The big news for Florida will be the health of RB DeShawn Wynn. The Senior, who averages 5.5 yards per carry, should be healthy enough to play in tomorrow's game. He'll be asked to pound the ball against an Auburn defense that was dominated on the ground last week by Arkansas.

Few teams in the country can match the skill of UF's wide receivers. Dallas Baker is living up to the hype, while Andre Caldwell, Jemalle Cornelius, and Percy Harvin are hard to stop. The Gators use trickery offensively by showing a variety of formations. As Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville mentioned, sometimes UF will line up with two tight ends. The next play there will be five wide receivers. You just never know what to defend against.

The good news is that Tuberville likes the match up defensively for Auburn. Florida and Auburn are both speed teams, and Tuberville thinks UF's style of offense will play into the Tigers' hands. Last week against Arkansas, Auburn overran assignments and missed plays. The defense, led by linebacker Will Herring, must be more disciplined this week, and the unit must put pressure on the quarterbacks.

The AU defensive line has three guys, Quentin Groves, Marquies Gunn, and Sen'Derrick Marks, with three sacks or more. But can these guys provide enough of a push against an overachieving UF offensive line to stop the running game. While AU's defensive backfield will have its hands full against a UF offense that throws for 257.8 yards per game, the game will be decided on the ground. Tuberville is geared up to stop Chris Leak, but it might be the tandem of Wynn and running back Kestahn Moore he should be more concerned about.

AU OFFENSE VS. UF DEFENSE

This is one underachieving unit against a dangerous, smoking-hot unit. Auburn's offense has not hit its stride yet this season, largely due to the play of quarterback Brandon Cox. Cox has been sacked 18 times this year, but he feels healthy for the first time since the LSU game. Keeping him protected against the Gators defensive line will be a key to the game.

Auburn running back Kenny Irons, a Heisman Trophy candidate heading into the season, is still the heart and soul of the Tigers offense. If Auburn is to upset the Gators, Irons must have a big game. The Gators defense allows just 56.8 yards rushing per game. They have dominated SEC running backs, but Irons might be the best one they face all year. Clearly, Irons is the most important player for Auburn tomorrow.

In the passing game, the player to watch is WR Courtney Taylor. Auburn's stud pass catcher is the leader among active SEC receivers with 124 catches. UF's Dallas Baker is second with 122. But while UF's offense relies a lot on the big play, Auburn hasn't always been able to count on that. Keep an eye on wide receiver Rodgeriqus Smith, who has 12 catches this year. Six of those were for 20 yards or more.

Florida's defense is fast, physical, and opportunistic. The unit suffocates the run. Defensive ends Jarvis Moss and Ray McDonald will cause problems for Auburn's inexperienced tackles, and now that DT Marcus Thomas is back, the Gators will be even harder to stop.

The best unit defensively is probably the secondary, simply because they create so many turnovers. Cornerback Ryan Smith and safety Reggie Nelson each have four interceptions in six games. UF likes to force teams into passing situations, then come up with the big turnover. The Tigers must avoid long third down situations.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Auburn holds a serious edge in this department. If the game is close, special teams could very well be the deciding factor. The return game is good, the punting game is terrific, many kickoffs result in touchbacks, and PK John Vaughn is 9-11 this year, and he is 2-2 on kicks over 50 yards.

The Gators have gotten good production from punter Eric Wilbur, but kicker Chris Hetland has yet to make a field goal this year. He has also missed two extra points. It's amazing that hasn't come back to haunt UF yet. This could be the game.

CONCLUSION

In order for the Tigers to win, they must avoid giving up the big play. The Gators can be a quick-strike offense, so AU must stay disciplined. Offensively, the Tigers need to run effectively and keep Cox comfortable.

For Florida, the key will be making Auburn one-dimensional by stopping the run. They have been great at this all year, but this week will be a challenge. Offensively, they don't need to do anything special. They have been successfull against tough defenses so far this season, so if the Gators play their game and don't turn it over, they should be just fine.

PREDICTION

Auburn 24
Florida 23

While I believe UF is a better team than Auburn, I also believe in home field advantage. If this game were in the Swamp, it would be an easy UF win. This could be the week that poor field goal kicking catches up to UF. It should be a great one.