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ATLANTA (AP) -- Florida is back on top in the Southeastern
Conference.
The Gators (No. 8 ESPN/USA Today, No. 7 AP) pummeled Auburn (No. 17 ESPN/USA Today, No. 18 AP) for the second time in seven
weeks, with Rex Grossman throwing four touchdown passes for a 28-6
victory Saturday in the SEC championship game.
|  | | Brian Haugabrook's 12-yard TD catch in the third quarter capped the scoring for Florida. |
Ernest Graham gave Florida (10-2) a lethal ground-air attack,
rushing for a career-high 169 yards, and the Gators' ball-hungry
defense came up with three critical turnovers in the first half.
Florida won its sixth conference title in 10 years but the first
since 1996, when the Gators also claimed the national championship.
"It's nice to get carried off the field again," coach Steve
Spurrier said.
No. 18 Auburn (9-3) had a successful year just by winning the
SEC West after two straight losing seasons. The Tigers were denied
their first conference championship since 1989.
"They're an excellent football team," coach Tommy Tuberville
said. "They whipped us pretty good again."
Florida, which earned a spot in the Sugar Bowl, didn't quite
match the efficiency of its 38-7 victory over Auburn on Oct. 14.
That day, the Gators reached the end zone on their first five
possessions to quickly turn the game into a laugher.
But Auburn never seriously threatened in the rematch, dooming
itself with two fumbles and an interception before halftime. The
Tigers will settle for a spot in the Citrus Bowl, their first New
Year's Day appearance since 1995.
Grossman, selected the most valuable player, was 17-of-26 for
238 yards with one interception. He has shared playing time with
senior Jesse Palmer much of the season. But coach Steve Spurrier
followed through with his plan to start the redshirt freshman and
stick with him; Palmer was on the field for only two plays.
"You can stay in there a long time if you play well and do what
you're supposed to do," Spurrier said. "Rex is an excellent
passer. Hopefully, he will get a lot more knowledgeable. ... If he
gets it all down, he has a chance to be pretty good some day."
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Sat, December 2
This game was over early on when Auburn had problems turning the ball over. They didn't just give Florida an advantage, they stopped themselves on potential scoring drives. That set the tone for the game.
Also, falling behind by so much, so early harkened both teams back to their first game. Emotionally, it made Auburn feel "here we go again," and it made Florida feel this was the same team they whipped before. Their confidence grew and Auburn's waned. And there was no dramatic moment after that that changed anything for the Tigers.
Getting behind like that also took Rudi Johnson out of the game. They really needed for him to touch the ball 25 to 30 times. Falling behind by 21 points at halftime took that away from them. But give John Hoke and the Gator defense credit for doing a nice job making it hard for Johnson to get yards early. You saw Auburn forced to abandon running Johnson to the inside and resort to things like screen passes to get him the ball.
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Grossman compared Auburn's defense to the Florida scout team
after the first meeting. While that provided plenty of
bulletin-board fodder for the Tigers, it had no impact on the
rematch.
"Once we get in a groove, things seem to click," Grossman
said.
Auburn fumbled on its first possession and Florida capitalized.
On third-and-goal from the 10, Grossman threaded a touchdown pass
to Reche Caldwell through a crowd of defenders.
Caldwell scored again before the first quarter ended, this time
on a spectacular 66-yard catch and run. He delivered a brutal
straight-arm to one would-be tackler and outraced the rest of the
Auburn defense down the right sideline.
The Gators made it 21-0 when Grossman hooked up with another
receiver, Jabar Gaffney, for a 27-tard touchdown pass. The young
quarterback delivered a perfectly placed pass over the head of
safety Rob Pate, who was running just behind Gaffney but never
looked back to pick up the ball.
Auburn finally got on the board when Damon Duval kicked a
44-yard field goal on the final play of the first half. But that
wasn't enough to make up for all of the Tigers' mistakes.
With first down at the Florida 22, Auburn squandered a chance to
get back in the game when Ben Leard's errant pass was intercepted
by Lito Sheppard at the 7.
The Tigers drove deep into Florida territory on their next
possession, converting fourth-and-5 at the 29 on Leard's 15-yard
pass to Lorenzo Diamond.
On the very next play, Rudi Johnson was hit by Travis Carroll
and lost the ball, which rolled all the way to the 3 before Mike
Nattiel fell on it for the Gators. It was his second fumble
recovery of the game.
Not surprisingly, Florida led the nation by causing 40 turnovers
this season.
After Duval kicked another field goal from 21 yards in the third
quarter, Grossman sealed the victory with a 12-yard touchdown pass
to Brian Haugabrook.
About the only thing upsetting to the Florida contingent at the
Georgia Dome was when the referee mistakenly said, "Timeout,
Georgia" instead of the Gators. Georgia was favored to win the SEC
East but fell from contention with a 34-23 loss to Florida on Oct.
28.
Florida shut down Johnson, who came in as the SEC's leading
rusher with 1,520 yards. The junior managed just 47 yards on 17
carries, only the second time this season he was held under 100
yards.
Leard completed 17-of-30 for 158 yards before he was knocked out
of the game with about four minutes remaining in the third quarter,
the victim of a sprained right foot.
"Our offense hurt our defense today," Leard said. "We put
them in very difficult situations. It's tough to get this far and
come out with a loss."
Jeff Klein finished up at quarterback, but nothing much changed.
Sheppard came up with his second interception late in the game.
The game had no impact on the national championship race.
Florida was eliminated with a 30-7 loss to No. 3 Florida State two
weeks ago.
But the Gators, who won four straight SEC titles from 1993-96,
looked primed to start another run. Grossman and Gaffney are
redshirt freshmen; Graham, Caldwell and Sheppard are only
sophomores.
"We don't have many seniors," Spurrier said. "Most of the
guys doing the important part of the ball-playing are young guys.
That gives us a chance."
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ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Auburn Clubhouse
Florida Clubhouse
Young Gators play big role in securing SEC Championship
Auburn misses many opportunities in SEC title game
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Under pressure, Rex Grossman is able to find Brian Haugabrook in the endzone.
avi: 1250 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
The Gators defense forces a costly turnover on the first play of the game.
avi: 1920 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Rex Grossman makes Auburn pay, connecting with Reche Caldwell for the TD.
avi: 1060 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Once again it's Rex Grossman to Reche Caldwell for a 66-yard Florida score.
avi: 2210 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Auburn's scoring drive is halted by running back Rudi Johnson's fumble.
avi: 2100 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Auburn's Heath Evans makes a valiant effort to spark the Tigers offense.
avi: 1980 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Coach Steve Spurrier is proud to see this year's team capture the SEC crown.
wav: 206 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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