Respect isn’t given it’s earned and that’s what the No. 10 Florida Gators did Saturday night in a 24-13 win over No. 7 Auburn.
Most of the storylines and talking points surrounding the game were about auburn. Their defensive line was unbelievable, and they are very, very good. The auburn defense is too much for Florida’s offense. Florida won’t be able to run the ball. They will get dominated on both lines of scrimmage. Florida was an underdog at home and, despite being 5-0, had a one-loss Notre Dame ranked ahead of them and had dropped from 8th to 10th in the Associated Press Poll.
The Gators hadn’t played anybody isn’t an excuse or a true statement anymore.
“People don’t really respect us,” safety Shawn Davis said after the game. “We’re just gonna make them respect us.”
That should be the case after Saturday night’s performance. Auburn came into the game ranked seventh in the country but some poll voters had Auburn ranked No. 1 in the nation. Their résumé was strong with a neutral site win over Oregon and a road win over Texas A&M. their body of work was certainly stronger than Florida’s on paper but you don’t play games on paper and even the final score doesn’t tell the full picture.
The Gators never trailed Saturday against Auburn. They didn’t play a clean game with six penalties and four turnovers but they were dominant for long stretches over a team that was supposed to work them silly.
The Gators’ got out to a hot start. Florida won the toss and Dan Mullen deferred to the second half. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium had enjoyed the tailgate but packed up early and there were 90,000-plus people in the stadium foaming at the mouth by the time the Tigers and Gators took the field. No way was Mullen going to quiet them down on purpose by sending his offense on the field. The crowd was challenged all week to show up and be there on time. They did that and the people in the stadium had an impact on the game being played in front of them.
The very first play of the game Jon Greenard shot off the ball and buried his helmet into Bo Nix’s chest. Welcome to Gainesville, Bo. Two plays later Auburn was punting. Two plays after that, pandemonium.
On second an 10 from the Florida 36, Kyle Trask hit Freddie Swain over the middle. The senior receiver bobbed and weaved his way through defenders all the way into the end zone and the stadium shook.
“When you’re running in you don’t really pay attention to it,” Swain said. “It’s like when you get back to the sideline, you kind of ‘alright, it is kind of loud in here.'”
Florida’s defense wouldn’t allow Auburn to get back into the game. Even when the offense rubbed grease on all their footballs and started fumbling them away the defense stood its ground. Florida held Auburn to two field goals after fumbles. The only touchdown they surrendered came after a failed fake punt that Dan Mullen took credit for. They were truly remarkable, again.
This win will open eyes. It should open eyes, at least.
“I think this win will definitely wake everybody up that this is a real team, you know, not to be doubted,” Kyle Trask said.
Florida is a really good football team. They have warts just like every other team in the country. They may not go undefeated and win a National Championship but what they did on Saturday night is earn the respect they should have already been getting after a 5-0 start.
Saturday was homecoming. A day and week to remember and welcome back past alumni. On Saturday the Swamp felt like it did when Tim Tebow was throwing passes to Percy Harvin and Brandon Spikes was punting pick-sixes into the north stands. It felt that way because of what this team has done not just this season but ever since Dan Mullen has been in Gainesville.
“We’re building. I know what the Gator standard is and I know what the expectations are,” Mullen said. “My expectations are higher than everybody in Gator Nation. We want to play in these games.”
Next week offers up another test, another opportunity to earn the respect you believe you deserve. It’s another top-10 matchup, this time on the road at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge at night. That’s just life in the SEC but one thing is for sure: the narrative won’t be the same this week as it was last week.
Florida’s proved they belong.