When Auburn battles Florida under the lights at Jordan-Hare Stadium this Saturday, the Tigers and Gators will be led by head coaches who are completely unimpressed with their teams so far.
Just like Alex Golesh is disgusted by Auburn's play thus far, Jon Sumrall isn't a fan of what he's seen from Florida.
Sumrall shared criticisms of his Gators after the team beat Campbell 52-3 in the "Swamp."
"I expect every player on our team … to play to the standard that is a Florida Gator. I don't care if you're a first-, second- or third-team player; there is a standard here. It's non-negotiable. I think maybe some guys learned tonight what readiness looks like isn't quite where they are," Sumrall said postgame.
With every team in college football shaking off rust and trying to get closer to penalty-free football, Sumrall's program is not alone in struggling there. The Gators had eight penalties against the Fighting Camels after having four against FAU the previous week.
Auburn has them beat with 15 through the first two weeks. Perhaps Week 3 will come down to which team doesn't beat itself.
Alex Golesh and Jon Sumrall bring different style to Week 3 matchup
Sumrall and Golesh bring much different demeanors to the game of football, even though they similarly hate the mistake-proneness of their programs.
Sumrall is intense. He yells, he hollers, and he is more direct in his criticism of his players. Sumrall was a linebacker during his playing days at Kentucky, so that makes sense personality-wise. Golesh was an offensive lineman at Dublin Scioto High School in Ohio when he played.
Different strokes for different folks. We'll see which personality wins out when the two former rivals reignite their rivalry. The Tigers and Gators haven't done battle since 2019, when Bo Nix had a rough outing during a 24-13 loss at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Alex Golesh brings underdog attitude to Florida-Auburn game
Golesh's program is being written off as a slight home underdog in Week 3. Golesh, after helping USF beat Florida last September, should have confidence regardless.
With both coaches unimpressed with their teams, Golesh's roster now has more motivation to practice hard this week. Even on Pat Dye Field, Auburn is getting no respect heading into this one. That cannot be tolerated.
After Hugh Freeze had a losing record at home, the only full-time Tigers head coach to achieve such a miserable feat, Golesh should be extra motivated to get off to a 2-0 start on the Plains. Beating the brakes off Southern Miss was a beautiful start, but nothing would top winning his first SEC game.
Well, there are more than a few things that would top that this season, but let's take this thing one step at a time.
Certainly, Golesh and Sumrall are. They wouldn't be so hung up on underwhelming performances if not.
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