Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall seems to be finding his footing in the SEC. Not only did he and his team leave Auburn with a 44-39 win Saturday night, but he had some fun at the Tigers fans' expense. Speaking about the environment he expects when his Gators host the No. 4 ranked Ole Miss Rebels in his first home SEC game, Sumrall compared the crowd at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville to that at Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Opening game, our FAU game, the crowd I felt was livelier than what we played in Saturday night,” Sumrall said on the "Brandon Walker College Football Show." "So, I can only imagine what that’s gonna feel like when you bring a top-five team into this place. Ole Miss is a really good football team. I have a lot of confidence our fanbase is going to have a lot of impact on the game.” FAU, a school that's not in a power conference, traditionally draws less excitement from home crowds in the SEC, while conference matchups often exude an energy rarely felt in most of college football.
So for Sumrall to say his team's stadium against a lower-tier opponent was "livelier" than Auburn's SEC home opener is quite a statement to make, especially given thin margin by which his team won and the home team lost. But his statement is sure to fire up the Gators fans who will fill the Swamp on Saturday for a momentous matchup in which the Gators are actually predicted to win. Auburn fans, meanwhile, will and should take umbrage at that comment.
They'll have a chance to redeem themselves on Saturday when they host the Vanderbilt Commodores. Perhaps given the extra motivation from Sumrall, the Tigers faithful will show a bit more energy against their next SEC opponent.
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