Pablo EscoBarner’s Fearless Forecast: Pump the damn sunshine in Florida
October 4, 2019
Pablo Escobarner
(Todd van Emst/Auburn Atheltics)
Auburn (with the momentum of a freight train) looks to invade The Swamp and take down Florida. There’s a lot to be learned from this premier matchup of top ten teams and many questions seemingly still unanswered per the media ilk. Is Auburn really THIS good? Can Bo Nix handle a road environment like playing at Florida? Just how good is Auburn’s defense? Is Florida’s defense being overlooked? Well, I’m glad you asked.
Yes, Auburn is THIS good. Yes, Bo Nix can handle this environment. Auburn’s defense is incredible and will prove that (again) this weekend. And yes, Florida’s defense is being somewhat overlooked. But in some ways I think their defensive statistics are skewed.
I’m telling y’all, Bo Nix has it. Whatever “it” is or whatever you’d like to associate it with. He has it. I truly believe no moment is too big for him. There is no environment that will be too much for him. It’s almost unbelievable how composed he is throughout the course of a game. He never gets shook, the game comes to him naturally, and he’s progressively gotten more comfortable week after week. The kid is for real. This doesn’t mean he is immune to making mistakes, because that’s always on the table no matter the talent level or how composed a QB plays. But any of Bo’s potential mistakes won’t be because of Florida being in his head. Bo’s father, Patrick Nix – 🚨 WHO ALSO PLAYED FOR AUBURN 🚨 – led his team to victory over Florida in The Swamp so it’s in the bloodline.
History, for whatever you consider that to be worth, is also on our side. And Gus typically performs well in big games when coaching his better teams.
Keys To The Game
Weeks ago I couldn’t wait for Auburn to face Feleipe Franks. We would have ate his ass up. Instead, due to an injury, we’ll face an inexperienced backup in Kyle Trask. His passing skills look much more refined than Franks. His arm talent is undeniable.
But if you want to talk about inexperience and tough situations regarding Bo Nix then don’t leave out Trask. He’s having to face an Auburn front seven that will look to cause nightmares. Trask is even more inexperienced than Nix, even going back to high school days. He can sling it and I expect him to make some dime throws, particularly when catching Auburn DBs in man coverage. But good luck, young fella. Because Brown, Davidson, Britt, and co. will be after your ass.
Until something drastic changes, Auburn will (as always) need to establish the run early. Expect Bo to keep some zone reads and run the ball early to relieve some pressure. Florida is one of the most aggressive defenses in the country. They want sacks and they want turnovers. They’ll sell themselves out defensively to make that happen. Florida leads the SEC in sacks and interceptions.
You know what beats aggressive defenses? Smart play-calling and speed. If you aren’t aware by now, Auburn has the fastest man in college football. Anthony “Flash” Schwartz is that man. There will be several opportunities for big plays for guys in space and even look for Schwartz to be used as a decoy to open some other things up.
Florida has played some really shitty teams this year. They have two shutouts which came against FCS teams. When you’ve played five games and two of them are FCS schools and the other three are also pretty shitty teams, your defensive statistics are going to look really good. Florida has a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball but at this moment, they are still very much unproven against any form of a respectable offense. They may destroy Auburn’s offensive line, or sack Nix multiple times, or force multiple turnovers, or or or… but I haven’t seen it against a good team yet so pump the brakes. We’ll learn a lot after this game.
Prediction: Auburn 27 – Florida 17
I expect Auburn will start a little slow on the offensive side of the ball. Florida is notoriously one of the toughest stadium environments to play in across the country. It comes with the territory. But once Auburn settles in, it will control the entire game. Because no matter how slow this offense starts you can’t get beat unless you’re giving up points.
Great defense travels. Look for Auburn to get to Trask early. We’ll give up some big plays but when it’s all said and done Auburn prevails in the marquee matchup of the weekend and heads into a bye week undefeated. After week six I SAID UNDEFEATED. 😤 PUMP THE DAMN SUNSHINE!
I’ll be raising hell from behind enemy lines. War Damn Eagle from yours truly,
Pablo Escobarner
