Auburn prediction time

By
Robbie Andreu
-
56
192

As brutal as the last two weeks have been for the Gators, they’re still solidly in the race in the SEC’s Eastern Division. To stay in it, they’re going to have to find a way to win at Auburn, where a lot better Florida teams than this one have tasted defeat in the past.

It’s a do-or-die game for the Gators.

Unfortunately for Florida, I see this being a Dyer game for the Tigers.

Let’s face it, we’re going into the seventh game of the season and the Gators are what they are on defense. They can’t tackle, can’t stop the run, can’t prevent teams from going up and down the field on them, can’t create turnovers or big negative plays.

I see a defensive meltdown happening again at Auburn. Tailback Michael Dyer is a big, fast, powerful tailback and he’ll be running through the Gator defense for most of the night. Once that’s established, AU will be able to throw on the Gators. We’ve seen a similar scenario the past two weeks.

Auburn’s defense is more porous than Florida’s. The problem is the Gators’ offense, led by a true freshman quarterback, isn’t good enough to take advantage of it. The Gators just don’t seem capable of scoring many points, no matter what kind of defense they’re going against.

This summer I did a blog on this four-game October stretch pointing out that it was tough but doable, and the Gators had a good chance of winning two or three of the games. After watching UF get manhandled in the losses to Alabama and LSU, I now have a pretty strong feeling the Gators are going to go 0-for-October.

Prediction: Auburn 31, Florida 21.

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56 COMMENTS

  2. Nonsense. Auburn is no bama or lsu. The young Gators have learned valuable lessons the last 2 weeks and it will show on the field. Brisset will LIGHT UP the sub-par auburn defense in a close victory for the good guys.

  4. Geez Robbie, I thought you had atleast a little confidence if not hope. Talk about jumping ship. Bama and LSU have exposed everyone they’ve played. Florida has the talent to win the line of scrimmage in this game. Auburn doesn’t defend the perimeter very well so the QB will not be asked to do much. Florida will run the ball on these guys. Auburns defense is very comparable to Tennessee’s. especially up front and you see how our backs shredded them. Look for more screen passes and play action down field once the run is established. Florida 27-13

  5. I can’t complain if folks picked us to lose to Bama or LSU, but come on… AU has the worst rated defense in the SEC this year, an nearly all-freshman OL, and an inexperienced QB who only passed for 81 yards last week against Arkansas, and both their top WR’s hurt. One of them will play, but will also be playing on a high ankle sprain. We should be able to run the ball on AU very well and be in this game and should win it.

  8. It’s quite amazing to see that you have picked Auburn to defeat the Gators. I don’t disagree, just that you actually picked it. It seems that the aura surrounding the Gator program, which dictates that just because a coach or player is a Gator he is ‘by destiny’ the best, has hit a brick wall. This aura clouds the judgment of journalists and fans alike, giving them a sense of invincibility in the face of overwhelming odds. It makes us disregard logic and reason, and base all of our articles and postings, and even casual conversations strictly on emotion. We close our eyes and put our hands over our ears and say “la la la la la la la la” when anyone tries to suggest that the facts don’t support the theory that the mighty Gators might not be a championship team this year, and that they may actually be down. We disregard the fact that Will, although quite impressive as a coordinator and an impassioned speech giver, had not coached a single game at the college level as a head coach. And now he is atop one of the most high profile jobs in the land. We believe that Charlie Weis can find the magic “confidence switch” on a QB that was ruined by the former staff, and while calling plays pouring over both sides of a Gatorade cooler he could turn that switch back to “on” with authority. Or perhaps in the timeless words of Little Big Man; “Maybe were all fools and none of it matters”.

  9. well i want the gators to win…but based on our qb situation, def. that can’t tackle…players thinking they’re bigger than the team…loss of confidence…track record of not playin well there and a night game to top it off…..aub. 24 fl 16…i sure hope they prove me wrong and get it together…

    total package

  14. If we don’t give the game away (again) with stupid penalties, missed tackles, dropped passes, turnovers, predictable offense, 185lb wide receivers trying to run the ball between the tackles, etc. we’ll be competitive.

