KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee River snakes along Neyland Stadium here, and according to the Tennessee Valley Authority, flowed at a maximum 60,000 cubic feet per second as recent as last week while the river dealt with the mountain flooding caused by Hurricane Helene. The TVA reportedly was working to reduce flow to about 38,000 cubic feet per second by Friday, as the Vol Navy began to gather for Saturday night's Florida-Tennessee showdown.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Helene's impact — and to a lesser degree, this week's Hurricane Milton — was still evident in Gainesville as the Gators passed piles of debris while bussing from campus to catch their flight to Knoxville on Friday afternoon. While Florida and Tennessee have endured a difficult stretch due to weather events, what is scheduled to go down Saturday night at Neyland Stadium is strictly a Gators vs. Vols affair.
"This is a huge game for us being able to go on the road in the SEC,'' said Gators receiver Chimere Dike, a transfer from Wisconsin set to play in his first Florida-Tennessee game. "That's all we are really focused on."
Florida (3-2, 1-1) is coming off a home win against UCF. Ninth-ranked Tennessee (4-1, 1-1) suffered a 19-14 loss at Arkansas, snapping the Vols' six-game win streak. This is the Southeastern Conference home opener for Tennessee and more than 100,000 fans will be there in what is being billed as the Vols' 16th consecutive sellout.
The Gators adjusted their practice schedule on Wednesday and Thursday with the UF campus closed as Milton made landfall in Florida. That is nothing new for UF head coach Billy Napier, who is a veteran at prepping around hurricanes from his time at Louisiana and the past three seasons at Florida.
Napier knows the Vols are waiting on the Gators with bad intentions.
"Going to play in Knoxville against a team that, in my opinion, has a ton of capability and certainly has been impressive,'' Napier said. "I know they struggled a little bit last week, but in our league right now, heck, each week is like an NFL game. It's coming down to the last seconds. We've got respect for Tennessee.
"Obviously, this is a rivalry game, one that has a ton of history and tradition. We know the importance and certainly our players will be focused and excited. I do think fundamentals are very, very important in games like this. I do think you have to be tough-minded to go play on the road in this league."
In this edition of The Opening Kickoff, here is a closer look at the Florida-Tennessee matchup:
THREE STORYLINES
Florida can win three games in a row for the first time since early last season — and only the second time in the past four seasons — by upsetting the Vols. The Gators upset then-No. 11 Tennessee at home last season. They will have to do it on the road Saturday. Tennessee opened as a 16.5-point a favorite, the largest spread in the Vols' favor in at least 50 years against the Gators.
This is going to sound familiar, but this is the latest huge game for Napier as he hits the midseason point of his third year in charge of the program. Napier improved to 14-16 with last week's win over UCF and could enter the bye week riding momentum and a .500 record should the Gators beat Tennessee and Kentucky at home next week. Yes, that's a lot of ifs. But as we saw last weekend when Alabama lost at Vanderbilt, anything is possible.
Tennessee is going all out with the Gators coming to town, launching its #CheckerNeyland initiative, which showcases the Vols' checkerboard pattern throughout Neyland Stadium. This is the eighth time in program history Tennessee has checkered Neyland Stadium. Vols fans are eager to watch the home team. This is the latest on the calendar that Tennessee has held its SEC home opener in 34 years: a 45-3 win over the Gators in Steve Spurrier's first season as UF head coach.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
This is Florida's first look at Vols redshirt freshman QB Nico Iamaleava, one of the nation's top recruits in the 2023 class. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Iamaleava is comfortable inside and outside the pocket, which puts significant stress on opposing defenses. Iamaleava had his least-productive game of the season in last week's loss at Arkansas, completing 16 of 28 passes for a season-low 156 yards and 57.1 completion rate.
With Gators LTs Austin Barber listed as questionable and Devon Manuel as out (see below), redshirt junior OL Kamryn Waites could see more snaps than usual. Waites has played in four of five games and started the season opener against Miami. He has settled into a reserve role as versatile player who can play tackle or guard.
Tennessee's defense is ranked first in the SEC (227.6 yards per game) and second among FBS teams. The Gators want to be balanced and that means establishing the running game with Montrell Johnson Jr. Since a 100-yard game against Miami, Johnson has rushed for 182 yards in the last four games. Some of the modest production is because Johnson has split carries with Treyaun Webb, Jadan Baugh and Ja'Kobi Jackson. However, with Webb out and Baugh and Jackson making their first trip to Neyland Stadium, the Gators could use a standout performance from their veteran tailback.
THREE QUESTIONS WITH … GATORS LB R.J. MOTEN
Moten's father is former Gators LB Mike Moten. The 6-foot, 229-pound Moten transferred to UF a season ago after starting his career at Michigan.
