Florida After Auburn: 5 Signs Sumrall’s Gators Are Rising

Quick Slants

1. Yep, Sumrall is the right guy.

If you still have doubts, this should end all that. Not only did Jon Sumrall lead Florida to a victory in his first SEC road start at Auburn, a place where wins have historically been hard for the Gators to find, but his staff also had Florida looking like the better-coached team. What said the most came afterward. Sumrall took responsibility for the 16 penalties, refused to let his players off the hook and made it clear the standard is higher. He gets SEC football. I have no doubts they will get that cleaned up.

2. Penalties don’t always kill you.

Sumrall warned that Florida cannot keep surviving games with that many flags. But there was also an edge to this team that had been missing for a few years. Some penalties were silly. Others came from the kind of physical, emotional football that winning teams often play. Keep the edge. Clean up the mistakes.

The penalties were out of control. I mean, 16 penalties. We won’t win another game all year if we do that again.

3. Jadan Baugh is a beast.

Four straight games over 100 yards. Against Auburn, Baugh carried 26 times for 162 net yards and three rushing touchdowns. One bad play did not change his night, and neither did a hand injury. His 53-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave Florida a 41-24 lead and broke the spirits of the Auburn crowd. We agree with Coach Sumrall: we are very thankful No. 13 is still a Gator.

4. The O-Line is going to be OK.

The Gators finished with 243 net rushing yards on 53 attempts, an average of 4.6 per carry. Florida’s runners gained 264 yards before losses were deducted. The line also gave Aaron Philo enough time to produce a solid night in the passing game. This unit has become a much more dependable group after plenty of questions at the start of the season. They can play better, but I love the chip on their shoulders and the little bit of nastiness they bring.

5. The defense played better than it looked on TV.

With 8:45 left in the game, Florida’s defense had held Auburn to 208 yards and 24 points, including a field goal after the interception — a huge stop. The final two Auburn drives went 90 and 75 yards, which will drive Brad White and Sumrall crazy. Fourteen points in the final eight minutes is never good, and Florida got hurt playing softer coverage late. But the Gators also finished with seven sacks against a mobile quarterback and held Auburn to 102 net rushing yards. It was not a dominant defensive performance, but it was good enough to win at Jordan-Hare.

War Dang Gator!