It was the first top-10 showdown in The Swamp since 2012 and a matchup of two unbeaten SEC teams.
The Tigers entered the game off a big win over Mississippi State at home while the Gators were coming off their own victory on their home field last week. The two teams carried that momentum into this matchup, but again the home team would prevail.
Florida gutted out a 24-13 win, thanks in part to a big run from La’Mical Perine. His 88-yard rushing score was the longest by a Gator since Emmitt Smith took it to the house in 1988 on a 96-yard rush.
.@LP_deucedeuce TO THE 🏡#GoGators 🐊 #RelentlessEffort pic.twitter.com/nJt7BcDzQx
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) October 5, 2019
It wasn't pretty, at times it was even scary, but the Gators remain undefeated after handing the Tigers their first loss of the season.
Three takeaways from No. 10 Florida's home win over No. 7 Auburn
You get a turnover, you get a turnover
You get a turnover! You get a turnover! No, really, there were a lot of turnovers. In total, Auburn and Florida combined for eight turnovers — and all but three were converted into points. Well, when you consider two consecutive turnovers for each team, really, only one wasn't converted into points.
All in all, it was a messy game in The Swamp but Florida still managed to take advantage while still being a little sloppy itself.
A bulk of the Gators' points were scored on turnovers or downs en route to their sixth consecutive win, which is a bigger win for their defense.
Where was Bo Nix?
Yes, Nix was there but he wasn't the same quarterback we've been accustomed to seeing.
The freshman has impressed through his first handful of games under center for the Tigers. He just went 16 of 21 for 335 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions against the Bulldogs last week. However, the same Nix didn't show up this weekend.
He finished 11-of-27 passing for 145 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Nix, who has been a reliable runner for the Tigers as well, recorded just 18 yards on the ground while keeping Auburn well below their scoring average of 38 points.
The Gators avoided a pretty big scare
The injury bug almost struck Florida twice on Saturday.
The Gators certainly haven't been immune to it after losing starting quarterback Feleipe Franks to a dislocated ankle on Sept. 14.
After running back Dameon Pierce exited the game in the first quarter after a helmet-to-helmet hit, backup-turned-starter Kyle Trask also left the game with a knee injury. The Gators collectively held their breath as the quarterback was evaluated, which didn't take long, because Trask almost immediately came back out to the field and was seen throwing the ball and running up and down the sideline.
He took a snap before halftime and then after the break engineered two touchdown drives and also set up a field goal to help push Florida ahead for good.
Trask finished 19-of-31 passing for 234 yards two touchdowns and no interceptions.