Talking All Things Florida (Threads Merged)

[SumterAubie 3,031]

-3 nao.

[AUwent 3,776]

8 hours ago, LKEEL75 said:

I haven't seen this anywhere else, but this is UF homecoming game as well.  Really???  AU is your homecoming game?  

See previous comments in this thread. Scheduling a patsy is something more unique to us.

[AUsince72 11,084]

38 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

I already took up way too much space in the other thread and I see that you saw that one so I will just acknowledge and appreciate your post here and let this thread remain uncluttered by any more of my BS on this particular topic, lol

PRAISE THE LORD!!! 🙏

 

[aubiefifty 16,919]

‘Words can’t even explain’ how Auburn feels about being Florida’s homecoming opponent

Updated 4:37 PM; Today 4:20 PM

3-4 minutes

Auburn’s first trip The Swamp in a dozen years will have a slight twist.

Saturday’s top-10 matchup between No. 7 Auburn (5-0) and No. 10 Florida (5-0) won’t only mark the renewal of a rivalry that has been dormant for far too long, but it will also mark the Gators’ homecoming game — a fact that didn’t seem to sit too well with the Tigers.

“Word’s cant even explain it, but I mean, it’s another game,” defensive end Marlon Davidson said as he shook his head.

Senior safety Jeremiah Dinson, a Florida native, gave a long pause when asked how he felt about Auburn being Florida’s homecoming game. Then, a few beats later, Dinson simply said, “no comment.”

Many teams follow the practice of scheduling an easier opponent for homecoming, typically boosting the odds of providing the home crowd with a win on the celebratory weekend. At Auburn, for example, the Tigers have not faced a Power 5 opponent for homecoming since 1991, when it hosted Mississippi State.

This year’s homecoming game was in Week 3 against an overmatched Kent State team. Last year, the Tigers hosted Southern Miss. In 2017, it was Mercer, an FCS program. The year prior to that, it was ULM. San Jose State served as the homecoming game in 2015, Louisiana Tech in 2014 and FCS Western Carolina in 2013, Gus Malzahn’s first year as head coach.

Florida has taken a different approach in recent years, though it should be noted that the university determines when homecoming is, and not the University Athletic Association. In each of the last six seasons, the Gators have hosted an SEC opponent for homecoming — and Florida has lost four of those matchups, including each of its last two homecoming games.

Florida fell to Missouri, 38-17, on homecoming last year and to LSU, 17-16, in 2016. The Gators beat Missouri in 2016 and Vanderbilt the year prior, avenging homecoming losses to those two teams in 2014 (a 42-13 Missouri win) and 2013 (a 34-17 Vanderbilt win).

The Gators will be wearing throwback uniforms for Saturday’s matchup against Auburn. It’s something Malzahn was unaware of, but when he was informed, he was quick to point out that he knew it was Florida’s homecoming game.

“We haven’t been homecoming too many times,” Malzahn said. “I’ll tell you (how I feel about it) after the game.”

Indeed, it has been a while since an opponent designated Auburn as its homecoming game. The last time it happened was 2013, when Tennessee hosted Auburn at Neyland Stadium for homecoming on Nov. 9 that season. Auburn responded with a 55-23 thrashing of the Vols.

Auburn is expecting a raucous atmosphere in The Swamp, where the Gators have not lost a game since that homecoming setback against Missouri last season. Florida has won nine in a row overall since then, including five straight at home.

“We're going down there, playing Florida in a real tough environment, in The Swamp,” Dinson said. “It's real tough down there to play. But it's going to be fun.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 hour ago, AUsince72 said:

PRAISE THE LORD!!! 🙏

 

Dammit I really need to manage my reaction inventory better.

Not going to tell you which one I would use rn. 

[aubiefifty 16,919]

Auburn prepares for Kyle Trask, former Florida backup QB who’s found success

Today 3:37 PM

4-5 minutes

Kyle Trask started out the season unquestionably as Florida’s backup quarterback. Now, as Florida prepares for its first top-10 matchup at home since 2012, Trask is their record-breaking leader and someone Auburn is looking at as a threat that needs to be stopped.

Gus Malzahn said placing pressure on Trask, who has one of the best completion percentages in college football, will be important for Auburn’s success.

“I think that’ll be a big factor in the game — who can make the other quarterback more uncomfortable,” Malzahn said.

