Jon Sumrall Wins SEC Debut as Florida Outlasts Auburn
The Jon Sumrall era is alive and well.
Florida (3-0, 1-0 SEC) opened conference play Saturday with a close 44-39 win against Auburn (2-1, 0-1) in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The victory marked Sumrall’s first Southeastern Conference win as a head coach and Florida’s first win at Auburn since 1999.
Junior running back Jadan Baugh carried the offense with three touchdowns and 162 rushing yards, while a defense that forced a first-half interception and racked up seven sacks on Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown did just enough to hold off a persistent Tigers comeback. Neither team led by more than 10 points for good until the final minutes, as the two sides traded big plays from start to finish.
“I knew what we were going to do on offense tonight,” Sumrall said. “I had no doubt. I was probably more concerned about our defense to be honest with you.”
Florida kicked off the game strong within the first minute when Cormani McClain intercepted a Brown pass at the 41-yard line. Quickly moving it down the field, Baugh rushed the ball in from the two to put Florida’s first touchdown on the board.
But Auburn responded quickly intercepting a throw from Aaron Philo after it bounced off Baugh’s hands. Slow moving offense and strong coverage from Florida stopped the Tigers drive, forcing a 40-yard field goal by Alex McPherson cut into the lead, 7-3.
Florida’s first quarter ended with penalty issues from last Saturday’s game against Campbell cropping up, earning 10 penalties for 83 yards, eight of which were credited to the offense. Penalties remained an issue until the end of the game, with a total of 16 penalties for 138 yards.
“We got so much to work on to improve,” Sumrall said. “The penalties were out of control, I mean 16 penalties. We won’t win another game if we don’t get it under control.”
Regardless, Florida showed strength, outgaining Auburn 125 yards to negative three. Auburn’s Alex Golesh noted the Tigers needed to establish a stronger run game before the next phase of the game opened up.
The second quarter started in similar fashion to the first, as Florida’s Duke Clark ran in a 20-yard touchdown to extend the Gators lead to 14-3 at the 14:49 mark.
Jeremiah Cobb took the Tigers down the field to answer the Gators score, running in a two-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 14-10 at the 12:38 mark.
A double-pass saved the moment for the Gators after a throw to Vernell Brown III far down the field was ruled incomplete. Running back Kahleil Jackson launched a 45-yard pass to tight end Amir Jackson, taking the Gators to Auburn’s 13. Despite the gain, Philo was ultimately dislodged from the pocket, taking the drive to a 26-yard field goal secured by Patrick Durkin to push the lead to 17-10 with 8:15 remaining in the half.
The Tigers pulled the score to 17-all after a pass to the end zone from Brown to Keshaun Singleton with 05:21 left in the quarter.
A 28-yard attempt from Durkin at the end of the first half once again gave Florida the lead at 20-17.
Florida was ahead, but no clear leader in sight. Although the Gators entered Jordan-Hare with momentum, an explosive Tigers offense and several slip-ups by Florida’s offense ultimately allowed Auburn to catch up. Both teams earned 30 combined points in the final six drives of the first half.
The third quarter kicked off with Florida in possession, however Gators right tackle Caden Jones was issued a 15-yard penalty to start. Baugh once again proved his standing among the best running backs, opening the second half with a 33-yard touchdown run, extending the Gators lead to 27-17 with help from Durkin’s extra point at the 13:34 mark.
Florida was not to be stopped yet. With 6:30 left in the third, Philo connected with Dallas Wilson for a 20-yard touchdown pass, giving Florida a 17-point lead at 34-17. Philo finished the night 15-of-22 for 204 yards and a touchdown.
Auburn’s Deshawn Spencer grabbed a scoring pass from Brown, giving the Tigers a touchdown and putting them within 10 points of the Gators as the final phase of the game headed to a start.
In line with the previous three quarters, Auburn’s defense couldn’t contain Florida as it wasted little time adding to the scoreboard at the start of the fourth. Baugh exhibited his standard prowess in his third touchdown of the game, turning a fourth-and-one play into a 53-yard touchdown and bringing his game rushing yards to 162.
With 10 minutes left in the fourth, and the iconic “Gator Bait” cheer ringing clearly in Jordan-Hare, the Gators led 41-24 with 12:38 remaining.
Auburn cut the UF lead again, with Brown taking the ball into the end zone for a touchdown from 21 yards out to cap a 90-yard drive. The Tigers then added the two-point conversion with a pass to former Florida tight end Arlis Boardingham to bring the score to 41-32 with 6:10 remaining.
Florida made it 44-32 with Durkin 40-yard field goal at the 2:53 mark.
Auburn shortened Florida’s lead again, with Brown connecting with wide receiver Chase Nimrod for a 35-yard pass to the end zone to take the score to 44-39 with 25 seconds left.
The Gators recorded seven sacks against Brown and forced an interception, with the pass rush providing pressure throughout the game. Emmanuel Oyebadejo and Jayden Woods led the way, with each recording 2.5 sacks. Despite the pressure, Auburn finished with 373 total yards and repeatedly found ways to catch up to the Gators throughout the game.
Sumrall also expressed his discontent with the defense, echoing issues that have been consistent since Week 1.
“If we would just do our job,” he said. “Until we are so on point with everybody doing their job all the time, we’re going to give up stupid explosive plays that are not necessary.”
Still, Florida found a way to hold on and continues the season next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. against No. 4 Ole Miss (3-0, 1-0) in The Swamp. Coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. on WRUF 98.1-FM/850-AM/103.7 HD2 and at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.
“This is about our guys, I’m so proud of them they found a way. A lot of people doubted them, I heard a lot of people all week second guessing them.”
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Football
