We had a chance to be out of here with a decent lead, game under control—instead we are hanging on by our fingernails.
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OGT 2026 Week 1, September 5th: Florida Gators vs FAU Owls
- Thread starter Escambia94
- Start date
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- Tags
- 2026 predictions fau owls
Gators looking good so far. Still some bugs to work out. Philo commands the offense like Mertz but with a bigger arm and better wheels. Baugh looks like a stud. Offensive line is Perry good. Defense is rather soft.
3Q
POINT AFTER TD 13:08
P.Durkin extra point is good.
14
45
TOUCHDOWN 13:06
J.Baugh rushed for 6 yards. TOUCHDOWN.
10
PLAYS
100
YDS
2:29
POS
14
44
POINT AFTER TD 13:08
P.Durkin extra point is good.
14
45
TOUCHDOWN 13:06
J.Baugh rushed for 6 yards. TOUCHDOWN.
10
PLAYS
100
YDS
2:29
POS
14
44
More great work from Baugh and the offense to start the 2nd half…BUT:
STILL way soft on the edge against their passing game by our D. If they couldn’t clean that up at ALL during the half, we are prob facing another half that mostly mirrors the FIRST one. Only at least we are UP 31 points now.
STILL way soft on the edge against their passing game by our D. If they couldn’t clean that up at ALL during the half, we are prob facing another half that mostly mirrors the FIRST one. Only at least we are UP 31 points now.
Do you think I am being too HARD on this defense?
It is our “weakest link” by FAR so far—albeit against a fairly unique, Leach-protege fast tempo “Air Raid” Offense.
But after relentlessly demonstrating their unending commitment to said offense in the first two quarters, I wanna see a firmer, more undeniable change in how we defend it than we got to start their first possession of the SECOND half.
Now, they got after the QB, got pressure in the backfield and shut them down 3 and out after that. Maybe we are about to begin some proper “adjustment” after all.
And now we are driving again.
Time to “hang half a hunnert on ‘em” now?
If so, can prob start to relax…
We are seeing ALL the early-season/first game little screw-ups now.
But we are repeatedly able to more than overcome them—usually immediately thereafter.
But we are repeatedly able to more than overcome them—usually immediately thereafter.
POINT AFTER TD 4:21
P.Durkin extra point is good.
14
52
TOUCHDOWN 4:14
A.Philo pass complete. Catch made by D.Clark for 10 yards. TOUCHDOWN.
8
PLAYS
84
YDS
4:47
POS
14
51
P.Durkin extra point is good.
14
52
TOUCHDOWN 4:14
A.Philo pass complete. Catch made by D.Clark for 10 yards. TOUCHDOWN.
8
PLAYS
84
YDS
4:47
POS
14
51
Sumrall will agree with you. This defense needs to tighten up over the next week to be ready for the road game at Auburn.
My one main concern here (aside from the first half defensive difficulties) is the injury to Singleton:
That WR room is strong and deep, but Eric Singleton is the fastest kid on the team—and MAY just be the most dangerous receiver on a TEAM FULL OF DANGEROUS WRs.
JUST the THREAT of his kind of speed opens things up for everyone else. Eventually, that reality will make the difference in the outcome of a game.
That WR room is strong and deep, but Eric Singleton is the fastest kid on the team—and MAY just be the most dangerous receiver on a TEAM FULL OF DANGEROUS WRs.
JUST the THREAT of his kind of speed opens things up for everyone else. Eventually, that reality will make the difference in the outcome of a game.
And they are driving again.
I’m no longer in the least concern about winning, or the general talent on this team and how they are coached.
But we have yet to take consistent control on Defense.
They just scored on us again; the secondary looked unprepared AGAIN—when EVERYONE IN THE STADIUM AND AT HOME knew the big throw to the endzone was on the way. That DB just never appeared to get properly set, nor did he react well to the receiver’s route.
The best defense we have against this FAU team is our offense.
Time to pull off a long, relentlessly slow-driving March to another score—if we can do so WITHOUT any long bombs.
Even the passes need to be of the “really like a run” style of offensive play calling.
I’m no longer in the least concern about winning, or the general talent on this team and how they are coached.
But we have yet to take consistent control on Defense.
They just scored on us again; the secondary looked unprepared AGAIN—when EVERYONE IN THE STADIUM AND AT HOME knew the big throw to the endzone was on the way. That DB just never appeared to get properly set, nor did he react well to the receiver’s route.
The best defense we have against this FAU team is our offense.
Time to pull off a long, relentlessly slow-driving March to another score—if we can do so WITHOUT any long bombs.
Even the passes need to be of the “really like a run” style of offensive play calling.
PAT GOOD
KICKOFF
(12:24 - 4th) P.Durkin extra point is good.
