How Florida Gators Attack Ole Miss Rebels Defense

The Florida Gators take on the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday. While Lane Kiffin's offense gets all the ink, the defense has impressive credentials as well.

Florida Gators freshman quarterback DJ Lagway will be under pressure from a relentless Ole Miss Rebels pass rush. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Florida Gators stand one week away from bowl eligibility. The Ole Miss Rebels defense stands in the way of success of Saturday. Lane Kiffin’s offense gets all the attention but his Rebel defense is No. 2 in the SEC in scoring at just 12.9 points-per-game. They want to play fast, attack with speed from the edge and on blitzes. 

Ole Miss's base resembles a 3-3-5 with an edge player blitzing as much as humanly possible, attempting to bend the corner, veering towards the quarterback. This defense looks rather familiar to the Gators.

 Now, how should the Gators attempt to neutralize the Rebels, in order to win the game?

Lean on the Future

READ MORE: How the Gators Defense Attacks the Ole Miss Offense

Against LSU, quarterback DJ Lagway and running back Jadan Baugh stepped up and provided a spark that put LSU away. Both freshmen, the duo continues to give a glimpse into a sunny-Florida future. Beware in the pocket though; the Rebels lead the nation in sacks with 46. 

As a result, a steady diet of the ground game needs to stem the rush. Ole Miss brings an unrelenting rush, led by former Florida edge Princely Umanmielen. By leaning on the future, the Gators' younger players bring real-game reps. Senior wideout Chimere Dike highlighted the play of the younger players during media availability.

"Yeah, I think it's amazing," said Dike. "Those guys obviously have been making a lot of really big plays for us. J. Baugh had the 55-yard touchdown. DJ has been playing great. Aidan has been adding really good things to the receiver room.

"I think for the future of the program that's huge. When you have young players that get experience and win games like that, going into the future being able to learn from that and carry that forward is huge.

"One of my goals to end the season is to just help those guys take that next step the best I can and obviously win football games."

Secondary Concern

Behind a strong pass rush, even the most mediocre secondary looks formidable. In order to counter this, Florida needs to use Ole Miss's aggressiveness against them. Mixing in screens and delayed draws will see gaping holes in the Rebels' defense.

If Lagway can sell it like a pass, you can just feel the lapse in gap integrity following. On longer plays, the quick passing game will work well, but taking a shot deep may not bite Florida. So far, Ole Miss picked off eight passes, but only gained 25 yards. In effect, they leave the offense in worse position than returning a punt. 

Overview

The Florida Gators must block better. Screaming off the edge, Ole Miss will not focus on anything but dropping the quarterback to the turf. With the last game against FSU approaching, the Gators need a healthy Lagway.

Plus, by using quicker passes and misdirection, Florida can make the Rebels' aggressive nature work against them. It takes patience and timing. Keeping Ole Miss on the field  while cashing in with points early will pay dividends late.

Despite a brutal schedule to start the season, Florida managed to navigate the journey.