Three keys Florida football must hit to upset the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford

Florida football doesn't have the luxury of easing into anything right now. The Gators are coming off a jarring blowout loss at Kentucky and now they're getting set to face one of the best teams in the SEC.

Ole Miss, sitting at 9-1, has the talent, depth and momentum to make a long night even longer if Florida shows up anything like it did in Lexington.

Interim coach Billy Gonzales is trying to stabilize a team that's been searching for a victory since Billy Napier was fired, and this trip to Oxford will reveal whether the Gators can respond or if the season keeps trending in the wrong direction.

Make no mistake: Florida doesn't have to play perfect football to stun the Rebels, but it does have to play smart, patient and physical. With that in mind, here are three things the Florida Gators must do to beat the Ole Miss Rebels tonight.

Protect the football — no exceptions

This isn't optional. If Florida turns the ball over anything like it did against Kentucky, this game will be over by halftime. Four giveaways last week didn't just stall drives, but they also handed momentum and field position to the Wildcats' offense.

Ole Miss, with Lane Kiffin's offense, absolutely feasts on those mistakes. DJ Lagway doesn't need to be a superhero, but he does need to play controlled, decisive football. He has to avoid the back-breaking interceptions that flipped last week's game.

If Florida loses the turnover battle on the road in Oxford, it's a wrap.

Shorten the game and run right at Ole Miss

The Rebels want to turn this into a track meet. Florida can't allow that. The best path to pulling off an upset is slowing the game down, leaning on Jadan Baugh and the run game and pounding away at an Ole Miss defense that has been vulnerable against physical fronts.

Baugh has to get the touches because he can stabilize the offense. Florida needs long, sustained drives. They don't need three-and-outs that gas their own defense. Win time of possession, and suddenly Ole Miss' offense starts getting tight.

Make Trinidad Chambliss uncomfortable from the jump

Florida's defense has to rattle Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss early. Chambliss is tempo-based. He's a rhythm quarterback who thrives when he gets those quick reads. When he's comfortable, Kiffin's offense becomes almost automatic with quick throws, easy completions and steady gains that slowly wear a defense down.

The Gators need to look at disrupting the first read, bringing pressure and winning on the early downs to force third-and-long because there's almost always going to be a fourth-down attempt with Kiffin's aggressive mindset.

Florida doesn't need constant sacks, but they do need to knock Chambliss off his spot, speed up his internal clock and force him into throws he doesn't want to make. If he's allowed to play on schedule, Florida's defense will be chasing all night.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Three keys for Florida football to pull off upset over Ole Miss