Florida’s win over Auburn came with a little extra off-field spice, but Jon Sumrall didn’t let it linger long once the game was over.
After the Gators’ 44-39 victory on Saturday, Sumrall responded on social media to a pregame clip of Auburn head coach Alex Golesh saying the two “weren’t friends” while getting ready for the matchup. Sumrall’s answer was simple: a fist-bump emoji.
That postgame note stood in sharp contrast to the tone Sumrall struck during game week, when he made it clear he wasn’t interested in any friendly chatter if family members were pulling for the Tigers. Once the result was in, though, he was willing to move on.
On the field, Florida wasted no time setting the tone at The Plains. After the opening kickoff, cornerback Cormani McClain picked off Byrum Brown’s second pass of the game and returned possession to Florida at Auburn’s 41-yard line. Three plays later, Jadan Baugh punched in a 2-yard touchdown run, and the Gators were up 7-0.
From there, Baugh took over. The running back, described as one of the best in college football, piled up 162 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns. His other two scores came from 33 and 53 yards out.
Florida moved to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the SEC with the win, but the schedule stiffens quickly. The Gators host Ole Miss in Week 4, with the Rebels also sitting at 3-0 and 1-0 in league play after beating LSU.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 26 on ABC.
In Other News...
Auburns Supposed Strength Suddenly Looks Like A Serious SEC Concern
Auburns defense took a jolt in the loss to Florida, and it was the kind of performance that can change the conversation around a team quickly. The Tigers gave up 44 points and 243 rushing yards, and the breakdowns were broad enough to raise questions about a unit that was supposed to be a calling card. Under DJ Durkin, the game also came with several ugly defensive markers that Auburn would rather not see attached to its name this early in the season.
Coach Alex Golesh pointed to missed tackles and misalignments, while linebacker Elijah Melendez framed it as a lesson the Tigers have to learn from in a hurry. At 2-1, Auburn still has time to steady itself, but the margin for error in the SEC does not leave much room for a defense that looked out of sync for long stretches against a Florida team that moved to 3-0. [Read more 🡒]
Hugh Freeze Zeroed In On Auburns Biggest Problem After Florida
Auburns SEC opener against Florida turned into a frustrating night at Jordan-Hare Stadium, where the Tigers came out on the wrong end of a 44-39 shootout and slipped to 2-1 overall. Hugh Freeze didnt try to soften it afterward. The Auburn coach said his team simply did not play well enough to win, and pointed to the kind of details that tend to decide conference games: sluggish offensive starts, missed tackles and a general lack of composure.
Freeze also acknowledged mistakes on both sides of the ball, which made the loss sting even more because Auburn had chances to keep pace in a game that stayed within reach. Still, he pushed back on any notion that the defeat would split the group, saying there was no division in the locker room. For a team trying to get its footing in league play, the bigger question now is how quickly those early issues can be cleaned up before they follow Auburn deeper into the SEC schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns SEC Opener Exposed A Frustrating Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Floridas visit to Jordan-Hare Stadium turned into the kind of SEC opener Auburn could not afford to waste, with the Gators leaving with a 44-39 win in a game that exposed a familiar frustration for the Tigers. Florida leaned on Jaden Baugh, who powered the offense with three touchdowns and 162 rushing yards, while Auburn spent much of the afternoon trying to keep pace before staging a late rally.
Byrum Brown gave Auburn enough production through the air and on the ground to make the game interesting, but the Tigers could not quite finish the job once the scoreboard tightened. For a team trying to settle in during conference play, the result left the more troubling question hanging in the air: whether Auburns offense can keep up when the margin shrinks and the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]