    Do all those things (again) and it’s another game where we’re out of it by halftime.

  15. I do not believe how you could pick Auburn to beat the Gators!! They don’t have the defense that Alabama and LSU have and the runnig back is one who fumbles a lot. I think our running back will have a lot of yardage in the game and take the pressure off of our freshmen quarterbacks. We will win 24-10!! Go Gators!!

  16. When last season finished, I was delighted that I would never have to see that poor quality of play again by the Gators. It seems, to some degree, I was wrong as the play is the same, only some of the names have changed. Hopefully, smarter and consistent play will prevail in the second half of this season, starting Saturday on the plains.

  17. A lot of folks need to put away your homer glasses and step up to reality. The Gator D can’t tackle, can’t stop the run, and doesn’t create turnovers. Auburn will outscore the Gators because they aren’t going to respect the non-existent downfield passing game. As crappy as Auburn’s defense is, I would actually be surprised if Florida scores more than 17 points unless we get special teams help or turnovers. Think about it…Florida rolled up impressive numbers both offensively and defensively against horribly bad teams and Will Muschamp is still learning to be a head coach.

  18. In my opinion…our season will go either way depending on the outcome of this game…I believe our coaching staff is fantastic and aside from the obvious past weeks’ mistakes, win field position, win defensive plays for losses, win TO margin, and have short yardage 2nd & 3rd downs to give us a better chance for the big play. Go Gators!

  19. At least you guys wont’ be losing to Duke! I guarantee you that my ‘Noles lose to the Blue Devils this week. The Gators are a young football team and are rebuilding. Nothing to be ashamed of. See you in November.

  21. I’m a bet more optimistic. The Gators will get their running game back which take the pressure of the QB (whoever it is). On offense I look for the big plays by Rainey again with some play-action passes. On defense we match up a lot of better because of Auburn’s spread option versus our team speed instead of the power game of Bama and LSU.

  22. Lack of depth along both offense and defense lines and youth are what is hurting Florida along with both the players and coaches learning to work together in the war known as the SEC Football Season. All that having been said, that same youth is the foundation for future Gator championships, just not this year.

    Auburn is beatable and the Gators get a bye week to improve everything before Georgia soooooo… I expect one win in October with a outside chance for two. Youth can surprise you when you least expect it in a positive way!! The Gator defense is neither as good as some thought nor as bad as the last two weeks when they were left on the field way too long.

    Gators win 26 to 24 on two TD’s from Chris Rainey and four field goals from Sturgis!! Go Gators!!!

  23. You’re an idiot. Florida may not win because they are playing a true freshman at QB, but the fact that you said they couldn’t or haven’t been able to score points against any defense is confusing. They were averaging what…40+ points a game before they played the top 2 defenses in the nation.

  24. AU’s defense against the run has gotten much better since the beginning of the season. But the Tigers have had a harder time defending the pass. (See Clemson & Arkansas) So because of your freshman QB, I think AU will be able to get the win.

  25. I will do as I have for the last 40 years. I will hope for the best for our Gators and we have had the best. I will cheer and support them no matter what. I will not be a fair weather fan. I will not whine. Keep trying Gators. Don’t quit when there are set backs. Tackle, run, catch, and play as hard as you can and your real fans will have your back. Nobody likes a quitter. Don’t be one.

  27. I tried to tell people pre-Bama we would likely go 0-4 and 1-3 was the best we should expect. No one listened. I got called names buy unfortunately as usual I will be right. First off, we almost NEVER win at Auburn…Not that what other UF teams have done matters for this one. Second, Meyer left us with a bunch of crap buy for whatever reason some idiots out their in our fanbase seem to believe Star rankings over results on the field. We have no real RBs who can pound the ball and break tackles. Even when Brantely was healthy out vertical passing game was sub par. The funny thing is I thought we’d go 0-4 when I thought our defense was good…and it is not only bad it is terrible. We also have a below average punter. As far a I can tell the only two bright spots so far this season have been Debose and Sturgis and maybe Burton.

