Florida Notes |
Tennessee Notes |
Florida-Tennessee Game Day
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The checkered flags are out all around town. The ESPN "College GameDay" set is built on The Hill. Market Square buzzed Friday night with fans talking about the big game.
Yes, they are eager for Saturday's sold-out showdown at Neyland Stadium between the No. 20-ranked Gators (2-1, 0-1) and No. 11 Vols (3-0, 0-0) here on Rocky Top.
"There's so much history and tradition behind this game,'' Gators head coach
Billy Napier said. "I think our players and staff, anyone up to speed on college football, understands that Florida-Tennessee has always been an important game."
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The Gators, after three consecutive Saturdays at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, will be the enemy on Saturday afternoon. They face a Tennessee team climbing in the polls and tabbed as a 10.5-point favorite.
Meanwhile, history is clearly on Florida's side. The Gators have won 16 of the last 17 against Tennessee, including five in a row.
Still, Tennessee fans are certain this is the year their beloved Big Orange turn the tide in this once-fierce rivalry defined by 18 consecutive games in which both were ranked from 1990-2007.
The Gators are ready to face the hostile environment.
"It's a big game for everybody," Gators defensive back
Tre'Vez Johnson said. "Can't make the moment too big. They got to come play us like we got to come play them. It's an away game, so obviously it won't — the crowd, the momentum, all that, it won't be in our favor, but we've got to make it in our favor."
For more on Saturday's game between the Gators and Vols, here isÂ
The Opening Kickoff:
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THREE STORYLINES
- The Gators are ranked 20th. Tennessee is No. 11. Yup, this one sort of takes us back to the glory days of the rivalry. ESPN's "College GameDay" is in Knoxville for the game and the locals are pouring their moonshine for what they are convinced will be a victorious Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium for the Vols. Of course, the Gators have something to say about that and grasp the importance of the matchup for countless reasons. Hey, at least people are talking about a Florida-Tennessee matchup like the days of old.
- The obvious one for the Gators centers on quarterback Anthony Richardson, who enters without a touchdown pass and four interceptions through three games. Richardson has struggled to find the rhythm he flashed in the season-opening upset of then-No. 7 Utah. Richardson is trying to rediscover the joy in playing and spoke this week about having fun and letting the game come to him instead of the other way around. If that happens, the Gators will be a much better team.
- Gators coach Billy Napier was born in Cookeville, Tenn., his parents went to Tennessee Tech, and he grew up a couple of hours' drive from Knoxville in Chatsworth, Ga. This is Napier's SEC road debut at Florida and he can cause the Volunteer State more misery the way a certain head ball coach from Tennessee did when he was in charge of the program. That's a potential storyline that has Gators fans smiling.
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THREE PLAYERS TO WATCHÂ
- Since we mentioned Richardson above, let's turn to the backfield trio of Montrell Johnson Jr., Nay'Quan Wright and Trevor Etienne. The Gators can make Richardson's job a lot simpler by pounding the ball behind a veteran offensive line and a rushing attack that is averaging 212.0 yards per game. Tennessee's defense is allowing 182.3 yards rushing per game, ninth in the SEC. Run, Gators, run.
- Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker is 24 years old and a sixth-year senior. There is little he hasn't seen by now in his career running Tennessee's up-tempo offense that snaps the ball around every 20 seconds. Florida's defensive front needs to find a way to disrupt Hooker and get him out of rhythm. The Vols are averaging 52.0 points a game, so slowing down Hooker is imperative for the 10.5-point underdog Gators to walk out of Neyland Stadium on Saturday with a victory.
- Gators sixth-year senior linebacker Ventrell Miller's absence last week against USF was noticeable. The Bulls gashed the Gators for 286 yards on the ground. Miller is a game-time decision according to Napier, so all eyes will be on No. 51Â during pregame warmups. If Miller plays, the Gators have their defensive quarterback and glue in the middle.
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FIVE DIGITS
41 – Appearances on "College GameDay" for Gators; UF is 26-15 in those games.
553.7 – Average yards per game for Tennessee's offense, which leads the SEC.
353.0 – Average yards per game for Florida's offense, which ranks 12th in SEC.
7 – Consecutive games against Tennessee that Florida has scored 26-plus points. UF is 6-1 and averaged 33.1 points over that span.
