Florida beats Auburn 44-39 in SEC opener

AUBURN, Ala. —

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Jadan Baugh ran for 162 yards and three touchdowns, and Florida beat Auburn 44-39 Saturday night in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams and both new head coaches.

Aaron Philo threw for 202 yards and a score for the Gators, who improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2018.

The Gators finished with 245 yards on the ground and 252 through the air. Vernell Brown III caught five passes for 86 yards, and Dallas Wilson added four catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. They provided new Gators coach Jon Sumrall with a signature road win.

Auburn’s offense looked sloppy until the end, finishing with 373 yards. With only 102 of those yards coming on the ground, the Tigers looked to the air more than they would like in coach Alex Golesh’s conference debut.

Byrum Brown completed 20 of 35 passes for 271 yards, with three touchdowns and an interception for Auburn (2-1). He also ran for 65 yards and a score. One of his passing touchdowns came on a 35-yard Hail Mary to Chaz Nimrod with 24 seconds to play.

The takeaway

Florida’s rushing game was excellent. Baugh carried 26 times, averaging 6.2 yards a carry. He controlled the second half with 106 yards and two touchdowns. Duke Clark added 50 yards and a touchdown after bouncing off a couple of Tigers to the end zone.

Auburn’s offense flashed at times. After totaling minus 3 yards in the first quarter, Auburn picked it up. The Tigers had a 16-play stretch that covered 150 yards and scored twice to tie the game at 17 just before halftime. In the second half, Auburn failed to move the ball consistently, giving up four sacks and committing six penalties.

Up next

Florida hosts No. 8 Ole Miss next Saturday.

Auburn hosts Vanderbilt next Saturday.

This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available. Stay updated on the latest stories with the WVTM 13 app. You can download it here.