Florida's Jabar Gaffney leaps over Auburn's Larry Casher for a touchdown reception.(AP)

Freshman Jabar Gaffney caught three touchdowns, including a leaping grab in the back of the end zone that left Spurrier in shock, as the Gators (6-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) looked every bit as good as they did when they were winning titles.

So good, in fact, that Grossman is still wondering when the hard part starts.

"I think our scout team stops us at least once every five times," he said.

The Tigers (5-2, 3-2) lost their second straight, a humbling performance in a game they were hoping would prove they were back at the top of the SEC.

Grossman put on a show that conjured images of Danny Wonderful -- um, make that Wuerffel -- the 1996 Heisman Trophy winner who no Florida quarterback has come close to matching since he left.

Until now?

"I can't remember the last time we had our quarterbacks doing those things," Spurrier said. "Rex is a playmaker. He'll surprise you when the ballgame starts."

It was a display of both precision and patience for the redshirt freshman. Making just his second career start, Grossman looked like he had drawn up the playbook - and in some cases, maybe he had.

No play told it better than the 10-yard touchdown pass to Gaffney that gave the Gators a 28-7 lead early in the second quarter.

Waiting calmly in the pocket, Grossman appeared to have forced an uncatchable ball high into double coverage as Gaffney streaked across the back of the end zone.

But Gaffney leaped high over the Auburn defenders to make the grab falling out of bounds, leaving Spurrier to simply shake his head in disbelief.

Turns out, it wasn't the play Spurrier had called. Grossman and Gaffney improvised the play after the initial route was covered. It resulted in a perfect throw, the sign of a quarterback who knows his receivers' games as well as his own.

"I thought the play was, one-two-three throw, but Rex took five steps and Jabar just kept going," Spurrier said. "He came off the field and I said, `Why did you take five steps?' He told me. It made sense to me. We've never had one do it like that."

There were other nice passes: An on-target slant for an 8-yard connection with Reche Caldwell for one of his two touchdowns; and a perfectly timed 50-yard scoring strike to Gaffney, who was matched, inexplicably, in single coverage on the outside.

"Coach told me to run and Rex threw the ball," Gaffney said. "That's a pretty good combination."

Gaffney's final touchdown was his 10th of the season, setting both the SEC and Florida records for freshmen.

With four games left, the son of former Gators receiver Derrick Gaffney stands just eight touchdowns away from Reidel Anthony's overall record for receiving touchdowns in a season. And remember, Gaffney was only a bit player through the first four games of the season.

"Florida has a good team, an explosive team," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. "We found that out awfully early today."

Happy with his passing production in the first half, Spurrier called only two passes in the third quarter, then let Grossman pick his spots as the Gators scored a fourth-quarter field goal. Jeff Chandler's 31-yard kick made him Florida's all-time leading scorer, passing kicker Bart Edminston (1992-96).

Auburn's star, tailback Rudi Johnson, finished with 133 yards on 22 carries, his sixth game over the century mark.

The Tigers squandered their best chance at getting in this game early, when punter Damon Duval shortarmed an incomplete pass to Deandre Green on a fake attempt that could have gone for big yards.

"It's hard to play up to their standards," Tuberville said. "If you don't, you get left behind."

Indeed, the Gators are showing signs they may separate from the rest of the SEC. This, combined with last week's 41-9 victory over LSU, marked the first time they've strung together impressive victories in nearly two seasons. They have a bye coming, before their annual grudge match against Georgia, with the SEC East up for grabs.

Grossman finished 14-for-23 for 232 yards.

Another of his touchdowns came on a well-designed screen pass to Gaffney, who caught the ball behind the line, then used nice blocks from downfield receivers for an 18-yard score.

Officials initially ruled the receivers were interfering by blocking too early. But Spurrier convinced them there should be no penalty, because the pass was thrown behind the line of scrimmage. The refs agreed, and it was Tuberville impersonating Spurrier, ripping his AU hat off and throwing it to the ground in disgust.

Florida has a six-game winning streak against Auburn for the first time.