GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida players eager to celebrate their latest victory, the one that made them bowl eligible for the first time in two years, found a suitable prop on the sideline.
Ole Miss left behind its basketball hoop, which the Rebels use to salute big plays during games.
The Gators set it up, grabbed some footballs and held their own dunk contest near the end zone. It provided an apt stage — perfect for showcasing finishing moves — after they closed out another ranked opponent.
Florida (6-5, 4-4 Southeastern Conference) dominated the second half for the second consecutive week and got to party in the Swamp following a 24-17 victory over then-ninth-ranked Mississippi on Saturday.
Not only did the Gators knock the Rebels (8-3, 4-3) out of the College Football Playoff picture, they won their fourth consecutive home game and raised expectations for coach Billy Napier’s fourth season in Gainesville.
And the manner in which they accomplished it mattered. Napier has been preaching about “finishing," something that had mostly eluded the Gators in the past two years.
Florida lost four games in 2023 after leading in the second half, including three — against Arkansas, Missouri and Florida State — in the fourth quarter.
And no one following the program has forgotten how close the Gators were to upsetting Tennessee and Georgia earlier this season, losing 23-17 to the Volunteers in overtime and fading against the Bulldogs after being tied at 20 with five minutes to play.
Napier hoped all those gut punches would ultimately lead to something better, and they finally did — with late-game knockouts against LSU and Mississippi.
“Eventually you get sick of that,” receiver Chimere Dike said. “To be able to get these last two wins is huge for our team and our program. I’m proud of the resilience the guys showed, the way that we performed.”
Florida held Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin's high-scoring offense to three points in the second half. The Rebels turned the ball over twice — interceptions by Bryce Thornton on the final two drives — punted twice and got stuffed on another fourth-down run.
“I thought we were better on both sides up front, and short-yardage defense is a big component,” Napier said. “Those are identity plays. I think we had guys step up and make plays.”
Added defensive tackle Cam Jackson said: “Everybody just pinned their ears back. That was great.”
It was reminiscent of the previous week against then-No. 21 LSU. Florida held the Tigers to six points in the second half and forced a fumble, a punt and a turnover on downs in a 27-16 victory.
“We just all came together and wanted to change how Florida was looked at,” Thornton said. “That’s the biggest thing with us, just trying to show everybody that we can do it.”
The Gators ended the afternoon showing off their basketball moves.
Cornerback Trikweze Bridges, receiver Marcus Burke, defensive end Justus Boone, tight end Tony Livingston and linebacker Shemar James delivered monster dunks. Aidan Mizell passed a football between his leg in midair before his slam, and fellow receiver Elijhah Badger bounced it off the backboard before rousing teammates and fans with his finish.
“Belief is the most powerful thing in the world,” Napier said. “At some point there, midseason, we figured (that) out and we started to believe. Look, we can play with any team in the country.”
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Florida wide receiver Aidan Mizell (11) performs a celebratory dunk using a basketball backboard placed on the Mississippi sideline after their 24-17 win in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
WINDSOR, Calif. (AP) — Forecasters through the U.S. issued warnings that another round of winter weather could complicate travel leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, while California and Washington state continue to recover from storm damage and power outages.
In California, where a person was found dead in a vehicle submerged in floodwaters on Saturday, authorities braced for more precipitation while grappling with flooding and small landslides from a previous storm.
The National Weather Service office in Sacramento, California, issued a winter storm warning for the state's Sierra Nevada for Saturday through Tuesday, with heavy snow expected at higher elevations and wind gusts potentially reaching 55 mph (88 kph). Total snowfall of roughly 4 feet (1.2 meters) was forecast, with the heaviest accumulations expected Monday and Tuesday.
The Midwest and Great Lakes regions will see rain and snow Monday and the East Coast will be the most impacted on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, forecasters said.
A low pressure system is forecast to bring rain to the Southeast early Thursday before heading to the Northeast. Areas from Boston to New York could see rain and breezy conditions, with snowfall possible in parts of northern New Hampshire, northern Maine and the Adirondacks. If the system tracks further inland, there could be less snow and more rain in the mountains, forecasters said.
