The Gator Nation woke up on Sunday morning feeling pretty about their beloved football team — probably better than they have felt all season so far. That pink cloud came in the form of a 24-17 victory over the Ole Miss Rebels inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during Week 13 of the 2024 campaign.
It was a close one that was neck-and-neck through the first three quarters, with both teams going scoreless in the first, peaking in the second with a pair of touchdowns apiece, one field goal for each squad in the third before Florida scored the lonely touchdown in the fourth for the final score.
After Saturday’s action subsided, CBS Sports writer Shehan Jeyarajah put together a winners and losers column, in which the Orange and Blue earn a spot among the former category.
“There were moments this season that Florida looked like one of the worst teams in the entire country,” Jeyarajah begins. “With quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] out, the Gators lost 49-17 against Texas only one game after announcing Napier would return. But after shocking No. 9 Ole Miss, the Gators are riding high.
“With the win, Florida has won consecutive games against ranked opponents for the first time since 2018,” he continues. “UF beat then-No. 22 LSU one week ago. Additionally, Lagway is emerging as one of the young, exciting quarterbacks in college football. Napier’s tenure has juice for the first time in years and could conceivably finish with eight wins.”
Next up for Florida
The Gators wrap up the 2024 regular season schedule in Tallahassee for their annual rivalry game against the Florida State Seminoles. The game will take place inside Doak Campbell Stadium and will kick off at either 7 or 7:30 p.m. ET; broadcast details have yet to be determined.
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