Jon Sumrall Addresses Biggest Challenge For Florida Ahead of Auburn Game

The Florida Gators will be taking on the Auburn Tigers this weekend, giving them their first road game of the new season. 

Florida was able to grab wins against Florida Atlantic and Campbell in the first two weeks, starting the season 2-0. This marks the first time that the Gators have been 2-0 since 2021, kicking off the Jon Sumrall era in an impressive way.

But as the team gets ready for the upcoming game against Auburn, Sumrall knows that this won't be easy. As with any road game in college football, teams have to battle the crowd noise, among multiple aspects of the situation.

Home-field advantage in the SEC is an entirely different animal that Sumrall hasn't dealt with too much.

But the veteran head coach is ready for the opportunity in front of him, while understanding that it will be a challenge for his team.

"It's a challenge. You know, it's a hostile environment. They've had a great home field advantage there for a long time. It'll be loud on Saturday night. We have to handle that challenge. We'll work crowd noise in practice all week. I don't -- no matter how much you try to pipe it in, I don't know that it's ever really as authentic of a simulator. But yeah, it's a great venue. It's a historic place. They've had a lot of good football teams and it's a place that cares about football. 
And so it'll be, you know -- it's an SEC home field advantage that, you know, it's real," Sumrall said.

As the head coach of Tulane, Sumrall did play both Ole Miss and Oklahoma on the road. But his team lost both games.

This could give him some sense of what to expect against Auburn, but his team will need to be ready. Quarterback Aaron Philo hasn't made many starts in his college career, and this will be one of the bigger tests for him.

Philo has looked good to open the season, throwing for 517 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. Limiting turnovers will be the name of the game for Philo, and if he can do that, the Gators could come out with a win.

But this contest will show Florida just how good of a team they truly are, even with Auburn not being a top title contender. Getting a win on the road in the SEC is one of the toughest things for a team to do, and Sumrall is ready to keep his win streak to open the season alive.