Offensive Line Struggles Highlighted In Florida Loss
The Tennessee Volunteers fell to the Florida Gators on Saturday, 29-16. It gives the Gators 10 straight wins against the Vols in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The loss also caused Tennessee to drop a lot in the recent AP Poll to No. 23 in the country.
A big part of the loss came from the battle at the lone of scrimmage that Florida held onto for the grand majority of the game. In particular, they played well against Tennessee's offensive line, which began to falter as the game progressed.
The run game did not receive a lot of support. Outside of Jaylen Wright, no Vol running back had more than 40 yards in the game. Tennessee also committed ten penalties total, resulting in a loss of 79 yards throughout Saturday night. A lot of those penalties were self-inflicted false starts, holdings, etc., that came from the offensive line, hindering the Vols' chances more at moving the ball.
Many offensive linemen were missing for the Vols that usually start. Both Gerald Mincey and Cooper Mays did not play in the game. Mincey was recently cited with simple possession on Thursday leading into the Gainesville road trip. Mays is still favoring an injury he had a procedure on back in August. This led to Ollie Lane playing out of his position (normally guard) throughout the game.
Tennessee threw many different looks at the offensive line, and it was a huge factor as it didn't help them with the line of scrimmage war that is key to them winning any football game. However, the overpowering by Florida at the offensive line in the trenches was one of the many defining factors in their win. It will be a point of emphasis for the Vols to fix as they look towards hosting UTSA next Saturday.
Tennessee Volunteers C Cooper Mays during spring practice on April 5th, 2023, in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Caitie McMekin of the News Sentinel)
You Might Also Like:
- Josh Heupel Developing His "Joe Milton Formula"
- Is Dylan Sampson Ready To Be A Feature Back?
- Conference Context: Where Tennessee Sits After Week One
Join the community:
Follow Evan Crowell on Twitter: @EvanVCrowell
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @VolunteerCountry & follow us on Twitter at @VCountryFN.
