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The Gators chomp down on FAU as Florida kicks off the Jon Sumrall era with a 66-21 romp in ‘The Swamp’ GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WWSB) - It was the dawning of a new era on Saturday night in Gainesville, as Jon Sumrall had his first official game as the head coach of the Florida Gators against Florida Atlantic. Sumrall was familiar with the Owls from his time coaching Tulane Football. There was plenty of orange and blue in the house at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, as fans were clamoring to welcome back their beloved Gators. Fans were also hopeful that the new regime would be just what the team needed to get back on track after a subpar 4-8 season one year ago. After intercepting the Owls on the first possession of the game, Florida drove the length of the field and finished with an Aaron Philo 49-yard strike to Vernell Brown III for a touchdown, giving the team the 7-0 edge. The next Florida possession, Philo was looking left, then changed direction to find an open Bailey Stockton from 12 yards out for another score. The pair were teammates at Georgia Tech last season. It was a 14-0 Florida lead with 6:28 left in the first quarter. In the second quarter, with the Gators up 17-7, Philo decided to take it himself from three yards out, ballooning the lead to 24-7. The Gators held a 24-point advantage over the Owls at the break, and would go on to rout FAU 66-21. In the victory, junior running back Jadan Baugh rushed for 160 yards and three scores. Philo threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. In the days leading up to the game, Sumrall mentioned wanting to have Gator Nation show up in full force on Saturday. Over 90,000 were in attendance to witness the first win in the Sumrall era. The Gators are next at home on September 12th when they take on Campbell at 5:30 p.m. Copyright 2026 WWSB. All rights reserved.