Florida vanquishes Auburn: Takeaways as Jadan Baugh erupts, Gators offense stays hot on road

Football

0

Image Credit: UAA

The venue changed. The competition improved. The result remained the same. Head coach Jon Sumrall on Saturday night became the first Florida Gators program leader since Urban Meyer to start 3-0 in his first season at the helm as Florida prevailed 44-39 over the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The Gators’ first visit to Auburn, Alabama, in 15 years resulted in their first road victory against the Tigers in 25 years.

Leading the charge once again was Florida’s offense, which remained relatively unstoppable. Sophomore running back Jadan Baugh piled up 162 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries, giving him 100+ yards rushing in four straight games, nine consecutive games with a touchdown and eight rushing scores in less than 10 quarters played this season.

Baugh now has the third-most yards rushing in a four-game span at Florida, his 724 yards only behind Emmitt Smith, who erupted for 751 and 744 yards across separate stretches in 1989.

Junior quarterback Aaron Philo remained exact and efficient, completing 15 of 22 passes for 204 yards with a touchdown, which was caught by sophomore wide receiver Dallas Wilson, who had all kinds of penalty problems but still managed 74 yards and the score.

Not to be outdone, sophomore WR Vernell Brown III remained a key difference maker, piling up team-highs of 86 yards on five catches.

The Gators dominated time of possession, and for much of the game, more than doubled the Tigers in total yardage.

Sumrall and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner showed serious gumption, too, testing their young team in a tough road environment. In addition to long pass plays and even a gadget (that succeeded), the duo decided to go on fourth-and-5 from Auburn’s 37-yard line with Florida leading by nine points and 4:31 remaining.

Not only did the Gators convert with relative ease, but they effectively won the game on that decision, forcing the Tigers to burn timeouts as the clock ticked down, though Auburn did score a 35-yard touchdown on fourth-and-13 with 24 seconds remaining to create the final margin.