    Auburn 31 UF 10

  32. C’mon Robbie…. Yes Auburn has a big power back. But UF has gone against the two toughest teams in the country the last two weeks. UF has been able to stop the run and put pressure on Qb’s as they did against Tennessee. But that does not stack up to Bama and LSU. Auburn does not even stack up well against those two. I feel with Driskell and Brisett they will be manageable. The backs will run and Gilly will see some time. But I also expect to see our Defense swarm with a very young and inexperienced AU OL. Maybe I’m being a homer but I feel this team will step up. Refer back to your blog about “defining moment”. WM has had his at LSU as did Meyer. Look how that turned out.

  33. The key to the game will be….the offense. IF we can run on them, we set up the play action/bootleg passes and we will run off the clock, thereby shortening the game for our defense. You need to review the last two games to note that yes there were errors in our defensive gaps, tackling and the DL taking on blockers (all correctable), what really set us back is that the team knew that we were not in it without Brantley’s passing and the defense wore out in the 4th quarter.

    We will go into this game with a ball control offense, just like LSU did to us, and IF we execute it we will be in it at the end.

  35. mann, WE LOST TO THE 2 BEST TEAMS IN THE COUNTRY!!!!!!!!!! its not like we played UCF an Baylor an got whopped! Im pretty sure Tenn has a good running back in Poole an how did he do against UF??? LSU an Bama are diff animals an I def underestimted both of them..Auburn isnt on their level an UF is gunna come out swinging tonight…Mark my words…27-13 UF

  36. All of you that think the gators can beat auburn are dummies,the gators dont have the physical strenght or size to compete in the sec,no dought they have some speed but you cant win with just speed,they shoud be playing in the mountain west division with those popcorn fart running backs that they have,they can be tackled with one finger and then they will get hurt.

  37. Gary…Demos seems to always be either hurt or ineffective in big games. Same goes for Rainey. Here is some interesting analysis…Go back and look at Demps and Rainey’s stats over their careers and back out our 3 patsies, UK, and Vandy…the numbers are below average. That is why I knew that even at 4-0 we had no chance to run on Bama or LSU and without that we could not beat either team.

    After the past two weeks I van hardly point to anyone on defense as a bright spot…I saw Howard getting pushed around and Bostic missing arm tackles the past two weeks so to call either a bright spot is a huge reach IMO.

    In all fairness this is probably the game that is best measuring stick for the Gators. Our first 4 games were against terrible teams (UT is not a good team and they were without their top playmaker). The last 2 games were against by far the best 2 teams in the country and we were without our starting QB for much of them. I do not think we will win this game and I do not think it will be all that close BUT I think we can win this game and if we do win this game the team has more heart than what I have seen the past two weeks. The talent is what is it is an that is average which will not get you far in the SEC…But if our players come out and play hard I think our coaching staff is good enough to deliver a win…I just question slot of these players heart/effort.

  39. It is time for Gator fans to take the blinders off, the time of unbeaten seasons has past. Not that the Gators have necessarily lost their “game” it is due to the fact that the competition has upped theirs. It would take Auburn making big mistakes all day for the Gators to pull the rabbit out of the hat. Take it for what it is, this is a time of rebuilding not for status quo.

  40. I have big doubts whether Weiss heart is really into this he has no emotion on the sidelines and his game plans the last two games have been horrible.Hines is never used gilly is under used.I’m starting to get the same feeling I had with zoom a head coach learning on the job alot of fire but. Zero experience.Weiss has underestimated the coaching talent of teams in sec and the first four game he could of gotten back up qb a chance to run the system instead he just ran the clock out.this te has players that are not giving 100percent and the coaching staff dosesnt seem to know how to get the most out of them.if this team doesn’t wake up all the effort that was made to build up this program will be damaged for years.look at half ass u

  41. I can understand getting beat the last two games but the way it happened is unacceptable.poor tackleing poor play calling ex changing qb every series, running small backs up the middle have led to the worst back to back losses in 40years.the talent level between lsu and bama and gators are not that great to get beat so bad,but the effort is players and coaching have been.special teams also an area of poor play and coaching .to have a punter just left without a spy amending able to run untouched is. Unacceptable.also boom has continued the policy to close out fans and media from practice and from getting any real info i
    From team .it’s ok when your winning but only leads to misinformation and kills fans passion.

