not a typical year, and the fact that the Southeastern Conference — among others — were able to navigate its way to opening day.

The first half was a thrilling one, even if it was a bit difficult at times to watch as a Gators fan. Clearly, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin came out with a diverse game plan and his team executed well over the first 30 minutes.

First Half Notes

  • Ole Miss opens the game with a 9-yard pass from Matt Corral to Elijah Moore, going on to converts their first four first downs while pounding the ball on the ground though they ultimately gave up the ball on downs deep in UF territory;
  • Shawn Davis gets ejected for targeting with 11:30 in the first quarter on a call that could have gone both ways, but could have been a sign of rust after a COVID-tainted offseason;

  • Gators scored their first touchdown of the year with a 13-play, 77-yard drive that took nearly five minutes. On third and goal from the one, quarterback Kyle Trask faked the handoff and rolled out, finding an open Kyle Pitts for the first touchdown of the year;

  • Ole Miss answered back with a pair of long throws by Corral — first a 28-yard toss to Elijah Moore to get into Florida territory, then a heave to Dontario Drummond for 46-yard to tie up the score;
  • Two plays into their next possession, Emory Jones inexplicably came into the game after Trask had looked sharp and threw an interception to A.J. Finley at Ole Miss’ 45-yard-line; three plays later, Ole Miss gave the ball back on an interception by five-star freshman Gervon Dexter off Corral;

  • Florida’s third touchdown was scored by Kadarius Toney, who had a heck of a first half getting 97 yards on four touches — one carry for 50 yards and three receptions for 47 yards; expect to see more from the “Human Joystick” in the second half;

  • Speaking of a great first half, Trask looked as sharp as expected coming into the first game of his final collegiate season, completing 17-of-24 passes for 225 yards and four touchdowns, continuing the pass-heavy trend from last season that gave Trask the pedestal on which to rise.

  • Trevon Grimes finished the first half with a touchdown after catching two passes for 34 yards in a fine start to his senior season, which is packed with high expectations;

  • Pitts closed out the first half with a five-catch, 75-yard effort along with two touchdowns to his credit to help the Gators roll into the locker room at the half.

So yeah… that was quite a first half for Florida!

Stay tuned to Gators Wire for more in the second half and in the post-game.

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