The Opening Kickoff: Gators vs. Tennessee

Scott Carter's Opening Kickoff (2017 v1)

Graphic: Scott MacCord/UAA Communications

The Opening Kickoff: Gators vs. Tennessee

Friday, September 15, 2017 | Football, Scott Carter

Florida hosts the Vols on Saturday in search of its first win and an early leg up in the SEC East race.

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Over the past decade, as power shifted from the East Division to the West in the Southeastern Conference, the same storyline surfaces each season during Florida-Tennessee week.

Is the Gators-Vols annual matchup still a big-time rivalry?

Sure seems like it since there's always ample chatter about the game on TV and social media, and sports writers punch out more words about the early-season clash the week prior than any one person can consume. Sounds like a big-time rivalry to me, boosted this season in some ways by what happened last year in Knoxville.

The No. 24-ranked Gators (0-1) host the No. 23 Vols (2-0) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on CBS. Tennessee snapped its 11-game losing streak against the Gators with a 38-28 comeback victory a year ago at Neyland Stadium.

The Gators blew to a 21-0 lead as more than 100,000 Vols fans sat quietly. That changed as Tennessee reeled off 38 consecutive points and moved into the driver's seat in the East. The loss still stings for the Gators, who overcame the deflating defeat to win the division for the second consecutive year.

"Just go out there and if we gonna throw bombs, throw bombs. If we gonna to blitz, continue to blitz,'' sophomore safety Chauncey Gardner Jr. said this week. "Just do what we gotta do. Do what we did in the first half in the second half. Keep applying constant pressure, and we'll win the game. That's all it is."

This is a Florida team in need of a dose of momentum. The Gators lost their season opener for the first time since 1989 two weeks ago and then had their home opener against Northern Colorado cancelled. They don't want to start a season 0-2 for the first time since 1971.

They are ready to play and show fans that the 33-17 loss to Michigan in Texas was nothing more than a bad day at the office.

"I know how much it means for our guys to play in the Swamp, but more than that, how much it means for the people who are in the Swamp, in that environment to root on the Gators,'' UF head coach Jim McElwain said. "I want our guys to understand that it's so much more than just them. It's an opportunity [and] it's awful special coming off of what just occurred."

Rivalry games are like that.

Here is a closer look at the Florida-Tennessee matchup in the latest edition of The Opening Kickoff:

The stage is set. ??#TENNvsUF ???? pic.twitter.com/DDaLHUG2On
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) September 15, 2017

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THREE QUESTIONS WITH … GATORS DB CHAUNCEY GARDNER JR.

Q: How did you heal so quickly after leaving the field on crutches in the Michigan game?

A: I know my teammates put in a lot of work. So I know me sitting out is going to hurt them and it's going to hurt me. I don't like missing anything. They don't like missing anything. So I told myself, 'I'm going to get in after the game from rehab treatment from 7 in the morning to whenever practice was over, I'm going to be in there and get my leg right.' That's what I did, so I'm back. Time to go ball.

Q: How difficult was it to return focus to football in wake of Hurricane Irma?

A: It wasn't hard. It's family first, so when you know everything is OK, after I make sure my brothers and my family straight and other families straight, we play football.

Q: What did you think of someone putting a Tennessee flag on the Spurrier statue?

A: I just saw the picture. I don't know about other guys, but to me it's a sign of disrespect. Even though a fan did it, that's something you don't do regardless of the rivalry. It's our property. You don't vandalize what we earned and what we did.

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THREE STORYLINES

Hurricane Irma disrupted the lives of Floridians all across the state, forcing the cancellation of Florida's home opener against Northern Colorado. The Gainesville area suffered relatively minor damage compared to other parts of the state, so the Florida-Tennessee rivalry game is on and can perhaps serve as a brief respite for fans during what has been a stressful week for many.
The Gators-Vols matchup is a traditional early-season barometer in the SEC East race and this year is no different as the defending East champion Gators seek to avenge a 38-28 loss at Tennessee a year ago, snapping their 11-game win streak in the rivalry. Despite losing in Knoxville a year ago, Florida rebounded to win its second consecutive division crown while the Vols struggled down the stretch.
Both teams enter ranked in the polls and with high expectations from their fan bases. Nothing new there. A popular narrative around this game is that whichever team loses, fans of that school will be ready to jump off the ledge. Nothing new there, either. Still, for a pair of programs trying to climb back to join the nation's elite, there's no doubt each head coach could use a win to avoid the negativism that awaits the loser.

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THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH

Gators redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks made his first career start against Michigan and received an incomplete grade. Franks finished 5 of 9 for 75 yards prior to Malik Zaire entering the game as Florida's offense had few answers against a tough Michigan defense. Franks is set to make his first home start Saturday and could use a strong performance to boost his standing as Florida's starting quarterback.
Tennessee sophomore receiver Marquez Callaway had a breakout game in the season opener against Georgia Tech with four catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-2, 199-pound Callaway added a 37-yard touchdown reception in Tennessee's win over Indiana State. Expect Vols quarterback Quinten Dormady to look Callaway's way often Saturday against UF's young secondary.
The UF offensive line from left to right – Martez Ivey, Brett Heggie, T.J. McCoy, Fred Johnson and Jawaan Taylor -- will be under a microscope following a disappointing outing against Michigan. Labeled as one of the team's strengths, the unit got beat up physically in the season-opening loss to the Wolverines. With a combined 52 starts among the group, the O-line needs to show its resiliency and make a positive impact against the Vols.

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THREE DIGITS

27 – Consecutive home openers the Gators have won

5,110 – Days since Tennessee last won a game at the Swamp, on Sept. 20, 2003

362 – Consecutive games in which the Gators have scored, which ranks second on the all-time list behind Michigan's 365-game streak, which ended in 2004

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THE QUOTE FILE

"I hope that it gives the people of the state of Florida, this area, just a couple hours of something to take their mind off as they recover from what they've gone through." – Gators head coach Jim McElwain on Saturday's game in wake of Hurricane Irma
"We have to bring everything that we can possibly bring to this game. First game in the Swamp, it's going to be a great atmosphere, a great crowd, so we just have to come out and play and play at a high level." – Florida cornerback Duke Dawson
"The last time going in there, we fully believed we'd win the football game, and we did not finish, unfortunately." – Vols coach Butch Jones on 28-27 loss in 2015 at Florida
"They eat and breathe the game of football. They're both very knowledgeable coordinators. ... I think it's going to be a great chess match between them." – LaVaar Scott, brother of first-year Tennessee offensive coordinator Larry Scott, to the AP on matchup between his brother and his former coach at Miami, first-year Gators defensive coordinator Randy Shannon
"It's definitely a big game for us. We definitely have to approach this game with a little chip on our shoulder. We have to show that we'll be ready to play. I think we'll be ready to play … know it's going to be a four-quarter game." – Gators receiver Josh Hammond on avoiding an 0-2 start

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INJURY REPORT

OUT: WR James Robinson (heart problem); PROBABLE: TE Kemore Gamble (foot), TE DeAndre Goolsby (undisclosed); QUESTIONABLE: LB Kylan Johnson (hamstring); SUSPENDED: RB Jordan Scarlett, WR Rick Wells, WR Antonio Callaway, LB Ventrell Miller, OL Kadeem Telfort, DL Jordan Smith, DL Keivonnis Davis, LB James Houston IV, DT Richerd Desir-Jones; OUT FOR SEASON: LB Nick Smith (knee), DB Marcell Harris (Achilles tendon).

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CHARTING THE GATORS

Redshirt freshman quarterback Feleipe Franks is set to make his first career home start Saturday vs. Tennessee. A look at recent UF quarterbacks in their first career start at the Swamp:

QUARTERBACK		YEAR	STATS/RESULT
	Austin Appleby	2016	17 of 21, 201 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT in 20-7 W over South Carolina
	Luke Del Rio	2016	29 of 44, 256 yards, 2 TD in 24-7 W over UMass
	Will Grier	2015	10 of 17, 151 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT in 31-24 W over East Carolina
	Treon Harris	2014	5 of 11, 60 yards, 1 TD in 23-20 L (OT) to South Carolina
	Skyler Mornhinweg	2013	14 of 25, 122 yards, 2 TD in 26-20 L to Georgia Southern
	Tyler Murphy	2013	16 of 22, 240 yards, 3 TD in 30-10 W over Arkansas
	Jeff Driskel*	2012	10 of 16, 114 yards, 1 TD in 27-14 W over Bowling Green
	Jacoby Brissett	2012	14 of 22, 154 yards in 23-0 W over Jacksonville State
	John Brantley	2010	17 of 25, 113 yards, 2 TD in 34-12 W over Miami (Ohio)
	Tim Tebow	2007	13 of 17, 300 yards, 3 TD in 49-3 W over Western Kentucky
	Chris Leak	2003	14 of 27, 234 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT in 20-17 L to Ole Miss

