What can Tennessee hope for this season after embarrassing loss to Florida?
By Dave Hooker
Published:
One would hope that Tennessee’s football program hit rock bottom Saturday against Florida. In truth, this is probably just the beginning.
Losing to Florida is nothing new. The Vols have done that in fantastic fashion before, many, many times. However, Tennessee’s 47-21 loss to the Gators on Saturday was one for the ages. The Vols were completely dismantled against a team thought to be in a similar rebuilding mode. This isn’t the Florida of old. It’s a Florida team that lost to Kentucky at home, not one that will be vying for any sort of championship. That’s even more sobering for the Tennessee faithful.
Tennessee is just beginning its SEC gauntlet. The Vols will face Georgia, Auburn, Alabama and South Carolina in its next four games. They all won on Saturday, and all of them are much better than UT. That’s not likely to change anytime soon.
UT’s glaring weakness throughout the season may have undermined any chance to upset at least one of their upcoming SEC rivals. The Vols haven’t been able to protect quarterback Jarrett Guarantano all season long. That was the case against the Gators on Saturday when Guarantano limped to the sideline in the second half. He had been a bright spot for the Vols this season, and had played well despite UT’s shortcomings on the offensive line. Now, his season is in doubt.
Even the most optimistic fan can’t think Tennessee was ever actually in the game on Saturday. An argument could be made that Austin Pope’s fluky fumble out of the back of the end zone changed the course of the game, but the outcome wouldn’t have changed had Pope actually scored. The Vols had to go for it on fourth down and use a gimmicky play to even give Pope a chance.
The Pope play was symbolic for two reasons. First, it was a reminder that the Vols can’t seem to get out of their own way even when they seem to be on the right path. Call it unfortunate or unlikely, but at some point UT’s players have to wonder if they’re just destined to lose.
The Pope play was also a reminder just how far the Vols have to go in order to match the talent of their SEC counterparts. While Pope lumbered, Florida defensive back C.J. Henderson sprinted across the field, caught Pope from behind and ended what little chance the Vols had for the upset.
So what do the Vols play for in this day and age of transferring when things get tough. It’s hard to argue that Tennessee has anything to play for other than pride and self-improvement. Some of UT’s players will continue to tough it out this season because they rooted for the Vols when they were actually decent. Some will continue to play hard in order to help their NFL stock. What more is there?
UT finished 4-8 last season, and a humbling 0-8 in the SEC. That led to a coaching change. The Vols will be hard-pressed to match that record this season. UT’s only surefire win the rest of the season will come against Charlotte in November. After that, the Vols close the season with their second run through the SEC when they’ll play Kentucky, Missouri and Vanderbilt. That would have seemed like a soft landing a few years ago. Now, it seems like a crash in the making.
Tennessee’s former players spent the weekend celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 1998 national championship team. Those Vols overcame incredible odds to go 13-0, and were never supposed to be a title contender after Peyton Manning went off to the NFL. These Vols have much more to overcome just to win their first SEC game since 2016.
This season marks another anniversary that will go unrecognized. Just 10 years ago, UT’s administration decided to fire Phillip Fulmer after a 5-6 season. It’s unimaginable at this point to think UT can have the same success as it had during Fulmer’s career. UT may not win 13 games combined until 2020. Winning five games this season should be viewed as progress, and even admirable given the state of UT’s football program compared to its upcoming opponents.
Tennessee’s loss to Florida had to be especially tough for Fulmer, who is now Tennessee’s athletic director. Fulmer has been handed his fair share of Florida losses as a coach but his teams were never sas outmanned as the Vols were on Saturday.
He knows that more than most. Fulmer can see talent. He has to know just how far the Vols have fallen.
Dave Hooker started covering Tennessee in 1998. He hosts an SEC radio show out of Chattanooga and covers the SEC for Saturday Down South.