Trask, who played in just four college games before 2019, has been pretty comfortable in his two games as a starter — despite the fact that his first college start was also his first start since his freshman year of high school.

Trask was named the Gators’ starter after Feleipe Franks dislocated his ankle against Kentucky. In the four games he’s played in, two of which he’s started, Trask has completed 51-of-66 passes for 647 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. His 77.3 completion percentage is the fourth best in the country and the second best in the SEC.

In Florida’s 38-3 win over Tennessee, Trask completed 20-of-28 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions. Before Emory Jones finished out the game for the Gators, Trask threw three completions in a row.

The next game, the former three-star recruit from Manvel, Texas made school history. Picking up where he left off against Tennessee, Trask opened the game with 15 completed passes in a row. Combined with his final three completions in the game before, Trask had 18 straight completions.

Following the game, Megan Mullen, coach Dan Mullen’s wife, was the first to tell Trask that he — who started the season as backup — had broken Chris Leak’s 2005 school record of 17 straight completions. Trask threw five more times against Towson and finished 18-20 for 188 yards and two touchdowns, which led to his impressive 77.3 completion percentage.

Malzahn said the key to Trask’s success so far is his ability to quickly make decisions and carry them out.

“He’s in rhythm,” Malzahn said. “He gets rid of the ball. He knows where to go with the ball. He doesn’t hold it a long time.”

He also has a bunch of weapons around him, especially in the wide receivers. Florida has six receivers averaging more than 30 yards per game, including Van Jefferson who is averaging almost 50 yards per game.

“I’m impressed with their receiver group, as a matter of fact very impressed,” Malzahn said.

Despite the inspiring story and impressive stats, Auburn’s defense is not one to back down easily.

“We’ve seen that type of player before, a quarterback that can run and pass,” safety Jeremiah Dinson said. “I know coach Steele have a good game plan this week.”

In fact, having Trask back there leading the Gators might work out more favorably for the Tigers defense, defensive end Marlon Davidson said. Franks was more of a dual-threat quarterback than Trask, who looks to pass more than he looks to keep the ball. In the four games Trask has played in, he’s rushed just nine times and thrown the ball 66 times compared to Frank’s 21 rush attempts in four games.

Mullen told reporters Monday that with Auburn’s talented pass rushers, Trask will have to make good reads and know when to keep the ball versus when to throw it away.

Oregon’s Justin Herbert was the last quarterback the Tigers faced that didn’t run much against them. Since the opening game against Oregon, Auburn’s defensive line has been focused on containing scrambling quarterbacks.

“That actually makes me a little more happier, having a guy that wants to sit back there and throw the ball,” Davidson said. “That leads to more sacks for me.”

[Zeek 16,660]

7 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

“We haven’t been homecoming too many times,” Malzahn said. “I’ll tell you (how I feel about it) after the game.”

Auburn by 50 😐

[aubiefifty 16,919]

Just now, Zeek said:

Auburn by 50 😐

lets hope so. i have seen florida get awful lucky since mullen has been there. i want this one as bad as ga or bama. also i am afraid folks might come down too hard on bo with his dad beating florida and all. but i want to send dan to coaching hell if possible. i will kenny rogers was suiting up so we could introduce him to mr brown and company.

[boisnumber1 2,821]

19 hours ago, AuburnTiger4Life said:

8 is high when you consider the defenses they’ve faced 

Their OL is a big time weakness. I've listened to a few UF beat writers talk about their OL, and they are very concerned that they won't be able to handle our D at all.

[aubiefifty 16,919]

Florida will expose Auburn’s OL, cover as home underdog

Today 1:21 PM

6-8 minutes

September was great for Auburn fans and bettors.

The Tigers (5-0, 2-0) beat No. 11 Oregon in Week 1, No. 17 Texas A&M in Week 4 and embarrassed Mississippi State in Week 5.

Along the way, Auburn became one of just four FBS teams to finish the month unbeaten against the spread.

Normally, the college football betting market takes just weeks to adjust to even the largest outliers, but Auburn has beaten the closing number at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas by 2.5, 1.5, 3.5, 12 and 24.5 points, seemingly confounding oddsmakers more each game.

The majority of respected bettors sided with Texas A&M two weeks ago, and an even larger majority bet on Mississippi State last week – so much so that the posted side moved from Auburn -12 on Sunday to Auburn -8.5 at kickoff.

