Auburn Tigers Drop Big-Time SEC Matchup to Florida

The Auburn Tigers entered their game against the Florida Gators with something to prove but ultimately fell flat in front of their home crowd, as the Gators took down the Tigers by a final score of 44-39.

The first quarter was, by far, the worst quarter of the year for the Tigers so far. Byrum Brown opened the game with an interception on the third play from scrimmage, which the Gators wasted no time cashing in on, before the Tigers went three-and-out on the following drive.

However, the Tigers’ defense showed some early signs of life when Florida running back Jadan Baugh had some trouble bringing in a screen pass, popping it up to Auburn edge rusher Da’Shawn Womack, who intercepted it, resulting in a Tigers field goal.

In total, the Tigers managed -3 yards of offense in the first quarter, running just nine plays and going 0/3 on third downs.

The Tigers’ offense sprung to life in the second quarter, though, as after the defense allowed a rushing touchdown on 3rd and 20, the Tigers built a strong drive down the field, scoring by way of a two-yard Jeremiah Cobb rush to make the score 14-10 in favor of the Gators.

The Gators managed a field goal on the following drive, but Brown found Keshaun Singleton on a four-yard touchdown to tie the game at 17 with 5:21 left in the quarter. The Gators managed a drive to make yet another field goal in the waning seconds of the half, and the Tigers headed to halftime down 20-17.

In the second half, the Tigers’ defense could not stop the Gators' offense, as they scored 24 points to Auburn’s 22, though the Tigers made a late push at the end of the game, scoring by way of a 35-yard fourth-down touchdown connection between Brown and Chas Nimrod. After a failed two-point conversion, the Tigers attempted an onside kick but were unsuccessful, and the Gators kneeled it out to end the game.

Florida’s Jadan Baugh, alongside two other Gator running backs, torched Auburn’s defense throughout the game. Baugh rushed for a season-high 162 yards and three touchdowns, while his backup, Duke Clark, found 50 yards and a touchdown on just seven rushing attempts.

The Tigers’ offense put up a solid 39 points against the Gators’ defense, led by Byrum Brown’s 271 passing yards and three passing touchdowns to one interception, though the Tigers only managed 102 rushing yards the entire game.

Defensively, Elijah Melendez, a sophomore linebacker, led the Tigers in tackles for the second game this season, bringing down 11 Florida ball carriers, including the lone Tiger sack of the night as well as three tackles for loss.

The Tigers will look to rebound next week as Vanderbilt comes to town in a game that is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. CT.

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