Jon Sumrall seeks better defense from Gators in final tune-up before SEC play

GAINESVILLE — It's the least-anticipated game on the Gators' schedule, yet as important as any. Saturday's visit from FCS member Campbell is Florida's final tune-up before SEC play opens Sept. 19 at Auburn. Coach Jon Sumrall shared his concerns Monday despite a 45-point season-opening win two days earlier against Florida Atlantic. 'There's a ton of growth that needs to happen with our football team,' he said. Topping Sumrall's list is a pass defense that was too often left flat-footed, timid and struggling to communicate against the Owls' up-tempo attack. Campbell (2-0) is a 49.5-point underdog, but averages 521 yards and nearly 39 points behind dual-threat quarterback Kamden Sixkiller. After watching the Camels' 28-19 win Sunday against the No. 24 team in the FCS poll, Western Carolina, Sumrall told his staff to disregard the Campbell squad that finished 2-10 in 2025. 'I said, 'We shouldn't even watch any of last year's stuff. It's a waste of time,'' Sumrall said. 'They're a totally different football team.' The Gators looked like a totally different team themselves while routing FAU 66-21 at a sold-out Swamp. Coordinator Buster Faulkner's offense was efficient, explosive and opportunistic, needing just 67 plays to produce the most points in school history under a first-year coach in his home debut. Florida running back Jadan Baugh celebrates during his team's 45-point win against Florida Atlantic University on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) That came despite veteran receiver Eric Singleton suffering an ankle injury while blocking on Vernell Brown III's 49-yard touchdown catch to open the scoring. Singleton and defensive end Emmanuel Oyebadejo are 'highly questionable' for Saturday. Even without Singleton, the Gators' improvement on offense exceeded expectations. Penalties that stalled or short-circuited Billy Napier's teams absent in Week 1. A false-start flag on tackle Emeka Ugori, a sophomore Stanford transfer, was the night's only procedural snafu for Florida. Georgia Tech transfer center Harrison Moore did make five poor snaps by Sumrall's count. He said four of them were made in the same blocking scheme and will be fixable for a player who is a perfectionist. 'We'll get it cleaned up,' Sumrall said. 'Harrison will take a lot of pride in his craft and get that corrected.' One of Moore's squirrely snaps was during tailback Jadan Baugh's first appearance in the Wildcat formation in the second quarter. Florida had first-and-goal at the FAU 8, but wound up with a 20-yard loss on the play. After an incompletion, the Gators faced third-and-28, but Baugh ripped off a 25-yard run to set up a fourth-down touchdown by quarterback Aaron Philo from three yards out. Baugh's run was among the highlights on a night when he rushed for 160 yards on 14 carries and played just 25 snaps. 'He is a powerful, sudden, violent runner who can stick his foot in the ground,' Sumrall marveled Monday. Florida's coach recalled prior to the game thanking Baugh for returning for a third season, given Texas' pursuit of him to transfer to Austin. 'I said, 'Hey, thank you for staying here,'' Sumrall said. ''I'm very glad you're still a Florida Gator.'' Also paying Week 1 dividends was Philo's decision to join Faulkner after two seasons as a backup at Georgia Tech. Philo's scoring run was among four touchdowns he accounted for during his first start at Florida. He missed just five of 21 throws, and even his interception was not Philo's fault, according to his head coach. 'He just made good decisions for the most part,' Sumrall. 'Wasn't perfect, but I thought he played clean football and he operated at a high level.' Sumrall, though, wants to see better from his defense, beginning with the secondary. Florida's cornerbacks gave Owls' veteran quarterback Caden Veltkamp too much respect and his receivers considerable cushion. 'I don't think we managed the tempo well at times,' Sumrall said. 'We did limit the explosive plays. We only had two by how we count them. But some of that limiting explosive plays was because we were playing a little too cautious and a little too passive in regards to not getting sticky enough at times.' Despite Campbell's improvement, the Camels will serve as a final dress rehearsal ahead of SEC play while receiving a $525,000 game guarantee. The Gators aim to get their money's worth. 'The best improvements are from Week 1 to Week 2,' receiver Bailey Stockton said. 'I think we're gonna do that this Saturday, for sure.' Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com Up next Campbell (2-0) at UF (1-0) When: 5:30 p.m., Saturday Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville TV: SEC Network+ Favorite: UF by 49.5 points