The Opening Kickoff (Part IV): Gators-Vols 2021, They Said It, They Wrote It

Florida Notes | Tennessee Notes | Gators Game Day

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — On Friday afternoon outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, a couple of orange-clad Tennessee fans stood in front of the Heisman Trophy statues taking a photo.

As one of the men positioned himself in front of the Steve Spurrier statue, UF students passed by on a casual Friday without giving the two Tennessee fans much thought. They are too young to remember when the Gators-Vols rivalry made the Sports Illustrated cover during a time when that meant something.

"I'm taking this for my uncle because he's a big Spurrier fan,'' one of the men said. "If we don't win tomorrow, I'm not sending it to him."

As we celebrate the 25 year anniversary of the 1996 National Champions, enjoy this #TBT from Ol' Rocky Top. #GoGators pic.twitter.com/16GIBZayy5
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) September 23, 2021

The No. 11-ranked Gators (2-1, 0-1) host Tennessee (2-1) on Saturday night at "The Swamp" in the 51st all-time meeting between the schools. Florida has won 15 of the last 16 against the Vols and enters as a heavy favorite in this one.

The Gators' primary focus this week has been to maintain the determination and resiliency they showed a week ago in a 31-29 home loss to No. 1-ranked Alabama. Florida fell behind 21-3 in the first quarter but dominated the final three quarters to make it a game.

However, the loss stung inside the locker room and the Gators want another win over Tennessee.

"The foot's been on the gas ever since we stepped out on the field,'' defensive back Rashad Torrence II said this week after practice. "We knew that we had to keep that intensity up because this week is no easy week. It's just like any other week, so we knew we had to come out and play with that same intensity and that same fire that we brought last Saturday."

If so, that Tennessee fan's uncle might never get that shot of the Spurrier statue.

As for more topics of conversation around the Florida-Tennessee matchup, check out They Said It and They Wrote It:

THEY SAID IT

"There's no surprise that he's able to just flip the switch when it comes to whoever comes to this program whether it was, when he first got here, it be Feleipe and then being Kyle, Emory. He's a mastermind; he's a genius." -- Gators linebacker Jeremiah Moon on head coach Dan Mullen's ability to revamp the offense from a passing team to running team
"I'll sing. If they want to give me a mic pregame, I'll go sing or do a little dance routine, whatever we need if it'll help people come. I'll do what we need." -- Dan Mullen on drawing another crowd to "The Swamp" like the one at last week's Alabama game
"As a kid from Johnson City and going to Knoxville and watching the Vols and all that, it was my first time [competing against Tennessee]. I got chill bumps all over when the announcer came on and he said, 'It's football time in Tennessee.' That's my home state, and it was football time." -- Former Gators coach Steve Spurrier on facing the Vols for the first time as a Duke assistant in the 1982 season opener, via USA Today Sports Network
"think they do a good job of spacing people out. The quarterback is a huge part of their run game too. The threat of it, and when he has the ball in his hands, he runs like a runner. He's able to make the first guy miss and able to run through a tackle, too." -- Tennessee coach Josh Heupel on Florida's rushing attack, second in the country
"Florida's not into having moral victories, but Florida's got to feel really good about that game. They had some missed opportunities, or maybe they win the game. My personal feeling is Dan Mullen is a hell of a coach. He works like a magician when it comes to quarterback play. I'm excited to see not just where Florida goes but the entire SEC." -- ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit on his weekly podcast

THEY WROTE IT

Gainesville Sun columnist David Whitley remembers Florida's greatest forgotten team.
Gators' O-line not looking like a liability writes G. Allan Taylor of TheAthletic.com.
What Gators quarterback Emory Jones took from the Alabama loss writes Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times.
UF's offensive-minded Dan Mullen a visor-wearing van Gogh for Gators writes Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel.
Gators defensive lineman Andrew Chatfield announces transfer to Oregon State writes Thomas Goldkamp of 247Sports.com.

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