The Opening Kickoff: No. 11 Florida vs. Tennessee

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Graphic: Scott MacCord/UAA Communications

The Opening Kickoff: No. 11 Florida vs. Tennessee

Friday, September 24, 2021 | Football, Scott Carter

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

Florida Notes | Tennessee Notes | Gators Game Day

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Following a season of COVID-19 protocols and reduced-capacity crowds, some Florida players had never seen Ben Hill Griffin Stadium packed.

And then No. 1-ranked Alabama came to town in the biggest home game in years.

"We love to play in that environment,'' quarterback Emory Jones said this week.

Can't wait for The Swamp to be 90,000 strong again tomorrow! #GoGators pic.twitter.com/wXuCu4LJ0M
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) September 24, 2021

Jones, a fourth-year junior, has been around long enough to experience some memorable home wins, including a victory over LSU in 2018 and Auburn in 2019. The Gators nearly came all the way back against Alabama a week ago but lost, 31-29. Despite the outcome, it's a game the Gators or Alabama won't forget anytime soon.

That's because the fifth-largest crowd in school history (90,887) turned "The Swamp" into a huge home-field advantage for the Gators after they fell behind 21-3 in the first quarter. Over the final three quarters, Florida dominated and the crowd turned up the volume.

The 11th-ranked Gators are hoping for a similar environment on Saturday night when they host SEC East-rival Tennessee.

"All the Gator fans need to go maybe get some warm tea and lemon, make sure their throats are refreshed," UF head coach Dan Mullen said. "We need an even more raucous environment to continue to have the home-field advantage. I think you saw the effect that had on the game last week."

Mullen is 3-0 against Tennessee since taking over the program in 2018, including a 34-3 home win two years ago. In Tennessee's two previous trips to Gainesville, the Gators rallied late for a 28-27 win in 2015 and won on a Hail Mary pass from Feleipe Franks to Tyree Cleveland in 2017.

The home fans went berserk both times.

Mullen urged Gators fans to come back to "The Swamp" and help it live up to its name.

"There's passionate Gator fans out there and I think they need to understand that they are critical in the success of this team,'' he said. "They have an important role. Obviously, last Saturday was a crazy environment. We need to keep that going. It does nothing but help."

For more on the Florida-Tennessee game, here are the previous chapters of The Opening Kickoff:

Part I: Gators LB Jeremiah Moon, 5 Questions
Part II: Gators Get First Shot at Heupel in Rivalry They Have Dominated for More Than a Decade
Part III: Mullen's Adaptability, Gators-Vols Storylines, Players to Watch, Notable Numbers
Part IV: Gators-Vols 2021, They Said It, They Wrote It

NOTABLES

The Gators lead the all-time series 30-20 and have won four in a row over the Vols. Tennessee has not won in "The Swamp" since 2003 and is 5-15 all-time in Gainesville.
Florida leads the Southeastern Conference in rushing with 335.7 yards per game, which ranks second in the nation; meanwhile, Tennessee's rushing defense ranks fifth in the country at 54.3 ypg. Something's gotta give on Saturday.
The Gators gained 400 or more yards for the 13th consecutive game last week, the program's longest streak in at least 40 years.
Gators WR Jacob Copeland, who leads the team with 200 yards receiving, needs 76 yards to reach 1,000 for his career.
Fifth-year senior OL Jean Delance has started 28 consecutive games, the most of any player on UF's roster.

Gators head coach Dan Mullen was UF's offensive coordinator and Tennessee first-year head coach Josh Heupel was Oklahoma's quarterbacks coach when Florida beat the Sooners in the 2008 BCS National Championship Game.

Virginia Tech graduate transfer Hendon Hooker complete 17 of 25 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns in his first start for the Vols last week, a 56-0 win over Tennessee Tech.

Tennessee has scored 30 or more points in its first three games of the season for the first time since 2004.
The Vols have 29 tackles for loss, third in the SEC behind LSU (40) and Auburn (33). Fifth-year senior DB Theo Jackson leads the way with 6 TFLs.
Tennessee, using Heupel's uptemp offensive system, is averaging 77.67 plays per game, which ranks 13th among FBS schools.

INJURY REPORT

FLORIDA — OUT: CB Jaydon Hill (knee, out for season), S Kamar Wilcoxson (knee, out for season); LB Ventrell Miller (arm surgery); QUESTIONABLE: OL Stewart Reese (undisclosed), CB Elijah Blades (hamstring); PROBABLE: QB Anthony Richardson (hamstring). TENNESSEE — DOUBTFUL: OL Kingston Harris (leg); QUESTIONABLE: RB Jabari Small (shoulder), QB Joe Milton III (leg), LB Juwan Mitchell (undisclosed); PROBABLE: C Cooper Mays (ankle), OL Cade Mays (undisclosed).

BOTTOM LINE

Mullen and the players talked a lot this week about keeping up the intensity and not suffering a letdown following the promising performance against Alabama. By refusing to wilt against the No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide when it looked like they might, the Gators earned a lot of respect nationally. Their resiliency and near-comeback over Alabama also reshaped the perception of what this team could be in 2021. Of course, none of that matters if the Gators come out Saturday night and lay an egg against the Vols. Florida has dominated this once-fierce rivalry for the past decade and a half and while the Gators might not be as charged as they were against Alabama, don't look for the them to lose this one. In the end, they find their groove and pull away from the Vols for their first SEC win of the season.