“The system doesn’t look like a powerhouse right now,” Hayden Frank, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Massachusetts, said Sunday. “Basically, this is going to bring rain to the I-95 corridor so travelers should prepare for wet weather. Unless the system trends a lot colder, it looks like rain.”
Frank said he isn't seeing any major storm systems arriving for the weekend anywhere in the country so travelers heading home Sunday can expect good driving conditions. Temperatures, however, will get colder in the East while warming up out West.
Earlier this week, two people died when the storm arrived in the Pacific Northwest. Hundreds of thousands lost power, mostly in the Seattle area, before strong winds moved through Northern California. A rapidly intensifying “ bomb cyclone ” that hit the West Coast on Tuesday brought fierce winds that resulted in home and vehicle damage.
Rescue crews in Guerneville, California, recovered a body inside a vehicle bobbing in floodwaters around 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputy Rob Dillion said, noting the deceased was presumed to be a victim of the storm but an autopsy had not yet been conducted.
Santa Rosa, California, saw its wettest three-day period on record with about 12.5 inches (32 centimeters) of rain by Friday evening, the National Weather Service in the Bay Area reported. Vineyards in nearby Windsor, California, were flooded on Saturday.
About 36,000 people in the Seattle area were still without electricity after this season’s strongest atmospheric river, a long plume of moisture that forms over an ocean and flows over land.
Another storm brought rain to New York and New Jersey, where rare wildfires have raged in recent weeks, and heavy snow to northeastern Pennsylvania. The precipitation was expected to help ease drought conditions after an exceptionally dry fall.
“It’s not going to be a drought buster, but it’s definitely going to help when all this melts,” said Bryan Greenblatt, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Binghamton, New York.
Heavy snow fell in northeastern Pennsylvania, including the Pocono Mountains. Higher elevations reported up to 17 inches (43 centimeters), with lesser accumulations in valley cities including Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. Around 35,000 customers in 10 counties are still without power, down from 80,000 a day ago.
In the Catskills region of New York, nearly 10,000 people remained without power on Sunday morning, two days after a storm dumped heavy snow on parts of the region.
Precipitation in West Virginia helped put a dent in the state’s worst drought in at least two decades and boosted ski resorts preparing to open their slopes in the weeks ahead.
Associated Press writer Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, contributed to this report.
A rainbow is seen as a vehicle drives past a flooded vineyard after a major storm in Forestville, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
John Phillips, front, and neighbor Kevin Ozorkiewicz row a canoe at the flooded Mirabel RV Park & Campground after a major storm in Forestville, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Floodwater surrounds Pee Wee Golf & Arcade after a major storm in Guerneville, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A partially submerged structure stands in floodwaters near Mays Canyon after a major storm in Guerneville, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Property off River Road floods as the Russian River overflows in Sonoma County, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Wohler Road off River Road is closed off as the Russian River floods in Sonoma County, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Firefighters walk through floodwaters while responding to a rescue call in unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A vineyard remains flooded after heavy storms Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Windsor, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
A person crosses a street during a break in rain Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Andy Bao)
A vineyard remains flooded after heavy storms Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Windsor, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
A vineyard remains flooded after heavy storms Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Windsor, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Dave Edmonds, right, and Mike Raasch ride their bicycles on a flooded road Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Windsor, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
A tree is surrounded by floodwater following heavy storms in Forestville, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Sitting on a canoe, John Phillips works to shut down power at a flooded building at Mirabel RV Park & Campground after a major storm in Forestville, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A car is seen submerged in flooded water at Mirabel RV Park & Campground after severe weather in Forestville, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Residents watch as Ben Cote rows a boat across a flooded Neely road after a major storm in Guerneville, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Tristan Millstone reacts as he steps in water after kayaking across a flooded section of Neely Road to buy groceries after a major storm in Guerneville, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Tim Bosque, owner of Pee Wee Golf & Arcade, kayaks in flood water to recover items that floated away after a major storm in Guerneville, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Kevin Ozorkiewicz, left, and neighbor John Phillips row a canoe at the flooded Mirabel RV Park & Campground after a major storm in Forestville, Calif., Sonoma County, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
