Swamp Statement: Florida Runs Through Ole Miss While USC Falls Apart In Week Four.
Written By: Daunte Lee Jones
College Football, Film, & MMA Contributor
Jadan Baugh has looked electric through the first four games.
Duke Clark another weapon at the Gators disposal.
Oregon Ducks Head Coach: Dan Lanning furious after Dante Moore gets knocked out.
Kamario Taylor surveying the field.
Dante Moore leaves the game after taking brutal hit by a USC defender.
After a statement victory over LSU, many including myself expected #4 Ole Miss to keep their momentum going with a victory over #21 Florida. For the Gators this would be their first matchup against real competition, with their past 3 wins coming off of unranked teams not seen as CFB playoff contenders entering the season.
This does not take away from the high offensive production the Gators have shown in previous games but is to say that in a close game Ole Miss, who had faced high ranked contenders already should be able to pull through. Early in the third quarter we would see this game teetering on edge of favor for both teams with the Rebels down 17-14 to the Gators, but as the game continued, the score would rise in favor of Florida. The reason for this along with the control Florida was able to amount against Ole Miss for the full game would be in the ground game.
Without the help of Kewan Lacy, the Rebels totaled a measly 128 rushing yards to the Gators’ 302. An exhausted Ole Miss defense who left everything out on the field the previous week against LSU would be unable to keep up with the best running back in the nation, Jadan Baugh, who off of 29 rushing attempts ended the game with 142 yards and 3 touchdowns. Duke Clark would also be a weapon in the run game as he ran for 126 yards and 1 touchdown off of only 10 rushing attempts to seal a 52-28 win for the Gators.
#20 Oregon versus #12 USC would be headlined by a tragic story, as in the beginning of the 2nd quarter, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore would scramble on 2nd down and 8 yards for a first down, but while in the process of sliding would receive a disgusting hit from linebacker Desman Stephens II that would leave him in fencing position. As Stephens celebrated his dirty hit like an idiot who just flushed his disappointing career down the drain, the young and highly valued prospect, Moore would be carted off the field.
Nebraska Transfer, Dylan Raiola would enter the game for the Ducks then absolutely destroy the pitiful USC defense in a 41-27 win. In last week’s article I mentioned that USC head coach Lincoln Riley should be on the hot seat for the program, and I believe this week adds fuel to the fire. Not only have we just seen Riley's defense disappoints once again but we’ve just witnessed the lack of discipline and maturity his players perform with that has not been instilled into them from their head coach.
We’ve seen head coaches like John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin bring championships and prestige to teams just to get fired after mediocre seasons, so why has Riley who has done neither retained his job when the last time he was relevant was 2023. The Trojans need to stop seeing Riley as an innovative young offensive mind and see the reality of him being an average head coach who beats up on basement dweller teams.
Kamario Taylor’s shocking rise to becoming a Heisman contender continues as #24 Mississippi state faced #19 Missouri in a competitive battle. Both opposing quarterbacks would have amazing performances to keep their team in the battle until the last seconds of the game.
The bulldog’s Kamario Taylor would finish with 360 passing yards for 3 touchdowns, 1 interception, and a 71% pass completion rate, while Austin Simmons of the Tigers would pass for 295 yards and 3 touchdowns. It would be Taylor who would win this back-and-forth battle between quarterbacks late in the game, tied 24-24, with a 48-yard bomb to Anthony Evans III, which was soon followed by a 24-yard passing touchdown to Sanfrisco Magee. Simmons would be unable to counter Taylor's attack as Missouri fell to Mississippi State, 31-24.
The world of college football continues to shift with many teams on the rise. LSU comes back from their devastating loss against Ole Miss with a 35-6 win over Texas A&M. Other high ranked teams like Ohio State, LSU, and Georgia joined the Tigers in punching down against unranked teams.
Texas and Iowa would face their respective opponents in low scoring defensive slugfest to earn themselves their victory. In a game with future effects for the group of six representatives in the CFB playoffs, Boise State would dismantle WMU, 32-7. would continue their high scoring win streak and join rising ranked teams like Oregon State and Utah who also won their matchups.
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