37/3 – Touchdown/interception ratio for Tennessee quarterback
Hendon Hooker since joining the Vols last season.
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INJURY REPORT
GATORS — OUT: OL
Michael Tarquin (lower body), LS
Marco Ortiz (upper body), TE
Arlis Boardingham (upper body), QB
Jack Miller III (thumb), OL
David Conner (upper body);
QUESTIONABLE — LB
Ventrell Miller (lower body);
PROBABLE — CB
Jaydon Hill (knee).
TENNESSEE — OUT: RB Len'Neth Whitehead (upper body, out for season), LB William Mohan (suspended), WR Jimmy Holloway (suspended, first half only);
QUESTIONABLE:Â WR Cedric Tillman (lower body); TE Miles Campbell (undisclosed);
PROBABLE — RB Jabari Small (upper body), CB Dee Williams (undisclosed), CB Warren Burrell (undisclosed).
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NOTES FILE
- The Gators visit Tennessee for the 27th time in program history. UF is 31-20 all-time against the Vols, including a 14-12 advantage in Knoxville.
- Florida has won 16 of the previous 17 meetings against Tennessee and has outscored the Vols by an average of 13.5 points per game over that span.
- Both schools were ranked when they played each year from 1990-2007. This is the fourth time both have been ranked since 2008 (2012, '16, '17, '22).
- Gators co-defensive coordinator Sean Spencer and Vols defensive coordinator Tim Banks are very familiar with one another. They worked together at Penn State from 2016-19.
- Former Gators OL Gerald Mincey, who transferred to Tennessee after last season, has started the first three games at left tackle for Vols.
- The Gators rank fifth among FBS programs with an average of 6.4 yards per rush.
- Gators RB Montrell Johnson Jr. (second, 9.6) and Trevor Etienne (third, 7.5) are among individual SEC leaders in yards per rush.
- Fifth-year senior safety Trey Dean III has a team-high 30 tackles, second in the SEC behind Vanderbilt's Anfernee Orji (39).
- The Tennessee defense has forced six turnovers through three games and UT is plus-three in turnover margin.
- Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker has not thrown an interception in 15 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in school history behind Heath Shuler (18).
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THEY SAID IT
- "He's our No. 2, and I would say Jalen has done a great job of making good decisions, he's been very accurate and each week he gets a better understanding of our system. Been pleased with Jalen and the progress there." — Gators coach Billy Napier on backup quarterback Jalen Kitna
- "I think it was a guy that was relaxed, and there was really no pressure, they weren't expected to win. They were almost the underdog at home and he went out and played. And then the last two weeks you saw a guy that now — as a younger player —  is expected to lead the team." — Former Gators head coach Dan Mullen on Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson
- "They've got good skill players. They're big, strong, physical up front. You have to be able to handle their unbalanced sets. Communicate. Be gapped out. Because of the athletes that have the ball in their hands, you have to do a great job of tackling. That's the running backs, but it's the quarterbacks too." — Tennessee coach Josh Heupel on what makes UF's offense dangerous
- "It's really exciting, something I looked forward to coming up as a kid, exciting to get my first start away, in a hostile environment. I feel like that's going to be a test for me, but I feel like I'm ready for it." — Gators defensive lineman Desmond Watson on earning his first start at Tennessee
- "I just go into meditation mode and put my gospel playlist on. I really just listen to a lot of slow jams and just relax. I kind of go through the locker room and dap up everyone, just to make sure that I'm ready to roll." — Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker on his pregame routine for big games
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THEY WROTEÂ IT
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BOTTOM LINE
The Gators have dominated this rivalry so much over the past two decades that when the Volunteers are the heavy favorite, it's as if we're hanging out in the Upside Down with those folks in "Stranger Things." It's easy to see why the Vols are the sexy pick in this one. They are undefeated and second-year coach
Josh Heupel has Rocky Top dreaming big. Meanwhile, the Gators have struggled the past two weeks and now must go on the road and play in front of more than 100,000 rabid Tennessee fans who view a win over Florida as their Super Bowl. Sorry, I'm just not buying it. I may be totally wrong and look forward to the emails afterward if I am, but I think the Gators are going to maintain their dominance. That's what Florida does against Tennessee.
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