On Saturday afternoon, the Florida football program pulled off one of the biggest upsets of this college football season by knocking off the Ole Miss Rebels despite being double digit underdogs heading into the contest. It was the second straight week that the Gators were able to pull off an upset, as last week they defeated the LSU Tigers in the Swamp.

Head coach Billy Napier has long been the subject of scrutiny among the fanbase, but he may have won back some favor with these last two wins, helping Florida football establish bowl eligibility in a year that not many expected them to do so considering the difficulty of their schedule.

After the game, Napier delivered a promise that is sure to get Florida football fans fired up about the future of the program.

“We're just getting started,” said Napier, per ESPN. “This is part of the big-picture journey. Belief is the most powerful thing in the world.”

ESPN also reported that Napier “is expected back for a fourth season in 2025.”

A resurgent Florida team

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier claps his hands at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 23, 2024 after the Gators defeated the Rebels 24-17 [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]
Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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As previously mentioned, not many expected the Florida Gators to be very competitive this year considering the gauntlet of difficult teams on their schedule, including the Georgia Bulldogs, Texas Longhorns, Ole Miss Rebels, Miami Hurricanes, and several other tough programs.

However, while they haven't been perfect by any stretch, the Gators have shown impressive resilience down the stretch of this season, not letting go of the rope and getting themselves above the .500 mark with the win over Ole Miss.

Florida had shown signs of being more competitive than expected earlier in the year, as they hung right in there against Georgia and may have even won that game if quarterback DJ Lagway hadn't been forced to leave that game due to injury.

Lagway was back in full force for the game on Saturday vs Ole Miss, completing 10 of his 17 pass attempts for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Florida was the beneficiary of two late interceptions from Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, who reverted to some of his more perplexing habits down the stretch with his team's playoff hopes in all likelihood on the line.

In any case, Florida has one more regular season game, on the road against their rival Florida State Seminoles next week, before they find out which bowl game they'll be participating in.