Florida football: 5 Gators to watch Saturday vs. Auburn

It has the potential to be a great matchup in The Swamp Saturday as No. 10 Florida football will host No. 7 Auburn for the first time since 2006.

There are all the makings of a good old fashion donnybrook Saturday when Florida football hosts Auburn in a top-10 showdown.

You have an unbeaten Auburn team that is one of the few remaining that actually chooses to run the football as opposed to passing.

Then, you have No. 10 Florida football.

The Gators have started the season 5-0 and there’s a ton of excitement in Gator Nation as we can feel competing with Georgia for the SEC East within our grasp.

But, we have to get through this gauntlet of top-10 opponents in the October of Death. That starts with the Tigers.

The Gators should be closer to full strength this week and that leads us to the five Gators to watch Saturday:

Jabari Zuniga

The stalwart of the Florida football defense, Jabari Zuniga is back after missing the last two games with an injury.

He should be anxious for Saturday as the Florida defense will get to face a team that actually likes to run the football. Defensive linemen love that because it gives them tackles.

Zuniga will also be welcome as the Gators hope to put a lot of pressure on freshman quarterback Bo Nix. I suspect various blitz packages and corner rushes will be part of Todd Grantham’s game plan.

But, it all hinges on Zuniga. He is the leader of this defense. As he goes, the defense goes, so it should be good to have him back in the lineup.

C.J. Henderson

Another member of the defense expected to return to the lineup is cornerback C.J. Henderson.

Henderson has been out for three games nursing an injury.

He will be one to watch as the Gators will attempt to nullify the Auburn running game, forcing the pass. That is where Henderson, the corners and linebackers will come into play.

Nix has a good arm and the potential to hit many different targets — four receivers have scored this year and five have more than 100 yards receiving.

In the two games he’s played, Henderson has two pass breakups (second on the team), but his quickness will be necessary to close out Auburn’s receivers, namely Eli Stove and Seth Williams.

Dameon Pierce

Okay, let’s just cut to the chase, the Florida football running game isn’t very good right now.

Whether it’s the offensive line’s inability to get a push off the ball or Lamical Perine not able to find the holes, the running game just isn’t good — just 707 yards total in five games.

But, against Towson, there were flashes of potential in sophomore Dameon Pierce.

He has the best yards-per-carry ratio of any Gator with 10 or more touches (5.9) which is 2.3 more yards per carry than Perine.

Now, I’m not going negative on Perine. He’s still a quality running back, but he just hasn’t found his groove yet.

Against Auburn’s run defense, Florida football is going to find it difficult to find gaps to move the football on the ground.

But, that shouldn’t stop Dan Mullen and John Hevesy from going to the run game as a way to establish Kyle Trask and the passing attack.

Perhaps a back like Pierce could make that happen.

Kyle Pitts

Florida tight end Kyle Pitts has the potential for a monster game on the receiving end.

A 6-foot-6, Pitts towers over just about everyone in the Auburn secondary. The only player listed close is outside linebacker Nick Coe (6-5).

Otherwise, you have two cornerbacks standing under 6-feet, two linebackers no taller than 6-2, a star at 5-11 and two safeties no taller than 6-foot.

Getting the picture?

Pitts has shown he has the hands with 17 catches for 189 yards and three touchdowns — second-leading receiver on the team behind Van Jefferson.

So, why not go after the mismatch and utilize Pitts on short passes and in the red zone?

As I said, could be a big game for Pitts Saturday.

Florida offensive play-calling

I know it’s not a player, per se, but I think this is something to really watch.

There is a slight concern with how Florida’s defense will match up with Auburn’s defense, but I think the larger question is how the Florida football offense will match with Auburn’s defense.

As I mentioned, our running game is suspect at best, meaning we may have to rely on the passing game. That’s not at all a bad thing, so long as we aren’t taking unnecessary risks (see Kentucky game) with throwing the ball downfield.

Both Kyle Trask and Emory Jones have struggled with the deep ball, so let’s just put those pages of the playbook away for now.

Let’s focus on what’s working. Short passes on out routes and yardage after the catch.

Now, if I know that, you can bet Auburn does too. But, Florida has advantages in that our receivers are faster, taller and more athletic than Auburn’s secondary.

I think, after failing to establish the run on the first three plays from scrimmage, the Gators should really look to exploit mismatches in the Auburn secondary.

No. 10 Florida will host No. 7 Auburn at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.