Florida Football: Winners and Losers from the Gators' Loss vs. Auburn

The Florida Gators have had a tough run in the last three weeks, having faced three opponents in the Top 25 in consecutive games. Their 4-3 record is evidence of this.

With starting quarterback John Brantley sidelined for the second straight game the Gators' offense, which has been in sharp decline since a certain No. 15 left Gainesville, was not going to have an easy time in this game.

Ineffective offense was the story of the game for both sides, but add on the miscues on the Gators' side of the ball and the result ends up as it did.

Click through to find out the winners and losers from Florida's loss versus the Tigers.

Winner: Auburn Special Teams

Auburn place kicker Cody Parkey may have missed two of his three opportunities but he still got five very important points for his team in a tight game, most importantly that 42-yard field goal after Florida's Robert Clark fumbled.

Auburn's punt team did especially well. They made no mistakes of their own and capitalized on the mistakes of their opponents.

Loser: Florida Punt Returners

Chris Rainey and Robert Clark were very ineffective in the punt return game. Rainey caught three punts and provided negative yardage as well as two fumbles. Fortunately for him, his two fumbles were recovered but by then the damage was done and he was pulled from punt return duty.

His teammate Robert Clark didn't fare much better. Clark fumbled, and lost, his first punt returns and effectively ended the game with his mistake. If Clark had caught the ball, Florida would have had over five minutes on the board and a chance to tie the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion. Instead, Auburn went on to put the game out of reach with a field goal.

Winner: Auburn Passing Game

The Tigers attempted only 16 passes as a team, completed seven of them and still managed one touchdown and 123 yards in the air. Add that to the fact that there were three different quarterbacks on display for Auburn, just as many as Florida, and it is a wonder that they were so successful.

None of the three Auburn quarterbacks—Clint Moseley, Barrett Trotter and Kiehl Frazier—committed a turnover, which probably stung even more for the Gators' defense.

Loser: Florida Rushing Game

With Jeff Demps out, the onus fell on Chris Rainey to carry the Florida running game and he was unable to deliver. Rainey did lead the charge with 33 yards on 16 carries, but that only amounted to 2.1 yards per carry.

Florida had six different rushers on the day, three of them quarterbacks, and they all combined for a meager 66 yards.

Winner: Clint Moseley

Of all the six quarterbacks on display, Clint Moseley came out on top. The Auburn No. 2 quarterback may have also staked a claim for a starting position with his performance.

Moseley may not have gotten the lone Auburn passing touchdown, but he provided a spark and kept the offense ticking as needed. He went four of seven for 90 yards and an average of 12.9 yards per pass. He had the most yardage of all the quarterbacks and was also the most efficient.

Loser: Gators' Defense

The game was still a defensive one as Auburn was held to under 20 points for the second time this season, but the Gators' defense definitely came up second best.

Auburn managed almost 300 yards on offense on a day it was evident that they meant to run and not pass. The Tigers had 16 passes attempts as opposed to 43 rushing attempts. Both teams changed quarterbacks multiple times, but it was the Gators' inability to step up in rushing defense especially that hindered the team's ability to win.

Winner: Caleb Sturgis

Caleb Sturgis has missed only one field goal so far this season, and he continued that near perfection against Auburn with tries of 47 and 25 yards.

The points Sturgis put on the board kept his team in the game until early in the fourth quarter.

Loser: Caleb Sturgis

While it is not his fault for getting injured, Sturgis is a loser here because he could have meant the difference between a win and a loss for Florida.

Had he been available to make a kick instead of the team going for, and failing, a fourth-down conversion at the start of the fourth quarter, things could have gone differently.

Winner: Auburn Defense

The Tigers' defense made sure that the various Gators' quarterbacks did not get lucky, and pressured them all night. They sacked both Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel twice, intercepted Brissett's first pass of the game and held Chris Rainey, and the Florida ground game, to 66 yards.

Auburn's defense also came up big early on in the fourth quarter to create a turnover on downs.

Loser: Florida Program

The departures of Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer have seen the program lose some of its luster. It may be a bit far-fetched but the Gators haven't been too fearsome since that loss to Alabama in the SEC championship game in 2009.

The team may have made it to a bowl game last season, but in the SEC things are not going well. This is the second straight season the Gators have lost three straight games to SEC West opponents. A bowl game this season isn't very likely at this point.