  46. Our defense actually showed me something today. But our special reams was the worst I have ever seen in 35 years of watching Gator football and Reed and Rainey should be kicked off campus for their play.

    I actually think though we can regroup over the next two weeks and if Brantley, Demps, and Debose can all come back healthy possibly even win out (especially if the injury to Lattimore is serious).

  47. Nice call Gator Todd. You solidified yourself as the biggest moron on this site. But we knew that already. Swept by the SEC west.

    101-29 last 3 years. Roll Tide Moron!

    Must have been that missed holding call you always bring up.

  49. I gusee your’e NOT an idiot, Robbile…I wonder if those who said you were have ENOUGH decency to APOLOGIZE!?! I know they are NOT ALONE IN THEIR PRIDE-it seems Charlie Weiss too is OBSESSED with PRIDE and Rainey right, Rainey left and NOT much else…Why can a freshman QB at UGA last year, Freshman QB last night at Auburn pllay BETTER tthan FLA’S… I feel for JOHN BRANTLEY IN ALL THIS and Muschamp and his DEFFENSE (which like last year) played well enough to win this game!
    It is a SHAME this team has the TALENT-SUPPOSEDLY COACHING and yet they have ONLY SCORED 2 TDs in 3 games!!! WOW-not even THE GREAT AND WONDERFUL WEISS COULD CHANGE THIS TEAMON OFFENSE….7-5 Season and KNOW WONDER THIS YOUNG FRESHMAN were in arift llast year with the REST OF THE TEAM…they are too good to get BETTER!

  51. Not that my input is worth anything…it’s like de ja vu all over again. I’m wondering why the team looks so much like last years?! Teams have basically loaded on our running game but we have proven that our WR’s aren’t as bad as we thought they were, but what’s the point when you can’t get them the ball? Not to spread blame but could it be that we have some bad/overrated recruits?!

  52. Do you think we can hang with the Noles if the Noles have a running game? Open question. I just want to beat FSU this year. Even though they were playing Duke it looks like they are getting more balanced. cAn we hang?

  54. When you are now 7 games into a season, and you still can’t find playmakers on either side of the ball, you can’t field punts or cover kick offs, and are practically leading the nation in penalty yards per game, there’s something wrong in the makeup of the team or the coaching staff. Perhaps all those NFL pedigrees just don’t grasp the college game? When you are trailing by a single point in the 3rd quarter, have a 2nd down and inches in your opponent’s territory, and 3 plays later you are punting, something’s got to give.

  55. Coaching at the college level is not going to have a huge positive impact in year one. Look at Meyer, Tressel, Saban, or Carrol’s first years at their respective schools. It is year 2 and 3 where you can have the most impact.

    The problem with this team right now is Meyer recruited a bunch of speed guys who are simply not that good of football players. Having Tebow and Harvin masked this and their presence open somethings up for other guys. But you could see it when Harvin left how much the offense fell off and then your saw it even more dramaticaly when Tebow left.

    Now Weis and Muschamp have to pick up the pieces and actualy go out and recruit football players instead of track stars. That means getting big WRs who can actually catch the football. It means getting RBs who can actually break a tackle.

    Now some of this is on Muschamp…There is no excuse for the penalites (although I can not remember a UF coach who ever did a good job at managing this) and the errors on special teams are clearly on coaching. But like I said it may take more than 7 games to correct these kind of errors.

  56. Robbie, I thought Auburn stood a good chance of winning this game at their place….I’ve been to too many games at that stadium where we were supposed to win…, but didn’t. The thing that is discouraging to me is that it was a very easy game for the Gators to win. It just seems that we have no one on this team last year or this year that is willing to be responsible for winning. I do not reserve that comment just for the players, but for the coaching staff, as well. Last year, what was that? No one on the coaching staff or the players took responsibility for what was an embarrasing season. This season is headed in the direction of being even more of an embarrasment than last year. There is no way we should have lost that game Saturday, yet we found multiple ways to do so…I know we have injuries at key positions, but so did Auburn. No excuses, someone needs to take responsibility for more than just the language they choose to use on the sidelines….