No. 7 Gators take another step after win over No. 12 Auburn

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- After beating both Towson and Auburn, the Gators are preparing for a trip to Death Valley to see if they can extend their Tigers winning streak to three, when they match up against LSU.

Florida took on its first ranked opponent of the season on Saturday and won. Now UF will face two top five teams in the next three weeks.

“I think this win will definitely wake everybody up that this is a real team, you know, not to be doubted,” said quarterback Kyle Trask.

Coming off a big win against Auburn is a huge confidence builder for the Gators, who have been seen as an underdog this season. Despite their undefeated record, they’ve continued to drop in the AP poll.

“We’ve been getting bumped up, bumped down every other week,” said running back Lamical Perine. “We were at 8 at one point, now we go to 10, so this should be an eye-awakening for a lot of people in the country, and I hope they put us up a little bit.”

Perine’s wish came true, as Florida jumped up to No. 7 in the polls on Sunday.

Florida dominated the game on nearly every front against then No. 7 Auburn, and this will help build trust on both sides of the ball pushing through the toughest part of the schedule.

The Gators had 129 more total yards than the Tigers and were able to hold them to only 145 passing yards - that is a huge accomplishment against an Auburn offense, who recorded 361 passing yards against Mississippi State last week.

Dan Mullen's team will have to keep that same energy heading into LSU week, taking on a team that has thrown for over 2,000 yards on the season.

“We gotta take steps each week, so this was just another step for us and I think it was something to build off for for next week, so we gotta continue preparing,” said defensive back Donovan Stiner, who caught a crucial pick against Auburn. “We know what it takes now so we gotta continue preparing like we have and just get better as a defense as we go.”

Next week will be a little different.

The Gators will not be up against a freshman quarterback, and they will not have home field advantage.

Todd Grantham's defense will face a veteran quarterback in Joe Burrow, a senior quarterback who is ranked third in passing touchdowns in the FBS, only trailing Tua Tagovailoa by six touchdowns.

They are also play in Death Valley at night, so you can bet that stadium will be rocking just as much as the Swamp was against Auburn.

LSU will have to rely on its offense going into this game, as they’re ranked 49th in scoring defense in the FBS. That means Florida has a real chance to win this weekend, but only if the defense stays on point. Florida recorded three interceptions and two sacks against Auburn, so they have the potential to be tough on that LSU offense.

“I just feel like we’re working so hard, that we’re just earning our respect and coming for everything we deserve,” said Shawn Davis, who picked up 41 yards on one of those interceptions in the win over Auburn.

Florida’s performance against the Tigers was a tremendous first step. But now, the group will need to kick it up a notch and stay disciplined if they want a shot at real success this year. After LSU next weekend, the Gators will hit the road again to play South Carolina. After that, they have three SEC opponents in a row, including Georgia. They’ll round out the season at home against in-state rival Florida State.

“I know what the Gator standard is, and I know what the expectations are. My expectations are higher than everybody in Gator Nation,” said Dan Mullen. “You know what winning a big-time game like this mean? You have to show up tomorrow and get ready to win an even bigger one tomorrow. That’s what life is like in the SEC.”

A win next weekend could propel Florida into the top 5, making for a close matchup on Nov. 2, when the Gators take on the Georgia Bulldogs, arguably the toughest game on their schedule.

“The challenge is we got a lot of tough games back to back,” said Davis. “We just have to prepare and work hard in practice. We got to get better and take steps every time in practice. So, every week we just can't stay on the same stuff. We got to keep going up the steps just to win.”