GAINESVILLE, Fla. _ Florida tailback Lamical Perine was too slow.
Or so Auburn thought when it decided not to pursue the in-state product from outside Mobile, Ala.
On Saturday in the Swamp, Perine made the Tigers pay for their mistake. He broke open a close game, powering the No. 10 Gators to a 24-13 win over No. 7 Auburn.
Perine's 88-yard touchdown run with 9:04 remaining brought an announced sellout crowd of 90,584 to its feet and inspired the loudest roar on a deafening day at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field. Perine's jaunt down the sideline kept UF (6-0, 3-0 SEC) unbeaten and handed Auburn (5-1, 2-1) its first loss of the season.
UF has won 10 consecutive games dating to last season, the third longest streak in school history.
The UF run game had struggled all season, and nothing changed against the Tigers' talented defensive front. Florida had just 27 rushing yards when Perine took the ball from quarterback Kyle Trask, turned the right corner, slipped a tackle and sprinted down the sideline untouched for the longest touchdown run by a Gator since Emmitt Smith's 96-yarder at Mississippi State in 1988.
Much of the day, though, a matchup of two of college football best offensive minds _ UF's Dan Mullen and Auburn's Gus Malzahn _ was being decided by athletic, aggressive and opportunistic defenses.
The teams combined for eight turnovers, 10 three-and-out possessions _ six by Auburn _ and were a combined 6 of 27 on third-down conversions. The Gators and Tigers also combined for 16 penalties with a loss of 125 yards.
The Gators pounced on the Tigers before the game became a mistake-filled SEC slugfest.
Trask's 64-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Swain on the game's second play got the Gators on the board early. Much of the day, though, Trask and the Florida offense were unable to contain the Tigers' ferocious defensive front, led by tackle Derrick Brown.
Trask finished 19-of-31 passing for 234 yards and two touchdowns, but he also fumbled three times _ twice into the hands of Brown.
At one point, it looked like Trask might not finish the game just three weeks after starter Feleipe Franks suffered a season-ending ankle injury.
Trask left the game during the second quarter after taking a hard shot to the left side of his leg. Backup Emory Jones stepped in and calmly led the Gators down the field to set up a 41-yard field goal by Evan McPherson to give UF a 17-13 lead that would stand until Perine's big run. After he was diagnosed with an MCL sprain and received treatment, Trask returned late in the second quarter to lead the UF offense the rest of the way.
He didn't let his injury hold him back, catching a pass on trick play and running into a pile on another play to extend a late UF drive.
During a postgame interview with CBS, Trask said he felt great but admitted he might be in pain later Saturday night.
"To be honest, this is like a dream come true right now," Trask said as his teammates celebrated during homecoming in the Swamp. "I'm just trying to do my best to take it all in. ... I'm so proud of this team."
While Trask and Jones showed they could handle setbacks, Auburn quarterback Bo Nix played like a freshman. An interception in the end zone ended the Tigers' best second-half drive and left Malzahn bent over on the sideline with his head in his hands.
Later with Auburn trailing 17-13, Nix faced third-and-8 from the UF 36 _ in the range of kicker Anders Carlson, who entered the day with a career-long 53-yarder. But looking to make something happen while being pursued by UF defenders, Nix took a 22-yard loss.
Nix finished 11-of-27 passing for 145 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.
On the first play following a Tigers punt, Perine put the Gators in command with his career-long run.
