(10) FLORIDA 38 (19) AUBURN 7

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - The quarterback position looked wonderful again at Florida, thanks to a cool-handed freshman and a group of high-flying receivers that had everyone, even Steve Spurrier, shaking their heads in wonder.

Rex Grossman threw five touchdown passes as the No. 10 Gators scored on their first five drives in a 38-7 victory over No. 19 Auburn on Saturday.

Freshman Jabar Gaffney caught three touchdowns, including a leaping grab in the back of the end zone that left Spurrier in shock, as the Gators (6-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) looked every bit as good as they did when they were winning titles. So good, in fact, that Grossman is still wondering when the hard part starts.

"I think our scout team stops us at least once every five times," he said.

The Tigers (5-2, 3-2) lost their second straight, a humbling performance in a game they were hoping would prove they were back at the top of the SEC.

Grossman put on a show that conjured images of Danny Wonderful -- um, make that Wuerffel -- the 1996 Heisman Trophy winner who no Florida quarterback has come close to matching since he left. Until now?

"I can't remember the last time we had our quarterbacks doing those things," Spurrier said. "Rex is a playmaker. He'll surprise you when the ballgame starts."

It was a display of both precision and patience for the redshirt freshman. Making just his second career start, Grossman looked like he had drawn up the playbook -- and in some cases, maybe he had.

No play told it better than the 10-yard touchdown pass to Gaffney that gave the Gators a 28-7 lead early in the second quarter. Waiting calmly in the pocket, Grossman appeared to have forced an uncatchable ball high into double coverage as Gaffney streaked across the back of the end zone. But Gaffney leaped high over the Auburn defenders to make the grab falling out of bounds, leaving Spurrier to simply shake his head in disbelief.

There were other nice passes: An on-target slant for an 8-yard connection with Reche Caldwell for one of his two touchdowns; and a perfectly timed 50-yard scoring strike to Gaffney, who was matched, inexplicably, in single coverage on the outside.

"Coach told me to run and Rex threw the ball," Gaffney said. "That's a pretty good combination."

Gaffney's final touchdown was his 10th of the season, setting both the SEC and Florida records for freshmen.

With four games left, the son of former Gators receiver Derrick Gaffney stands just eight touchdowns away from Reidel Anthony's overall record for receiving touchdowns in a season. And remember, Gaffney was only a bit player through the first four games of the season.

"Florida has a good team, an explosive team," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. "We found that out awfully early today." 


                   1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH  FINAL
                   --- --- --- ---  -----
Auburn              0   7   0   0     7
Florida            14  21   0   3    38

First Quarter
     Fla-Caldwell 8 pass from Grossman (Chandler kick), 11:43.
     Fla-Caldwell 2 pass from Grossman (Chandler kick), 6:15.
Second Quarter
     Aub-Green 13 pass from Leard (Duval kick), 14:45.
     Fla-Gaffney 18 pass from Grossman (Chandler kick), 13:37.
     Fla-Gaffney 10 pass from Grossman (Chandler kick), 8:54.
     Fla-Gaffney 50 pass from Grossman (Chandler kick), 6:23.
Fourth Quarter
     Fla-FG Chandler 31, 8:34

                     Aub      Fla
                     ---      ---
First downs           19       16
Rushes-yards      32-119   29-116
Passing              203      243
Comp-Att-Int     20-34-1  16-26-0
Return Yards         143      106
Punts-Avg.          5-42     5-38
Fumbles-Lost         4-2      2-0
Penalties-Yards    12-88     9-64
Time of Possession 34:15    25:45

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-Auburn, Johnson 22-133, Evans 1-7, Moore 2-2, Carter 1-2,
Green 1-(minus 2), Cobb 1-(minus 5), Leard 4-(minus 18). Florida,
Gillespie 12-82, Graham 9-25, Carroll 2-7, Grossman 2-3, Marks
1-0, Carthon 2-0.
PASSING-Auburn, Leard 19-30-1-164, Cobb 0-2-0-0, Carter 1-1-0-39.
Florida Grossman 14-23-0-232, Berlin 2-3-0-11.
RECEIVING-Auburn, Daniels 6-64, Green 5-39, Moore 2-19, Worthy
2-16, Ro. Johnson 2-14, Willis 1-39, Carter 1-6, Diamond 1-6.
Florida, Caldwell 5-66, Gaffney 4-101, Haugabrook 2-39, Willis
1-14, Jacobs 1-9, Wells 1-8, Walker 1-3, Jackson 1-3.

A-85,710







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