Auburn Boots Florida From the Top Spot

Rex Grossman and No. 1 Florida are mortal, after all. Auburn is better than anybody thought.

Damon Duval kicked a 44-yard field goal with 10 seconds left and the Tigers intercepted four of Rex Grossman’s passes to shock No. 1 Florida, 23-20, Saturday night.

“Twenty-one point underdogs!” Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville exclaimed. “How about that?”

The Tigers (5-1, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) entered the game given little chance to beat a Florida team that looked invincible in winning its first five games by an average of 40 points

Auburn fans celebrated the improbable win by storming the field and wrestling down the goal posts in front of the student section, while Florida players headed to the locker room with their national championship hopes in serious doubt.

“They looked like the best team out there,” said Gator Coach Steve Spurrier, adding that his team might have bought into its own hype. “They kicked our butts.”

They also stymied the nation’s top offense, holding Florida to minus-36 yards rushing and pressuring Grossman, a Heisman Trophy favorite. Once again, though, it came down to Duval.

He responded with his third consecutive game-winning field goal despite a brisk wind, following a 48-yarder with 18 seconds left to beat Mississippi State and a 49-yarder in the final minutes against Vanderbilt.

“Damon came to me and told me to get the ball to the 35 and we would win this thing,” Tuberville said. “He told me not to worry about the wind. He has just answered the call the past three weeks.”

With the loss, Florida (5-1, 3-1) opened the door for No. 2 Miami to recapture the top spot in the rankings after dominating Florida State, 49-27.

Backup quarterback Daniel Cobb played most of the game for Auburn, rebounding from a 4-for-15 start to throw for 152 yards.

Cobb finished 11 of 23 and didn’t throw an interception. He also scored on a one-yard run.

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Grossman, who had been intercepted only three times all season, looked out of sync most of the game against the nation’s fourth-rated pass defense.

He was 25 of 42 for 364 yards and two touchdowns to favorite targets Jabar Gaffney and Reche Caldwell.

“Too many opportunities wasted,” Grossman said. “We let this one slip away.”