Now Gus Malzahn’s team travels to The Swamp to take on a Florida team that edged out a meek Miami and got fortunate to beat a regressing Kentucky.

I went against the grain and told everyone to bet on Auburn against Texas A&M, and then leaned toward Auburn against Mississippi State but got scared off by a few trends.

So let’s ride the wave and bet against a fortunate Florida team, right?

Wrong.

Trustworthy technical analysis says Auburn should be anywhere from a one-point favorite to a three-point underdog.

ESPN’s SP+ says Auburn is 0.2 points better than Florida on a neutral field. Yet, as of mid-day Tuesday, every major sportsbook listed Auburn as a three-point road favorite.

ESPN’s FPI says Auburn’s chances of winning are 53.2 percent, which equates to a -115 moneyline. The actual moneyline ranged from -145 to -155.

I made Auburn a half-point favorite Saturday night before the market opened and before doing additional research on the game.

The raw numbers favor Flordia. But there are matchup-related advantages for the Gators as well.

Florida’s defensive havoc will cause problems

Auburn’s running game, and more specifically its offensive line, was perhaps the most important position group to handicap when trying to determine how the Tigers would fare in the 2019 season.

The team has made significant progress in part because the 2019 quarterbacks provide a running threat, JaTarvious Whitlow has served as a true No. 1 from the opening game and Malzahn has sprinkled in successful runs from receivers Eli Stove and Anthony Schwartz.

Continuity on the offensive line has helped to a degree. But Auburn’s offensive line also has allowed 31 tackles for loss, tied for 88th nationally and 13th in the SEC.

To put it in other terms, there’s a stat popularized by Bill Connelly called havoc rate. It looks at the percentage of plays that result in passes defensed (deflections and interceptions), forced fumbles and tackles for loss.

The Action Network this week looked at offensive havoc allowed, and Auburn’s offense ranks 88th nationally, just between Ball State and Virginia Tech. The team’s 12 fumbles and propensity to give up tackles for loss play to Florida’s strengths.

Todd Grantham, Florida’s defensive coordinator, is a master of havoc. He’s always been extremely aggressive, and the Gators have the personnel to suit that style, with lockdown corners and excellent pass rushers.

Florida’s defense is No. 3 in the nation, causing havoc on 25 percent of snaps. The Gators have made an outstanding 45 tackles for loss in five games, and also have intercepted or batted down 29 passes.

Toughest game yet for QB Bo Nix

Let’s consider how that may impact Bo Nix.

Nix completed 49.0 percent of his passes for a combined 277 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions against Oregon and Texas A&M. He made a few nice plays, but can hardly be considered responsible for those wins.

He finally broke out against Mississippi State, completing 16 of 21 passes for 335 yards, with Schwartz and Seth Williams getting healthy.

Auburn built first-quarter leads of 14-0 and 21-0 over Texas A&M and Mississippi State, respectively. It had to come from behind to beat Oregon, but the Ducks aren’t nearly as proficient at getting into opposing backfields, and that game was at a neutral site.

Can Nix withstand the most pressure he’s ever faced, in arguably the most hostile environment he’s ever faced, if Florida takes an early lead? He’s been through some big tests as a true freshman, but he hasn’t been in that type of situation.

What about Auburn’s defense?

Auburn’s defensive line is the team’s biggest matchup advantage on Saturday. This will also be the toughest task that Florida quarterack Kyle Trask, who until recently hadn’t started a game since he was a high school freshman, has seen in his football career.

The Gators offensive line has regressed after losing four starters from the 2018 team.

But Florida’s offense, much like Alabama’s, has begun to replace mediocre results running the ball with short passes.

Trask is much more accurate than the injured Feleipe Franks, though his arm isn’t as strong. He’s completing 77.3 percent of his throws, which is better than Tua Tagovailoa, Jake Fromm and Justin Herbert.

Even with big-play gadget Kadarius Toney sidelined due to injury, Florida has an overlooked, athletic and diverse group of receivers that represents the best Auburn has seen.

Six different Gators have caught at least eight passes for at least 134 yards, led by Ole Miss and Ohio State transfers Van Jefferson and Trevon Grimes. With an accurate quarterback and that many reliable targets, coach Dan Mullen has been successful finding and picking at the weakest opposing cornerbacks and linebackers, and Trask has been good at getting the ball to those targets.

