Florida and Auburn are set for a Week 3 collision under the lights at Jordan-Hare Stadium, and the matchup has already drawn a familiar voice into the conversation.
Former Alabama coach Nick Saban, a seven-time national champion, weighed in Friday morning on the Pat McAfee show and said Florida has caught his attention through the first two weeks. The Gators are headed into one of the most difficult road settings in college football, with both teams looking for their first SEC win under first-year head coaches and both aiming to move to 3-0.
“I’ve been really impressed with Florida,” Saban said. “I mean, they can run the ball; Aaron (Philo) has played really well at quarterback for them, and they’ve got some good receivers.
I think that Jon Sumrall probably inherited a little better roster and added to it at Florida in terms of the kind of defense they can play. So, I think that Florida is a little bit further along as a team just based on the first 2 weeks of the season.”
That view matches the early results. Florida has looked sharper than Auburn so far, even if the Gators have done it against softer competition. Auburn, though, has already been tested and owns a stronger resume after taking down a solid Baylor team in Week 1.
So while Florida may enter with the cleaner early impression, Auburn brings the more hardened profile into a game that should be tight from start to finish. On The Plains, two programs trying to climb back toward SEC relevance will get a chance to show how far they’ve come.
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Auburns SEC Opener Exposed A Problem Tigers Cant Ignore
Auburns SEC opener against Florida offered an early look at where the Tigers stand, and it was not a flattering one. The 44-39 loss left Auburn 2-1 overall and 0-1 in league play, with the defense repeatedly struggling to get off the field and Florida finding answers in the kind of situations that usually decide close conference games.
The late rally kept the Tigers in it, but the offense was too uneven to fully cover for the problems on the other side of the ball. For head coach Alex Golesh, this was the first major SEC test, and Auburn came away with a clear reminder that competing in this league demands more consistency, especially when the margin for error is already so thin. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn's Comeback Chances Hinge On Fixing Two Costly Problems
Auburn heads into halftime trailing Florida 20-17 at home, and the margin reflects a first half that left the Tigers with too much to clean up on both sides of the ball. The game has already pointed to two areas that need attention quickly: keeping quarterback Byrum Brown in rhythm and tightening a run defense that has already had to deal with Florida backs Jaden Baugh and Duke Clark.
The secondary also has to do a better job of limiting explosive plays, because Florida has shown enough to keep Auburn under pressure even with the crowd behind it. If the Tigers are going to turn this into a comeback, they will need a more consistent defensive stretch in the second half, not just a few stops here and there. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Florida Captains Reveal Who Alex Golesh Trusts Most
Auburns SEC opener against Florida comes with a familiar leadership group at the front of the huddle. The Tigers have announced five captains for the game, and Byrum Brown and Elijah Melendez will serve in that role for the third straight week, joined by Jake Johnson, Cody Sigler and Alex McPherson. It is another clear sign of which players Alex Golesh is leaning on as the pressure rises.
The captaincy list also says plenty about how this team is being organized going into one of the seasons most important early tests. Repeating Brown and Melendez suggests continuity, while the addition of Johnson, Sigler and McPherson broadens the leadership base in a matchup where details tend to matter. For Auburn, the bigger question is whether that trust shows up on the field once the opener gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]