The 84th Meeting of Auburn vs Florida Kicks Off Saturday At The Swamp
By: Tony Thomas
October 2, 2019
A Top Ten matchup will kick off Saturday in Gainesville, FL as the #7 Auburn Tigers invade “The Swamp” to take on the #10 Florida Gators. Both teams are undefeated at 5-0.
This will be the 84th meeting between the two schools dating back to 1912 and Auburn leads the series 43 to 38 with 2 ties. Auburn has won the last 3 meetings, the most recent meeting being in 2011.
Florida’s wins have all come against unranked teams: Miami (FL), Tennessee Martin, Kentucky, Tennessee, Towson.
Florida has fallen victim to the injury bug, with starting QB Felipe Franks out for the season due to a dislocated ankle. Jr. QB Kyle Trask has taken over starting quarterback duties and has led the Gators to 2 wins against Tennessee and Towson.
Trask has passed for 647 yards and 5 TDs and 2 INTs. But his toughest test to date will be on Saturday against the Tigers.
The strength of the Florida team this season is the defense, ranked in the Top 20 in rushing defense (86 yards per game) and total defense, and ranked #5 nationally in scoring defense allowing just 8 points per game. They have made 45 tackles for loss in 5 games, good enough for #4 in the country.
Auburn has wins against two Top 25 opponents in Oregon and Texas A&M. The other wins came against Tulane, Kent State, and Mississippi State.
The Tigers are ranked #14 nationally in rushing offense at 251 yards per game. RB JaTarvious Whitlow has rushed for 463 yards (3rd in the SEC) and 7 TDs (1st in the SEC). QB Bo Nix, a true freshman, is averaging less than 200 yards per game passing (196 yards/game).
The battle will be Auburn’s rushing attack versus the Gator defense. It will be interesting to see who can move the ball and take advantage of scoring opportunities when they occur. Florida leads the nation in opponent red zone conversion, allowing a team to score points just 38% of the time.
Auburn is favored at -3 and I think Auburn wins this game and the score will be close, by a touchdown or less.
Thanks for reading.
Material for this article sourced from http://sports-reference.com http://cfbstats.com http://sportslogos.net
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