Florida Gators Game Preview: A Chance to Punch a Ticket to Atlanta
Offseason momentum does not equate to in-season success.
With the sixth-ranked Florida Gators gearing up for the latest edition of their rivalry with the Tennessee Volunteers, UF is in a position to assert their dominance over a lackluster UT squad.
Bringing rather one-sided affairs since the turn of the century—with Florida being 16-4 in that time span—the word “rivalry” has begun to grow ill-equipped to describe this once-storied matchup.
“I personally never really played a Tennessee team that was too competitive against us, but I mean it’s Tennessee-Florida, it’s a rivalry game, it’s got history, we’ve got beef," said Gators linebacker James Houston IV.
Despite the lack of competitiveness as of late, this battle's significance remains high as it marks the first opportunity for the Gators to punch their ticket to Atlanta officially.
Facing a 2-5 Tennessee team, Florida continues their slate of poorly performing opponents with an opportunity to reignite the flame of their early-season offseason production and build upon the best half of defense all season seen last week against Kentucky.
However, to know what to expect from Florida, it’s important to know the 2020 version of Tennessee. Shocker alert: It isn’t good.
Beginning the year ranked in the top 25 at number 16, the expectations of the Tennessee Volunteers were high—especially from their fans.
Building what looked to be a great foundation for the future—accumulating multiple victories to cap off the 2019 season as well as a stellar start to the 2021 recruiting cycle—the Vols walked into 2020 with the idea they could legitimately compete for the SEC East crown with the likes of Florida and Georgia.
However—following two wins to begin the year—Tennessee’s hopes of returning to the top took a hard hit via a five-game losing streak against the likes of Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, and Auburn.
As a result, Tennessee has begun to see changes on and off the field, losing pieces for the present and the future alike, and could start to seek changes in the coaching department if the downward spiral continues.
On both sides of the ball, the Vols haven’t seen great success, but there are bright spots offensively threatening to Florida if Tennessee uses them correctly.
With relative stagnation offensively in their seven outing—averaging just 20.1 points and 339.3 yards per game—the Volunteers present an opportunity for the Gators defense to build upon their best half of football all season against Kentucky with a complete and well-rounded game on Saturday.
While the quarterback position is currently unknown to outsiders of the Volunteers program due to COVID-19 contact tracing effecting one of the signal-callers, the starter so far this season starter is redshirt-senior Jarrett Guarantano.
Enduring his fair share of criticism for inconsistent and—to be frank—abysmal play during his time as the starter for Tennessee, Guarantano has been a liability for the Vols, making the running game a vital factor in the limited success they have seen.
Specifically, that running game has been a collective effort, orchestrated by a well-oiled offensive line and a dynamic sophomore running back, Eric Gray.
“I think they are a very physical O-line. I think if you look at the games over the last four weeks, they’ve been very physical. They get movement at the point of attack. I think their O-line is coached really well. I think their O-line is physical,” Gators defensive coordinator Todd Grantham stated when asked about the Tennessee offense.
As a result, Florida will have to reciprocate the Tennessee offensive line’s physicality with Kyree Campbell and Tedarrell Slaton, creating inside push and to halt another big performance from an opposing rusher. However, the rusher they will face is fully capable of a big performance.
Recording for 850 yards on 154 touches, Gray has accounted for 35.8% of the Volunteers offensive production and 5 total touchdowns this season.
As a versatile threat both on the ground and via the passing game, Gray is the best playmaker Tennessee has to offer and proves it by his average of 5.4 yards per touch. With an ability to create mismatches out in space while presenting a compact 5-foot-10, 205-pound frame, Gray is a quick yet imposing rusher that can cause problems for a Gators defense that has struggled in the tackling department this season.
If given the opportunity, Gray can change the entire game's complexion, making it a necessity to keep him grounded from start to finish. Heavily underutilized in the Tennessee offense despite high efficiency, Gray makes the most of the opportunities he does receive, simply because of the talent he brings to the table.
“He’s definitely a talented kid.” Florida Gators linebacker Mohamoud Diabate said about the sophomore. “It’ll be a good challenge that we’re all excited for. He’s a great running back. We respect his game. We look forward to lining up against him on Saturday.”
While the defense could have issues arise when attempting to stop the rushing attack, the Gators' offense should have a fairly easy road to meet their 43.4 points per game average.
With a multitude of weapons lining the field for the Gators to utilize via the passing game as well as on the ground, a shaky Tennessee defense—allowing nearly 32 points per game—could have their hands full in limiting one of the best offenses in the nation.
Losing their one half of their sack leaders and hands-down best pass rusher in Kivon Bennett due to an arrest on drug charges resulting in his dismissal from the team, the Volunteers will look to replace a man that has taken 252 (234 of which from the edge position) of the 499 total defensive snaps on the year, according to Pro Football Focus.
Accumulating 22 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery, Bennett has played a vital role in the UT defense alongside DeAndre Johnson, who is tied for first on the team with 4.5 sacks and second in snaps at 216 for edge rushers.
Continuing forward without the experience and production from their top edge rusher, the Volunteers will benefit from their frequent rotation at the position throughout the year. Still, they will struggle to replicate the type of impact Bennett made, resulting in further weakness defensively.
As a result, Kyle Trask’s time in the pocket to makes decisions is surely to increase, presenting a large advantage to the Heisman contender as he looks to target the likes of Kyle Pitts, Trevon Grimes, Kadarius Toney, and others downfield.
Despite Tennessee’s desires to alter college football's landscape with an upset victory over the Gators, the Vols are down a crucial piece defensively and struggle with inconsistency from the most important position offensively. Pair that with the evident gap between the two programs and the possibility of the Gators solidifying an SEC Championship berth with a commanding victory in Neyland Stadium is likely.
