The Florida Gators (2-0) will travel to Auburn to take on the Tigers (2-0) in Week 3.
Here are my three keys to victory for Florida.
Stay composed in Jordan-Hare
This is Florida’s first true test of the 2026 season, and not just because it’s a conference game against a more talented team. It’s also the Gators’ first road game of the season.
Florida has not won at Auburn since 1999 and has lost three straight in the series at Jordan-Hare. You can bet the atmosphere will be electric. It’s the SEC opener for both teams, with two first-year SEC head coaches and two fan bases that are starving to win. Florida will be tested mentally on Saturday night.
How Florida handles the pressure of playing on the road in a high-stakes game will go a long way in determining the outcome. It’s junior quarterback Aaron Philo’s first career road start, and he needs to stay composed and communicate at a high level.
Florida has been prepping the team for the crowd noise throughout the week, but it’s awfully hard to replicate what they’ll experience at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Contain quarterback Byrum Brown
Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown is one of the country’s most electric playmakers with the ball in his hands. At 6’3, 235 pounds, Brown is a physical dual-threat quarterback who presents a unique challenge because of his ability to make plays with his legs. He’s recorded 2,380 rushing yards in his career and rushed for over 1,000 yards last season.
While Auburn will use designed runs, Brown thrives on broken or off-schedule plays. It’s critical that Florida’s pass rush contains him inside the pocket. The Gators need to keep their eyes on him at all times and avoid getting too far upfield, which can give Brown an opportunity to step up in the pocket and take off.
Brown is also a powerful runner who’s not afraid to run through defenders. Florida can’t rely on arm tackles against him on Saturday. The pursuit will need to be strong, with all 11 defenders running to the football whenever Brown escapes the pocket and takes off.
If Florida can limit Brown’s explosive running ability and force him to beat the Gators through the air, Florida will have a great chance to win at Auburn.
Exploit Auburn’s secondary
The biggest mismatch in this game is Florida’s wide receivers vs. Auburn’s secondary.
The Tigers have graded poorly in coverage through two games, ranking 85th in the country, according to Pro Football Focus. They especially haven’t performed well against the deep pass, with opposing teams posting an EPA of .34 on passes traveling over 15 yards, according to Bud Davis.
Auburn is allowing 252 passing yards per game, which ranks 116th in the country. The Tigers allowed 333 passing yards against Baylor and DJ Lagway in Week 1. Lagway connected on four of nine passes traveling over 20 yards for 101 yards in the contest.
This is an area Florida can look to exploit. Aaron Philo has shown the ability to connect on deep passes through two weeks. Given Florida’s talent at wide receiver, this is an area the Gators need to take advantage of, especially with Auburn boasting a strong run defense behind a talented linebacker corps.
The Tigers have defended the screen game and short passing attack at a high level so far. The clear weakness has been defending the deep pass.
Auburn has also had some tackling issues in the secondary. Safety Eric Winters already has four missed tackles on the season.