Gators linebacker R.J. Moten started his career at Michigan before transferring to Florida following the 2022 season. (Photo: Jordan Herald/UAA Communications)
Q:What went into the move from safety to linebacker? A: I have always wanted to play linebacker actually, but I think I knew going into the next level I was definitely going to move to linebacker, but it was just one day where Coach Armstrong was like, 'You're getting too big … how do you feel about moving to linebacker?' I think that was just God's way of telling me, 'Look, this is your opportunity.'
Q:How did your dad react to the move? A: He was very happy. I think, too ,it was kind of like now it's really, like, I'm really following his footsteps. I came to this school. I was playing safety at first, but now it's like I'm playing linebacker. My dad played wheel. I'm playing wheel now. He was for sure happy.
Q:What are your thoughts on playing a bigger role than last season? A: It definitely is exciting. Last year there were ups and downs. Obviously, broke my hand. Had five pins in my hand. That's kind of something playing college football I had to understand, especially coming from Michigan and everything. That's kind of something I try to tell some of my teammates as well. If it's not their time right now, just be happy for the guy in front of you. I knew my time was coming.
THREE DIGITS 3 – Plays of 30-plus yards allowed by the Vols' defense, tied for third-fewest among FBS schools. 14 – Plays 30-plus yards for Florida's offense (11 passes, three rushes). 2 – FBS teams with two players who have thrown for more than 600 yards this season: Florida and Texas.
SEC PLAYER AVAILABILITY REPORT
FLORIDA — OUT: DL Jamari Lyons (ankle, out for season), WR Kahleil Jackson (knee, out for season), CB Ja'Keem Jackson (undisclosed), WR TJ Abrams (undisclosed), RB Treyaun Webb (undisclosed), RB KD Daniels (undisclosed), OL Devon Manuel (undisclosed), TE Tony Livingston (undisclosed), WR Marcus Burke (undisclosed). QUESTIONABLE: S Asa Turner (knee), DL Joey Slackman (knee), OL Austin Barber (undisclosed), S Bryce Thornton (undisclosed), DB DJ Douglas (undisclosed) . TENNESSEE —OUT: DB Jourdan Thomas (knee), LB Edwin Spillman (undisclosed). DOUBTFUL: LB Ben Bolton (undisclosed); QUESTIONABLE: WR Dont'e Thornton Jr. (lower body) PROBABLE: WR Squirrel White (upper body), DB Christian Harrison, WR Bru McCoy (hand).
NEWS, NOTES, NUGGETS
Florida and Tennessee are meeting for the 54th time. The Gators lead the all-time series 32-21 and have won 17 of 19 overall.
The Gators are 7-2 in their last nine trips to Neyland Stadium, their only losses coming in 2016 (38-28) and 2022 (38-33).
Florida QBs Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway have combined to complete 87.5% of their passes (49 of 56) in the last two games.
Vols RB Dylan Sampson scored two touchdowns and rushed for a career-high 140 yards in Tennessee's loss last week at Arkansas. Sampson's 12 rushing TDs lead the SEC.
Tennessee has won four straight SEC home openers, including the last three under head coach Josh Heupel: South Carlina (2023), Florida (2022) and South Carolina (2021).
Tennessee is the only FBS team in the country ranked in the top five nationally in total offense (519.0 ypg), total defense (227.6 ypg), scoring offense (46.0 ppg) and scoring defense (9.4 ppg).
Florida WRs Eugene Wilson III (knee) and Aidan Mizell (foot) are not on the injury report and available to play. Wilson has missed the last three games following minor knee surgery. Mizell did not play in the victory over UCF after getting hurt at Mississippi State on Sept. 21.
Florida's defense limited UCF to a season-low 273 yards last week at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, sacking Knights QB KJ Jefferson five times. Edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. had 1.5 sacks and has a team-high 4.5 tackles for loss.
Vols QB Nico Iamaleava seeks to become the first Tennessee freshman QB to beat the Gators since Erik Ainge and Brent Schaeffer in 2004. Schaeffer started and true freshman Ainge took the majority of the snaps.
Tennessee has dominated the first quarter, outscoring opponents 78-6 this season. That is a trend under Heupel. The Vols have outscored opponents 519-175 in the first quarter since he took over the program in 2021.
WHY GATORS WILL WIN
The defense turns in another inspired performance and puts pressure on Iamaleava, increasing the chances of him making a mistake or committing a turnover. Meanwhile, Mertz and Co. move the ball consistently and prevent the Vols from opening up a big halftime lead. If the game is close in the third quarter, the Gators have a shot at another upset win over the Vols.
WHY TENNESSEE WILL WIN
Iamaleava does what he wants against Florida's defense, and the Vols' defense sets the tone with a takeaway that keeps Florida's offense grounded for an extended stretch. If the Vols go up by double-digits in the first quarter, it could be a long night for the Gators since a shootout favors the Vols. Tennessee would prefer a track meet rather than a repeat of last week's low-scoring loss to Arkansas.
