The Ole Miss football team enjoyed its first road trip in Southeastern Conference football play this season.
Now the Rebels are looking to repeat that pleasure.
After upsetting then-No. 2 Alabama two weeks ago in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, No. 3 Ole Miss (4-0, 2-0 SEC) will be back on the road this weekend to take on No. 25 Florida (4-0, 2-0). Kickoff is set for a 6 p.m. Saturday (ESPN) in Gainesville, Florida.
“I’m really excited for the opportunity to go to Florida and play a really quality football team,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. “These games, just like I said the other week, test you and your team. The environment tests you. When have a quality opponent that is very well coached and very confident, a team that is ranked in the top 25, it is going to test you.”
Ole Miss defeated Vanderbilt 27-16 on Saturday night in Oxford. While Ole Miss was as much as a four-touchdown favorite in some places, the game was tied late in the third quarter and in doubt until Ole Miss scored with less than five minutes remaining in regulation.
“After the game, we just celebrated our victory,” Freeze said. “(Sunday) we talked about the truth of the game, the good and the bad, and put it in the trash. Now we are in a new week. We are getting to go play Florida. We will be in a great place this Saturday. It will take great preparation and leadership in the locker room for us to be successful.
“Many of them stood up and talked about the expectations for this week and for preparing. I’m really liking what I hear. Hopefully, we will see the fruits of that this week.”
To achieve success Saturday, Ole Miss will need a better outing from quarterback Chad Kelly. The former East Mississippi Community College standout threw for 321 yards, but he had two interceptions.
“Chad Kelly made some plays, but he really just had an average game,” Freeze said. “I guess the expectations are so high for him and he spends so much time studying and preparing that there are certain things that surprise me that he chooses to do. This is because of the way he prepares. That could definitely be unfair to him.
“He’ll be the first to tell you he did not live up to his own expectations, and that he will be hungry to get back and prepare this week.”
Florida has been one the league’s early surprises. It scored two touchdowns in the final quarter Saturday to sneak past Tennessee 28-27.
“They have one of the nation’s best defenses,” Freeze said. “They are only giving up 17-18 points per game. They have tremendous get-off on the defensive line. Jonathan Bullard has eight tackles for loss and multiple sacks. I think playing in front of their crowd, on their field, when you have to communicate there, it is very advantageous for their defensive line.
“Their linebackers are extremely athletic and everyone knows about their back end. They are definitely one of the best defenses in the country, and they are going to test us.”
n In related news, Ole Miss’ Oct. 10 Homecoming game against New Mexico State has been slated for an 11 a.m. kickoff. It will be televised on the SEC Network. … The league named senior offensive tackle Fahn Cooper the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week on Monday. Cooper, a native of Crystal Lake, Illinois, started at left tackle for the fourth-straight game and helped pave the way for a 133-yard rushing performance for Jaylen Walton and 472 yards. Cooper has served as a capable fill-in at left tackle for All-American Laremy Tunsil, who has sat out each of the first four games during an NCAA investigation.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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