Five players to keep an eye on during the Mississippi-Florida game

Jim McElwain has already done something many didn’t think he’d accomplish in his first season as Florida’s coach.

The Gators are 4-0 for the first time since 2012, and McElwain is a big reason why. A young Florida team appears to be gaining more confidence each week, all the more so after last week’s unlikely 28-27 come-from-behind win over Tennessee.

The Gators, ranked in The Associated Press polls for the first time since 2013 at No. 25, now turn their attention to the meat of their schedule, starting with Saturday’s home date with third-ranked Mississippi.

Here are five players to keep an eye on during the game.

1. Florida QB Will Grier: McElwain stopped short of officially declaring the redshirt freshman his permanent starter, but it would take a collapse of epic proportions for Treon Harris to climb back into the picture after Grier’s heroics in last weekend’s win over the Volunteers. Grier was inconsistent against UT, but he made one big play after another down the stretch as Florida rallied from a 13-point fourth-quarter hole. He must continue making good decisions with the ball.
2. Florida RB Kelvin Taylor: The son of former Gators great Fred Taylor needed just a few weeks to go from the outhouse to the penthouse with McElwain. He followed a gutsy effort at Kentucky with one of the best games of his career with his 19 carries for 102 yards and two touchdowns against the Vols. McElwain will again call his number early and often this weekend in an effort to slow down a potent Rebels pass rush. Taylor will have to keep delivering if Florida is to pull off the upset.
3. Florida CB Vernon Hargreaves III: The All-American cornerback will likely spend most of the afternoon matched up with Laquon Treadwell. The stud Ole Miss receiver is fully healthy again after last year’s gruesome leg/ankle injury and figures to give Hargreaves his stiffest challenge since lining up opposite former Alabama receiver Amari Cooper last season. Like so many others before and after him, Hargreaves struggled somewhat against Cooper. He’ll want to do better against his good friend Treadwell.
4. Mississippi WR Laquon Treadwell: The junior has the advantage in size on Hargreaves, but the winner of this individual matchup could very well determine the game’s outcome. A big, physical receiver at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Treadwell leads the Rebels with his 22 catches for 332 yards and a touchdown but is among five Ole Miss players with at least 10 receptions. Treadwell hauled in eight passes for a career-high 135 yards in last week’s win over Vanderbilt.
5. Mississippi DT Robert Nkemdiche: The do-it-all tackle is a beast up front who’s second on the team in tackles for loss (4.5) to go with two quarterback hurries and a blocked kick. Nkemdiche is consistently finding ways to pressure the quarterback and hound opposing ball-carriers. As if that weren’t enough, the agile 6-foot-4, 296-pound All-American is also a legitimate threat to run the ball on offense and has scored a touchdown in three of four games.

John Hollis

John Hollis is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia and Florida.