Florida capitalized on big plays and the defense was on the field way too much as Auburn fell to the Florida Gators 44-39 last Saturday. If we knew on Friday night that Auburn was going to score 39 points against the Gators I would have assumed the Tigers won by 2 touchdowns. Byrum Brown (271 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT) connected on 20 of his 35 pass attempts, and did not seem shaken even after being sacked 7 times by the Gator defense.
Auburn's receivers continue to produce yards. Keshaun Singleton (7 catches, 99 yards, 1 TD) and Chas Nimrod (6 catches, 95 yards, 1 TD) were targeted the most as Auburn averaged 13.6 yards per catch. The rushing game wasn't non-existent entirely, but Auburn found much more success through the air.
The Difference in the Game: Florida's Run Game
The Gators controlled the tempo of the game and the clock because of a Jadan Baugh led run game that finished with 243 yards on 53 attempts. He scored 3 touchdowns and averaged 6.2 yards per carry. His 53 yard run was a game changing moment that shown a light on what are really fixable issues. Durkin's defense was on the field way too long. The defensive stars played well but overall the defense was worn down in the 2nd half which leads me to...
Time of Possession was too much for the Defense
Florida had the ball for 39 minutes and 16 seconds. Jon Sumerall went for it on 4th down 3 times and converted every single one. The defense played with passion, but it is really too much to ask any defense to be on the field nearly twice as long as the other team and be able to keep up. The explosive plays didn't occur anywhere near as often in the 1st half as they did in the 2nd.
A New Offensive Line Takes Time to Get Going
Auburn's offense scored 39 points despite serious protection problems. Pass protection will improve as the season progresses, but we are not generating push up front so it's difficult for our running backs to gain yards and get into a rhythm. We become one dimensional as soon as we fall behind and are forced to put the ball in the air.
A Strange Loss
Auburn was only responsible for 6 penalties on a day that saw Florida flagged 16 times. We had the better QB, the 2 best receivers, and the 2 best defenders. Florida converting all three 4th downs extended drives that would make the difference in what was not as frustrating of a loss as we have seen over the past 5 seasons.