Mississippi 20, No. 24 Florida 17

Mississippi 20, No. 24 Florida 17
EDs: Combines prv; ADDs detail about Manning; Optional upcoming
By EDDIE PELLS
AP Sports Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Mississippi kept its name on the ever-growing list of teams that aren't a bit intimidated by once-mighty Florida. Eli Manning directed a late 50-yard touchdown drive Saturday to lift the Rebels to a 20-17 victory over the reeling Gators.
For the second straight season, Ole Miss (3-2, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) held No. 24 Florida (3-3, 1-2) scoreless in the second half to earn an "upset" victory, adding this to the 17-14 win last year in Oxford.
The loss dropped Gators coach Ron Zook to 11-8 in the 19 games since he took over for Steve Spurrier. The Gators are 7-4 at The Swamp under Zook and are at .500 at the latest point in the season since they finished 6-6 in 1987.
By winning at Florida, Manning did what his older brother, Peyton, never could. Eli will finish his college career 2-0 against the Gators, compared to Peyton's 0-3 as a starter when he was with Tennessee.
The younger brother finished an efficient 17-for-29 for 262 yards, but it was the Ole Miss running backs and defenders who really stole the show.
Vashon Pearson nudged over from 1 yard with 1:10 left to give the Rebels the winning score. Pearson finished with 48 yards, Ronald McClendon had 107, including a 52-yard touchdown, and Ole Miss ran for 223 total yards against a Florida defense that was missing its best linebacker, freshman Channing Crowder.
Florida's final drive was halted when Eric Oliver intercepted Chris Leak. It was the freshman quarterback's third pick of the game -- all in the fourth quarter.
Ole Miss came in with the nation's worst-ranked pass defense and it figured the Gators would try to attack it. But the attacks came only sporadically. Leak finished 14-for-27 for 234 yards, and while the Gators did look downfield more than they had earlier this season, they also seemed determined to run and win with defense. Ran Carthon led Florida with 108 yards rushing.
For the second straight time at home, however, the plan didn't work, and the result was much like two weeks ago, when the Gators fell 24-10 to Tennessee.
Florida began the fourth quarter with a 17-13 lead. Its first two drives of the quarter ended with interceptions, one by Von Hutchins and another by Travis Blanchard. After each pick, plus another Florida drive that went three-and-out, Ole Miss got the ball back at midfield.
The tiring Florida defense held the first two times, but finally, Ole Miss came through. Manning was patient and precise -- managing the clock, hitting Chris Collins for gains of 8 and 12 yards, and handing off to Pearson a whole bunch. The result was an 8-play, 50-yard touchdown drive that ate up four minutes and left Florida fans booing -- but not really in shock; losing here has become pretty common the last two seasons.
Now, it's the Rebels who are looking good. They're tied for first in the SEC West. After a Homecoming game against Arkansas State, they have three straight conference games at home, against Alabama, Arkansas and South Carolina. Manning's Heisman Trophy candidacy certainly didn't take a hit, and even though Florida isn't what it used to be, Ole Miss certainly gained some confidence from its second straight win over the Gators.
Certainly, Zook will remind the Gators that they still have an outside dream at the SEC East. More urgently, though, they have to think about becoming bowl eligible. Only two of their victories are against Division I-A teams, and their next three games are at No. 6 LSU, at No. 8 Arkansas and against No. 11 Georgia in Jacksonville.