Gators gave Tigers plenty to lick their chops about after Florida's bittersweet win over FAU

Auburn overcame Florida's old quarterback, DJ Lagway, on Saturday when the Tigers held on to knock off Baylor 17-16 in the Aflac Kickoff Game. After a tune-up against Southern Miss in Alex Golesh and Co.'s Jordan-Hare Stadium debut this coming weekend, the Gators come to town. It'll be the first SEC matchup of the 2026 season in East Central Alabama two weekends from now.

Luckily, Florida looks like a team Auburn can exploit when the Gators arrive on the Plains with the head coach the Tigers missed out on during this past hiring cycle, Jon Sumrall.

A 3-0 Auburn football team is a very realistic possibility at the end of the night on September 19. The Gators' ho-hum debut of the Sumrall era in the "Swamp" against FAU last night lends credence to that idea.

Auburn can exploit Florida's defensive woes that had Jon Sumrall hot

Sumrall put UF defensive coordinator Brad White on blast during the disastrous effort in the 66-21 win over the Owls. While he didn't mention White by name, Sumrall called the defensive effort "atrocious at times."

“Our defense was atrocious at times, quite honestly. So we had a hard time keeping pace with them. It was that way in my opinion. Like I watch that play, I'm a little bit frustrated about how we played defensively at times. I don't think we're as good as we think we are," Sumrall said postgame.

While plenty of them were earned when the game was out of reach, 396 yards of offense were produced by Florida Atlantic's offense. This isn't to downplay quarterback Caden Veltkamp, who had 34 completions and was the Owls' most efficient passer of all time last year, with a 67% completion percentage, a program record.

Still, this was an FAU offense that replaced both starting guards and a starting right tackle.

This was supposed to be a display of a new, tough-nosed culture under Sumrall, against a program from a lower conference.

Sumrall isn't happy with the coaches or his players. While he didn't name names, Sumrall hinted that some players have excessive egos.

Luckily, Auburn hired a guy who has managed those successfully.

Alex Golesh, not Jon Sumrall, has what Auburn needs

Golesh admitted at the postgame press conference that he had certain players scan the sidelines to see if any teammates weren't being enthusiastic for the team's greater good. There were none.

Golesh also took accountability when things didn't go right and, best of all, celebrated the team's togetherness.

"Today I saw a team that played together. ... When I tell you that that has been a big of a focus to bring guys together, it's the hardest thing to do in CFB. I saw dudes that played for each other and genuinely love each other," Golesh said.

Golesh's culture produced the kind of accountability that had safety Eric Winters making the game-saving tackle on Bears tight end Matthew Klopfenstein during what would've been a game-winning two-point conversion attempt for Baylor.

That culture produced an offense that was overmatched in the trenches but still saw guys like running back Jeremiah Cobb and quarterback Byrum Brown stay upright and fight for extra yardage time and again.

If Tyler Hudanick can get the offensive line right, figuring out the right combinations and, in particular, getting a grasp on the left guard spot, Auburn can maintain an offensive pace that Florida's offense can't keep up with.

Can Aaron Philo handle Auburn's pass rush?

Gators quarterback Aaron Philo was tossing darts out there against the Owls, but things could be tougher when 88,000 are going crazy inside Jordan-Hare, making pre-snap communication tough. Not to mention the pressure he'll be under from DJ Durkin's defense.

Xavier Atkins could have trouble getting through Florida's sturdy interior offensive line, but disruptors like Jared Smith, Da'Shawn Womack, and the rest of the Buck linebackers/defensive ends could test Philo's protection off the edge.

Philo's first big test at UF could expose his limitations in the SEC. Auburn's been beaten in recent years by mostly big-play quarterbacks. Philo is more of a Buster Faulkner system fit than a transformational talent. What happens if the system can't handle the opposing operating system?

Meanwhile, Sumrall's first SEC test could prove he's got a lot of work to do at a program that's had a lot of work to do for years.

Week 3 should have Tiger fans licking their chops after what went down in Week 1.

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