Final prediction

This game is as close to a tossup as you’ll see in the SEC this season. Auburn could win this game by two touchdowns, but so could Florida.

Auburn’s market perception is much higher than Florida’s, and the Tigers have been through bigger tests, even though they’re both flawed but good teams who remain unbeaten. That has created some value on the Gators +3, and I’m willing to take it.

Final score: Florida 24, Auburn 23.

Christopher Smith is a professional handicapper who specializes in college football and basketball. He’s the founder of Sports Locksmith.

[AuburnTiger4Life 2,225]

6 minutes ago, boisnumber1 said:

Their OL is a big time weakness. I've listened to a few UF beat writers talk about their OL, and they are very concerned that they won't be able to handle our D at all.

Same here. They seem to think they’ll be able to beat us with quick passes 

[aubiefifty 16,919]

ok someone talk me down off the ledge.

[ellitor 33,114]

Please keep all new articles on Florida in this thread. Different threads for every different article was cluttering the forum a bit.

[ellitor 33,114]

8 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

ok someone talk me down off the ledge.

Take another hit.

[aubiefifty 16,919]

6 minutes ago, ellitor said:

Take another hit.

great idea. so you think we are ok this weekend ellitor?

[aubiefifty 16,919]

9 minutes ago, ellitor said:

Please keep all new articles on Florida in this thread. Different threads for every different article was cluttering the forum a bit.

hey man as an aside we need to do something about the changing thread titles. i know when i post threads i try to whittle the title down some but what happens is sometimes we be posting the same articles because the title was changed. i know the board wants things neat and tidy but is that fair to the person who wrote the article? i always hated doing it. and too often stuff is moved or dismissed with no explanation which causes confusion. but yeah i know......go smoke another one. it just makes it harder for us geezers to keep up.

[boisnumber1 2,821]

1 hour ago, AuburnTiger4Life said:

Same here. They seem to think they’ll be able to beat us with quick passes 

I guess that's the expected response when you haven't been able to run the ball.

[Carnell 592]

On 9/29/2019 at 11:58 AM, JMassie11 said:

Unis are ok but completely disrespectful to be the homecoming game

We were their homecoming opponent in 1968.  We were down 10 at half and came back to win the game so I dont mind if we are their homecoming opponent.  In addition since 2013 they have a terrible record against homecoming foes.

[AURex 2,033]

On 9/29/2019 at 11:35 AM, Barnacle said:

Link

These are pretty dope if you ask me. Too bad they won't make any of them fast enough to catch Anthony Schwartz.

 

Okay, I'm back to the uni's. I'm confused about the jerseys. The legend (center, under collar, says SEC GRADUATE. But of course, how many players have graduated? Actually, WTF does that mean?

And then the logo is what LOOKS LIKE a basketball player going up for a dunk. Who DESIGNED these things?

Weird.

 

 

[auburn4ever 1,266]

It's just another game. Hopefully, it will be Auburn 6th win overall and 3rd win in the SEC.

[Zeek 16,660]

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

lets hope so. i have seen florida get awful lucky since mullen has been there. i want this one as bad as ga or bama. also i am afraid folks might come down too hard on bo with his dad beating florida and all. but i want to send dan to coaching hell if possible. i will kenny rogers was suiting up so we could introduce him to mr brown and company.

I vote we place a moratorium on mentioning his father and particularly his father’s past escapades. He’s already made a name for himself.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Auburn should come out for the kickoff with their throw back orange jerseys and orange facemasks.

[ToraGirl 5,498]

12 hours ago, LKEEL75 said:

I haven't seen this anywhere else, but this is UF homecoming game as well.  Really???  AU is your homecoming game?  

 

[tigeraddikt 1,619]

11 hours ago, Viper said:

He meant Bobby. 

He most certainly did not mean Bobby.

[toddc 13,194]

29 minutes ago, AURex said:

 

Okay, I'm back to the uni's. I'm confused about the jerseys. The legend (center, under collar, says SEC GRADUATE. But of course, how many players have graduated? Actually, WTF does that mean?

And then the logo is what LOOKS LIKE a basketball player going up for a dunk. Who DESIGNED these things?

Weird.

 

 

NIKE logo  ??