AUBURN, Ala. – When Florida's punter took off running on fourth-and-3 from the Gators' 34, Auburn linebacker Tanner Dean was not the least bit surprised.
"They saw it coming and prepared for it the entire week," Dean said, crediting Auburn special teams coordinator Larry Porter, assistant coach Marcus Woodson and special teams analyst Jonathan Rutledge with scouting Florida's penchant for fake punts. "He just said, 'Stay outside contain and go inside and get it done.' We knew their coach was a risk-taker and a gambler, so we were prepared for it to come up."
Lined up on the right side of Auburn's defensive line, Dean fought off a block from a 304-pound protector to tackle Florida punter Tommy Townsend for a 1-yard loss. On the next play, Auburn scored on a 32-yard touchdown pass.
"Got hit down, was able to trip him up," said Dean. "I was very fortunate."
Chandler Wooten arrived from the left side of Auburn's defense, while Smoke Monday occupied two blockers.
"They're known for fake punts," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "Coach Porter did a good job of rushing three instead of two. They were expecting us to be rushing only two. Tanner came off the edge and took on a block. Smoke Monday did a good job, too, up the middle, and Chandler Wooten off the side. All three of those guys did a super job. That was a big play in the game up to that point, there's no doubt about that."
For his efforts, Dean, who played at Mountain Brook High School in Birmingham, earned Auburn's special teams helmet sticker
"Did a great job on kickoff coverage, with his physicality," Malzahn said.
Dean walked on in 2017, then sat out in 2018 while recovering from knee surgery. To make a pivotal play in a nationally televised top 10 SEC matchup seemed unlikely a year ago.
"Disappointed for the loss, but that single moment, getting to celebrate with my brothers on the team and my coaches and the Auburn support staff, was one of the greatest moments of my football career," he said.
"It was deeper than football. From torn ACL to working with everybody in the training room to all of the weightlifting coaches. To come from walk-on, tearing my ACL and being able to do that, it was deeper than football."
300
Speaking of special teams, Anders Carlson's second-quarter extra point was Auburn's 300th consecutive PAT, an SEC record and the nation's longest active streak.
Carlson, who has connected on all 67 of his Auburn extra-point attempts, needs two PATS to help Auburn tie Florida State's NCAA record of 302 from 2012-16.
Carlson also made both of his field goal attempts against Florida, both in the first quarter, from 48 and 39 yards, his seventh career game with multiple field goals.
OPEN DATE, EARLY KICK
With an open date this weekend, the Tigers took Monday off as usual. Auburn will practice on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning before taking off Friday and Saturday.
"We're 5-1. We've played three top 20 teams away from home," Malzahn said. "It's a much-needed week off. The timing is good. We're going to self-evaluate. We're going to get a head start on our next opponent and get healthier, and then work on improving our execution."
No. 12 Auburn plays at Arkansas on Oct. 19 at 11 a.m. CT, the Tigers' first early kick of the season.
"We're looking at playing three of the top five teams in the country, one of those (LSU) being on the road. Great opportunities for this team."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer