GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The road to this point has been anything but smooth for the Gators.
When the coronavirus pandemic shut down college athletics in mid-March, the Gators were about to start spring camp. The week they were supposed to open preseason camp in August, the season was pushed back to later in the fall. And following a last-second loss at Texas A&M in October, a COVID-19 outbreak on the team shut down their season for two weeks, infecting Coach Dan Mullen and more than 30 team members.
Florida has won five consecutive games since returning to action on Halloween night with a victory over Missouri, including a win over SEC East rival Georgia that put the Gators in the driver's seat toward Atlanta and the SEC Championship Game.
On Saturday at Neyland Stadium, the sixth-ranked Gators (7-1) face a struggling Tennessee (2-5) team that has lost five consecutive games. With a victory, the Gators can clinch their first SEC East title since 2016. However, the weather forecast in Knoxville calls for a high of 48 and temperatures near freezing by the time the game ends.
Sounds about right for 2020.
"I'll probably be bundled up with like hat, gloves and a big puffy winter jacket," Mullen said this week. "I've gotten used to the warm weather, that Florida weather. But I think for our guys, I don't think it'll be that big of a factor to be perfectly honest. It just kind of is what it is. I know we have a lot of guys that have a desire to go and play football beyond college. And turn those games on, on Sunday, and most of them are in cold locations, so we got to learn how to do that. It'll be a fun experience for us."
The Gators can ensure fun for all in Orange & Blue with a victory. After everything that has happened over the past nine months, that would be quite an accomplishment. The first of many they hope to reach by the end of the season.
For more on Saturday's game between the Gators and Volunteers, here is The Opening Kickoff:
FOUR QUESTIONS WITH ... GATORS LINEBACKER MOHAMOUD DIABATE
Diabate has started four of the last five games and recorded his first career interception in last week's win over Kentucky.
Mohamoud Diabate goes up for his first career interception in last week's win over Kentucky. (Photo: Alex de la Osa/UAA Communications)
In your mind, what's the possibility of the defense playing a complete game?
It's possible. That's what Coach Grantham expected out of us. He doesn't put anything in front of us that we can't do. He's putting a task in front of us that we have to step up and handle and I know that me and the rest of the guys will handle. We're going to get that done.
What does a complete game from the defense look like to you?
Just like the second half of the Kentucky game looked, but making that for the whole game. So, executing the calls and being in the right place at the right time, the whole consistent game, from the first snap to the last snap.
What did you think about Coach Mullen and Coach Grantham yelling on sideline?
That fires us up. That just shows us that both of them have a great love for the game. Coach Mullen has it. Coach Grantham has it. Things like that happen. That gets us motivated, gets us going because we can see that they care. They're invested in this game and it makes us feel the same thing.
What do you see in Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano?
I think he's a respectable quarterback in this league. He's won games. He has experience. Whatever people want to say about him doesn't take away from the fact that he's played multiple SEC games, he's won multiple SEC games. This is the toughest conference in the nation, so we've gotta give him his respect and we gotta play him like we would play any other quarterback.
THREE STORYLINES
For the first time since 2016, the Gators are in position to clinch the SEC East with a victory. If Florida defeats the Vols for the fourth consecutive season, they are headed to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game regardless of what happens Dec. 12 at home against LSU. Besides the Vols, the weather could be an opponent Saturday. The forecast in Knoxville projects temperatures in the high 40s at kickoff and dipping into the high 20s by the end of the game.
Tennessee ended last season on a six-game win streak, including a victory over Indiana in the Gator Bowl. However, after winning their first two games of 2020, the Vols have lost five in a row, all by double-digits. Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt has come under fire for his team's recent slide.
The Gators have won five consecutive games, but head coach Dan Mullen, offensive coordinator Brian Johnson and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham each spoke about room to improve coming off a 34-10 home win over Kentucky. The Gators were not as efficient on offense as Mullen and Johnson would like, and defensively, Grantham wants to see a complete game from start to finish.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Gators quarterback Kyle Trask is considered the front runner to win the Heisman Trophy according to multiple odds makers. Trask enters Saturday's game averaging 351.3 yards passing per game with 34 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Trask needs one touchdown pass to tie Danny Wuerffel (35 in 1995) for second on the school's all-time single-season list, and five to tie Wuerffel for the record (39 in 1996).
Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano has struggled against Florida in his career, completing just 54.3 percent of his passes (19 of 35) for 271 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions. Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt said this week that 6-foot-5 freshman Harrison Bailey will play in some capacity against the Gators. Bailey was 7 of 10 for 86 yards in relief in Tennessee's last game, a 30-17 loss at Auburn on Nov. 21.
If this sounds like a broken record, my apologies, but that's how good UF junior tight end Kyle Pitts is. Pitts returned from a two-game absence due to a concussion and facial injury and caught five passes for 99 yards and three touchdowns against Kentucky. There's not a player in college football who can guard Pitts one-on-one, so watching how the Vols try to defend Pitts will be interesting. Florida leads the SEC in passing offense (369.6 ypg) while the Vols rank sixth in pass defense (243.6 ypg).
FIVE DIGITS
11 – SEC players since 1996 who have accounted for a rushing, passing, receiving and punt return score during their careers, a group Gators receiver Kadarius Toney joined last week when he returned a punt for a touchdown against Kentucky. 36 – Touchdown passes for Houston's Andre Ware (1989) and Texas Tech's B.J. Symons (2003) through the first eight games, a record for FBS quarterbacks. 34 – Touchdown passes for Gators quarterback Kyle Trask through eight games, tied for third all-time among FBS players. 43.4 – Points per game for Florida, second in the SEC and 10th nationally. 20.1 – Points per game for Tennessee, 11th in the SEC and tied for 109th nationally.
INJURY REPORT
QUESTIONABLE: LB Jeremiah Moon (foot); WR Trent Whittemore (ribs); LB David Reese (shoulder); OUT: DB Ethan Pouncey (hip, out for season); UNAVAILABLE: During the unprecedented 2020 season, Florida releases a list of players not available on game days prior to kickoff.
THEY SAID IT
"It's a competitive deal. We're all in it for one goal: to go win. We've had a lot of success, and we have a lot of respect for each other and what we do. And because of that respect we're allowed to express our opinions on things and do what's best for the team, and that's what we've done the last four years and we'll continue. We've been able to have a lot of success with our ability to be together." -- Gators defensive coordinator Todd Grantham on his sideline spat with head coach Dan Mullen during the Kentucky game
"Win on Saturday. That's about it. You go turn on the news, everybody knows who he is." -- Mullen on managing quarterback Kyle Trask's Heisman bid
"It took Coach [Johnny Majors] into his fourth and fifth year to get things turned around. Right now, everybody wished it would happen quicker in the process. I really think we're a better football team than our record has shown. The team has played hard. I think the Auburn game was a good example of that.'' -- Tennessee Athletic Director Phillip Fulmer this week on a call-in radio show on the Vol Network, pointing out that current Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt's record (15-15) after 30 games was similar to the late Johnny Majors (14-15-1)
"It's to get as many yards as I can. Obviously, I know I'm not the fastest guy on the team by any means. But I know I'm definitely like one of the bigger ball carriers we have. I know I just have to get north and south the best that I can." -- Trask on what goes through his mind when a play is called for him to run the ball
"Man, me, I say I'm going to throw a little Vaseline on my hands, put some of [them] little doctor gloves on and then throw my football gloves on and I'll be good to go." -- Florida receiver Jacob Copeland on what he plans to do to keep his hands warm at Tennessee
NOTES FILE
Florida has won 14 of the last 15 meetings with the Vols, its only loss a 38-28 defeat at Neyland Stadium in 2016. The Gators lead the all-time series 29-20, including 13-12 in Knoxville.
Gators head coach Dan Mullen improved to 28-6 following last week's win over Kentucky. Mullen's record in his first 34 games as UF's head coach is a game better than ex-Gators coaches Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer. Spurrier and Meyer went 27-7.
Gators quarterback Kyle Trask has passed for 200 or more yards in 16 consecutive games, one shy of matching Shane Matthews for the school record.
Tennessee has not played at home since a loss to Alabama on Oct. 24. The Vols did not play a home game in the month of November for the first time since 1891. Yes, that's correct, 1891.
This is the first game in the month of December at Neyland Stadium since Tennessee's 17-10 win over Vanderbilt on Dec. 2, 1989.
Vols sophomore running back Eric Gray has rushed for 651 yards, which ranks fifth in the SEC. Gray has four 100-yard games this season and averaged 148 yards per game in three November games.
UF senior receiver Kadarius Toney, who returned a punt 50 yards for a touchdown against Kentucky, is the only FBS player this season who has a rushing touchdown, receiving score and punt return for a touchdown.
The Gators are averaging 7.41 yards per play, which ranks second in the SEC and eighth nationally. UF's school record is 7.40 yards per play, established in 1995.
BIG ORANGE COUNTRY
Like most everything else, college football traditions have suffered in 2020.
At Neyland Stadium, one of the country's largest venues, that means much smaller crowds and less noise when the Vols "Run Through The T" at the start of the game.
If you are like me, you enjoy the traditions that make the game special and can't wait until they feel normal again.
So, in honor of Tennessee's most famous tradition, here is a report on the history of "Running Through The T" in Knoxville:
BOTTOM LINE
The Gators return to the Volunteer State for the second time in three weeks, this time landing in East Tennessee for their annual showdown with SEC East rival Tennessee. Florida traveled to Nashville two weeks ago and beat Vanderbilt 38-17. With an opportunity to clinch the East against a struggling Vols team, look for the Gators to play like many expected them to against Vanderbilt and Kentucky. They won both games handily, but didn't necessarily earn that many style points. Florida is due for an explosive performance and the hunch here is that the Vols could pay the price. Tennessee has lost five consecutive games by double-digits for the first time in program history.
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