Chris ‘Pooh’ Paul and No. 9 Ole Miss ‘pretty down’ after Florida loss

The Ole Miss defense went into Florida leading the nation in sacks and tackles for loss.

The Rebels got to freshman quarterback DJ Lagway and the Gator offense with three sacks and five TFLs. But Lagway made more game-winning plays almost all his own. At least twice he escaped sacks for impressive, first-down gains.

His final numbers didn’t jump off the page (10 for 17, 180 yards, two touchdowns and an interception). However, Lagway couldn’t have left a stronger impression on Ole Miss linebacker Chris ‘Pooh’ Paul and Co. after the 24-17 Gator win.

“DJ Lagway, that’s a great quarterback,” Paul said in his postgame press conference. “You can tell he’s a leader. He made momentum plays. He knows how to extend them. Bigger body, but he also knows how to move and run. Has a very accurate arm, no matter what position he’s in. Props to him and props to that Florida offense.”

Ole Miss went into Gainesville ranked No. 9 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

Results elsewhere, with a win, would have all but assuredly led to a bump in the Rebels’ standing. They probably would have been in line to host as they turned to their regular season finale against in-state rival Mississippi State on Black Friday.

They instead fell to 8-3 (4-3 SEC) overall. Their odds of making the 12-team field dropped from 84 percent to 4 percent.

“The guys are pretty down,” Paul said. “But like I was saying to them, we’ve faced adversity before. Faced adversity two times earlier this season. Not the outcome we wanted, but we made more mistakes than they did today.

“Nothing against Florida; a great team, like I was saying in the locker room. They put up dog fights with great, top teams before.”

Paul tied for third on the team in total tackles (8).

Suntarine Perkins and Louis Moore had 10 tackles apiece to lead the Rebels. Paul had a team-high two sacks.

Paul said Ole Miss has no choice but to regroup and finish strong. But it’s hard. Paul is one of the many transfers added by Ole Miss in the off-season specifically for a title chase in 2024-25. He came over from Arkansas and has been among the highest-rated linebackers in college football, according to Pro Football Focus grading.

Ole Miss signed the nation’s No. 3 overall class.

Three regular-season losses and faint playoff hopes aren’t what any of these Rebels envisioned. But such is their reality, and next is Mississippi State.

Ole Miss has won each of the last two meetings and hold a 65-46-6 all-time record in the series. The rivalry showdown has been played annually since 1944 — the 10th-longest, uninterrupted series in the country.

It dates back to 1901.

“Putting our pride aside and knowing we have to go in next Friday and take care of business,” Paul said. “The loss today was pretty tough. Hit very hard.”

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