+4 YD
2nd & Goal FAU 4
(12:26 - 4th) D.Clark rushed for 4 yards. TOUCHDOWN.
KICKOFF
(12:24 - 4th) P.Durkin extra point is good.
+4 YD
2nd & Goal FAU 4
(12:26 - 4th) D.Clark rushed for 4 yards. TOUCHDOWN.
Anyway, I spoke too soon:
After shutting them down to a 3-and-OUT on their FIRST possession of the 2nd half, after we scored and gave it back to them they matched quickly down the field one MORE time—culminating in that total breakdown in the secondary giving them the TD.
We can say all we want about the “unique threat” this particular offense presents, and how they will quite possibly again be the highest-flying passing offense in the nation again, but the fact is that they are showing everyone EKSE how to score in what appears to be an eminently VULNERABLE Gator secondary and its pass defense.
But now we are resting Baugh and Duke Clark is taking over, steadily driving the field in his stead. Burning time doing it, too. We are about to score AGAIN: There it is!
Duke Clark makes it 59-21, with 12 minutes left in the game.
After shutting them down to a 3-and-OUT on their FIRST possession of the 2nd half, after we scored and gave it back to them they matched quickly down the field one MORE time—culminating in that total breakdown in the secondary giving them the TD.
We can say all we want about the “unique threat” this particular offense presents, and how they will quite possibly again be the highest-flying passing offense in the nation again, but the fact is that they are showing everyone EKSE how to score in what appears to be an eminently VULNERABLE Gator secondary and its pass defense.
But now we are resting Baugh and Duke Clark is taking over, steadily driving the field in his stead. Burning time doing it, too. We are about to score AGAIN: There it is!
Duke Clark makes it 59-21, with 12 minutes left in the game.
Sigh.
I am not unhappy, not with this potent offense…but the Defense has NOT answered the many pending questions here tonight.
That is where the improvement must come—and soon.
We will NEED a MUCH better effort and performance in two weeks at Jordan/Hare.
I am not unhappy, not with this potent offense…but the Defense has NOT answered the many pending questions here tonight.
That is where the improvement must come—and soon.
We will NEED a MUCH better effort and performance in two weeks at Jordan/Hare.
POINT AFTER TD 0:25
P.Durkin extra point is good.
21
66
TOUCHDOWN 0:25
T.Jones pass complete. Catch made by M.Jones for 6 yards. TOUCHDOWN.
11
PLAYS
84
YDS
6:14
POS
21
65
POINT AFTER TD 12:24
P.Durkin extra point is good.
21
59
TOUCHDOWN 12:20
D.Clark rushed for 4 yards. TOUCHDOWN.
8
PLAYS
60
YDS
3:51
POS
21
P.Durkin extra point is good.
21
66
TOUCHDOWN 0:25
T.Jones pass complete. Catch made by M.Jones for 6 yards. TOUCHDOWN.
11
PLAYS
84
YDS
6:14
POS
21
65
POINT AFTER TD 12:24
P.Durkin extra point is good.
21
59
TOUCHDOWN 12:20
D.Clark rushed for 4 yards. TOUCHDOWN.
8
PLAYS
60
YDS
3:51
POS
21
The Gators score the most in a season opener since 1988 (FCS Montana State), most points vs FBS since Ole Miss 2018.
I will return to a comment I made in the second half:
My main practical summation re the D:
“As things stand overall, we have now shown everyone how to answer and control what may well otherwise be a very potent Gator offense.”
Now, not everyone runs, or CAN even BEGIN to run, the kind of fast-tempo, “Air Raid” attack that FAU has by now well-adapted and made their own. But Auburn runs an aggressive up-tempo offense, one that with many of the same players BEAT the Napier-coached 2025 Gators when Golesh was still with South Florida, and while nowhere near a pure “Air Raid” like the Owls, could easily and naturally apply aspects of what worked against our D for them yesterday when we go to Jordan-Hare in two weeks.
I expect adjustment and across-the-board improvement, but although there appeared to be a decision by White and the defensive braintrust to some extent “stay vanilla and continue to absorb their ‘dink and dunk’ while we pull away”, it was still frustrating and disappointing how LITTLE “adjustment” appeared to really be made on defense between the first and second halves!
There were stretches of play where the squads definitely tightened up: both the secondary AND the D-line had moments in the 2nd half where they stepped up, made plays, turned them away:
This “most explosive passing offense” had NO long pass plays THE WHOLE GAME.
We got a couple of crucial turnovers and “woulda/shoulda/COULDA” had more. But purposeful or not, we DEFINITELY looked soft on both edges, missed coverages and tackles in the secondary throughout the day, and our D-line for the most part did NOT get adequate pressure.
This will BITE US BIGTIME against the SEC upper division teams we face later on unless we improve in every way—in our strength, toughness, stamina and general PLAY.
