COSTLY MISS-TAKES: Gators dealt first loss

Through the first three games of the season, the Florida Gators were almost like robots programmed to follow Urban Meyer's plan to win.

On a sunny Saturday in The Swamp, the program mysteriously crashed.

In a total team reversal, the Gators turned the ball over, gave up big plays on defense, lost the special teams/field position battle — and lost to Ole Miss 31-30 in a stunning upset before 90,106.

The loss drops No. 4 UF to 3-1 on the season and 1-1 in the SEC. The Rebels are 3-2 and 1-1.

"We didn't play Florida football," a dejected Meyer said.

Not even close.

But here's maybe the most stunning aspect of all: despite badly mismanaging most of the second half, the Gators were in a position to pull out a victory in the closing seconds, only to see Heisman winner Tim Tebow stuffed for no gain on a fourth-and-1 run from the Ole Miss 32 with 41 seconds to play.

"(Tebow) was saying, 'I got it, I got it.' I said, 'No you don't," said Ole Miss defensive end Kentrell Lockett.

Tebow's usually a sure thing on fourth-and-1 with the game on the line. This time, he had no chance. The Rebels caved in the right side of UF's line and Tebow had nowhere to go but down.

The failed opportunity — and the loss — left an emotional Tebow fighting back tears at the postgame podium.

"It's extremely disappointing," he said. "We usually make that play. They got a lot of penetration and we just came up short."

After answering the media's last question, Tebow stayed at the microphone and apologized to the UF fans for the loss, vowing he and the Gators would learn from it and that no team would play harder than UF the remainder of the season.

But this wasn't a Tebow loss. This was a team loss.

The Gators literally fumbled the game right into the arms of the Rebels early in the third quarter, losing fumbles on consecutive drives that led to 10 points and quickly wiped out a 17-7 halftime lead.

"That's not us," offensive coordinator Dan Mullen said. "What we've been trying to preach all year is take care of the football, score when we have to and play great defense. The defense did a great job. We put them in terrible situations.

"We turned the ball over, (Ole Miss) didn't. It looked like they followed our plan to win, and we didn't."

That was the key, Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said.

"It's awesome to win the turnover margin (3-1)," Nutt said. "That's how you win the game."

Turnovers weren't the only thing that disrupted UF's plan to win. Jonathan Phillips' potential game-tying extra point with 3:28 to play was blocked, and the defense gave up some huge plays, none bigger than quarterback Jevan Snead's stunning 86-yard TD strike to Shay Hodge on a broken coverage that gave the Rebels a 31-24 lead with 5:26 remaining in the game.

"It was cover two (coverage, with cornerback Joe Haden covering the flat and free safety Major Wright responsible for the deep, left side of the field). They threw it over the top," Meyer said. "There were only two receivers running out."

After Wright bit on the potential pass to the flat, Hodge was a good 15 yards behind the secondary. It was a quick six on a third-and-9 play from the UM 14.

For the game, Meyer said the Rebels produced 169 of their total yards on only four plays.

"That means we were giving up the big play," he said.

The Gators weren't doing that in the first three games. But there were a lot of unfamiliar things in their performance Saturday.

"You can't give up big plays and be successful," Meyer said. "And I'm not sure how many times we put (the defense) in a position to defend a short field. It was not good."

As for the blocked extra point, Meyer didn't blame it on Phillips.

Meyer complained to the officials, claiming Lockett illegally hurdled a player to make the block.

"They were doing it the whole game," Meyer said. "He made the comment that he went through a gap."

Whether illegal or not, it doesn't matter now.