Auburn last played Florida in 2011, but the AU and UF coaching staffs have some familiarity facing each other.

Throughout the week, Tigers coach Gus Malzahn has been highly complimentary of Gators head coach Dan Mullen, as the two know each other well from Mullen’s nine seasons as the Mississippi State head coach. Malzahn and Mullen are their respective team’s offensive play-callers, so they won’t necessarily be scheming against each other, but Malzahn will be engaged in a “chess match” with another familiar foe: Todd Grantham. The Florida defensive coordinator, whose previous stops include Georgia and Mississippi State, is familiar with going against Malzahn’s offenses.

As noted in a recent article by Will Sammon of The Athletic, Malzahn has gotten the better of Grantham in their recent meetings. Malzahn is 4-1 against Grantham with his offenses averaging 6.38 yards per play in those five games.

When Malzahn was asked Thursday night about scheming against another Grantham defense, Malzahn downplayed the past.

“Every year is different. You’ve got different players and you’ve got to build around their strengths. The unique thing is … it’s a different group of players,” Malzahn said on his radio show, per Jay G. Tate of Auburn Sports.

The 2019 Gators defense under Grantham is getting noticed for notching an SEC-leading 24 sacks through five games. Malzahn is aware of Florida’s pass rushers.

“They really present a lot of challenges on the edge. They do a good job dippin’ and spinnin’,” Malzahn said.