5 things we saw in Gators' 66-21 rout of FAU in teams' season opener

In front of a packed house at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the Florida Gators routed the FAU Owls 66-21 in the teams' season opener.

The Gators have struggled the past four seasons, all of them ending with losing records. In 2025, the team finished 4-8, and coach Billy Napier was fired in October.

Changes had to be made in the offseason, and they were. Florida brought in new head coach Jon Sumrall, who's credited for quick turnarounds at Troy and Tulane, turning them into winning teams.

Out goes quarterback DJ Lagway to Baylor and in comes Aaron Philo, a transfer from Georgia Tech who threw for 373 yards in his only start against Gardner-Webb in 2025.

FAU came into this game being ranked No. 1 in the nation in passing offense last season, averaging 340.2 yards per game. Their defense, however, was ranked near the bottom, giving up 36.3 points per game. History wasn't on the Owls' side either as they've never won a game against the Gators, 0-4 all-time.

Here are three things to know as Florida starts the season 1-0.

There was no stopping the Gators' running game.

There wasn't a soul on the field that could contain Florida running back Jadan Baugh. He rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns on just 14 carries.

His biggest play of the night was a 61-yard run where he found a hole in the defensive line, burst through and managed to maintain his balance and even juke one more defender before being brought down near FAU's end zone.

The Atlanta native has already punched his name in the Florida record books a couple of times: his 266 yards against FSU at the end of the last season is the second most all-time in a game and he's the 10th Gator to rush for 1,000 yards.

Passing game excelled as QB Aaron Philo shines in UF debut.

Philo took this game as an opportunity to show why he was picked to be the starter.

In his Gators debut, Philo threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns; he also had a 3-yard rushing touchdown on fourth down. His only interception came at the end of the second quarter off a bobbled pass.

Wide receiver Vernell Brown III displayed his big-play ability right at the start. In the team's first drive, he caught a screen pass and took it to the end zone for a 49-yard touchdown. Brown III finished with six receptions off six targets and 117 yards.

FAU QB Caden Veltkamp had a turnover problem.

FAU QB Caden Veltkamp has shown he can pass the ball at an elite level but was out of sync all night: 276 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions with a fumble lost in the fourth.

Last season, Veltkamp tied for the eighth-most passing yards in college football with 3,641, along with 24 touchdowns. However, he also threw 17 interceptions. It'll be something he needs to work on moving forward.

The Gators' defense needs improvement.

Florida will need to tighten up the defense after giving up 245 total yards in the first half. The Owls also completed 10-of-16 third downs. However, the Gators did force three takeaways with two interceptions and a forced fumble.

FAU wide receiver Kelby Valsin was a bright spot.

WR Kelby Valsin made his Owls' debut and stood out as the No. 1 option for Veltkamp. He was targeted a whopping 16 times and turned that into 10 receptions and 92 yards. He also caught a 20-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Valsin was previously at Texas Tech before joining the Owls in 2026 as a senior. He gets a new start under head coach Zach Kittley.

Brian Olmo is a reporter and a digital producer at The Palm Beach Post. Reach him by email at bolmo@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: 5 things we saw in Gators' 66-21 rout of FAU in teams' season opener