Napier: Rebels in the Swamp

This Saturday, Florida Gators football will host the No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels in the Swamp. 

Lagway’s Return 

Over the weekend, the Gators pulled off a big upset win over No. 22 LSU. The Orange and Blue beat the Tigers after being predicted as the underdogs. This is Florida’s first win against LSU since 2018.

DJ Lagway returned to the field after being cleared from a hamstring injury. He had a successful outing throwing for 226 yards and was even named SEC Freshman of the week. 

Head Coach, Billy Napier, reports that they have all of the metrics and resources required to keep Lagway healthy. He plans to do what they did last week to prepare for Ole Miss. 

Earning the Right to Win

Napier reviewed the game against LSU and says the Gators have to have the right to win. He says last week they have been the most prepared than they have ever been. He looks to continue this pattern and this week’s message is all about learning the right to win. The Gators plan to have a playoff mindset to try and reach their goals of beating the Rebels this Saturday. 

Rebel Playmakers

Veteran defensive end Princely Umanmielen transferred from Florida to Ole Miss for his senior year. Umanmielen has had a great season with 24 tackles, 9.5 sacks and a fumble. The Rebel’s quarterback may stir some bad blood on the field this weekend. Napier acknowledges that the Rebels have a veteran team with 32 seniors and a few redshirt juniors. He also mentions a disruptive line up front. Highest number of tackles goes to Chris Paul Jr, and TJ Dottery having over 60 tackles this season. Behind them, Suntarine Perkins and Trey Washington have over 40 tackles. 

Lane Kiffin

Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin gets along great with Napier, he reports. They have quite a few similarities, having bonded and talked about having lost their fathers and how they were both coaches’ sons. Napier spoke highly of Kiffin in the press conference. 

On November 30th, the Gators will travel to Tallahassee to play the Florida State Seminoles. The Seminoles have had a rough season with a record of 1-9. The Orange and Blue have not taken a win against FSU since 2016, will this be the year? ESPN analytics have the Gators taking the win with an 81.1%-win percentage. Next week, you’ll find the Rebels in the Swamp at 12 PM.