Note: *Driskel started at receiver, took over at quarterback on next play

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10 QUICK HITTERS

The Gators are 20-7 against Tennessee since they started playing annually in 1990, including 11-2 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
In the something's-gotta-give category, Florida's goal-to-go touchdown efficiency last season was 55 percent, which ranked next to last among FBS schools. Meanwhile, Tennessee's goal-to-go defensive touchdown efficiency was 91.7 percent, which ranked fourth worse in FBS.
Due to last week's cancellation against Northern Colorado, this marks the first time the Gators have faced an SEC team in their home opener since defeating Kentucky in 1992.
Gators defensive backs Duke Dawson and CJ Henderson each returned an interception for a touchdown against Michigan, making them the only two players in the young season to return picks for scores against a ranked opponent.
Feleipe Franks, Malik Zaire, Brett Heggie, CJ Henderson, Shawn Davis, Marco Wilson, Brian Edwards, Kyree Campbell, Kadarius Toney, Brad Stewart, Malik Davis, Donovan Stiner and Tedarrell Slaton made the career debuts in the season opener.
Tennessee is seeking to start the season 3-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2003-04.
Vols junior running back John Kelly rushed for four touchdowns in the season-opening win over Georgia Tech, the first Tennessee player to do that since 1994.
Tennessee coach Butch Jones is 32-21 (.604) in four-plus seasons at UT; Florida coach Jim McElwain is 19-9 (.679) in three-plus seasons at UF.
Gators offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier is going to coach from a skybox rather than on the field. Nussmeier moved to the field a season ago and was on the sideline in the loss to Michigan. Nussmeier's boss at Michigan in 2014, former Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke, is now Tennessee's associate head coach/defensive line coach.
Tennessee freshman running back Ty Chandler filled in for injured kick returner Evan Berry against Indiana State and returned the opening kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown. Berry remains questionable for Saturday.

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THE OTHER SIDE

The Florida-Tennessee rivalry is intense once the players step onto the field. Off the field, the Gators and Vols are teaming together on Saturday to provide game-day security in the wake of Hurricane Irma, which stretched police departments across the state thin.

Twenty-four officers from the University of Tennessee Police Department will travel to assist local officers in keeping the Swamp safe and secure.

"When we saw what happened in Florida last week, obviously I was concerned about our colleagues there,'' said Troy Lane, associate vice chancellor for public safety and chief of UT Police. "I reached out to the University of Florida and offered any assistance. As you can imagine, they were excited to hear from us."

Teamwork makes the dream work. Appreciate @UTPolice helping @UFPublicSafety out this weekend. ??????????

https://t.co/Ibnr2gK4Kp
— Scott Stricklin (@ScottStricklin) September 14, 2017

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WHAT THEY'RE WRITING

Following Irma, there's "no normal" for Florida's football team writes Ethan Bauer of The Miami Herald.
Why Florida-Tennessee is the biggest game of Jim McElwain's career writes Matt Baker of The Tampa Bay Times.
UF's young secondary faces another test writes Kevin Brockway from the Gainesville Sun.
Vols explain defensive alignment as fans gripe heading into Florida game writes Dan Fleser of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Florida coaches remind defense: 78 missed tackles in last two games against Tennessee writes Ryan Young of SECCountry.com.
The SEC East is headed for chaos again. Who's in the best position to survive it? Chris Johnson of SI.com tries to make sense of it.
Florida Times-Union columnist Gene Frenette calls Saturday's game the Hot Seat Bowl.

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BOTTOM LINE

This is the part of the show where I strongly suggest whether I think the Gators are probably going to win or lose. I've never taken picks columns that seriously since no one really knows what is going to happen and I'm not a gambler in search of a tip. I strongly suggested Florida would beat Michigan. I was strongly wrong. I have no clue who is going to win this game. I have no clue whom to suggest as the winner of this game. I leaned toward the Gators against Michigan and I am tempted to lean toward the Vols on Saturday. Maybe the Gators can print this out and tape in the locker room for extra motivation. "Look at this crap, even this guy thinks Tennessee might win in our house. What a clown!" Truth is, I expect home-field advantage to play a factor in Florida's favor. The Gators are certainly due for a break.