Tennessee football: Beating Florida would change everything
The Florida game was once a season-defining moment for Tennessee. It could be again.
Gone are the days in which the winner was destined to end up in the SEC Championship Game. Neither program is elite at the moment, although the Gators could be trending in that direction. The Vols, in their own way, are also finally trending upwards after a 45-0 win against Chattanooga on Saturday.
The early season failures would be (mostly) forgotten if Tennessee could somehow beat Florida in The Swamp on Saturday. The Vols have only bested the Gators once in the past 14 tries and not in Gainesville since 2003.
A win over the Gators this season would reshape the season for Tennessee. Fans could chalk up the season-opening loss to Georgia State as a terrible upset. For whatever reason, the Vols weren’t ready to play the Panthers. Perhaps Jeremy Pruitt pushed his team too hard in the preseason or maybe Georgia State simply surprised the Vols. Either way, a win over Florida would practically erase that loss.
UT’s loss to BYU was heartbreaking. However, if the Vols beat Florida, fans could look back on the BYU loss and consider it respectable, especially after the Cougars beat Southern California on Saturday.
Tennessee will face a Florida team that certainly is beatable. The Gators were on the ropes against Kentucky on Saturday before pulling out a stunning 29-21 win in Lexington. The Gators certainly had to expend more energy against Kentucky than the Vols did against Chattanooga.
Florida will also have to overcome the loss of quarterback Feleipe Franks, who suffered a season-ending leg injury against Kentucky. Franks’ replacement, Kyle Trask, was extremely effective. Trask completed 9-of-13 passes for 126 yards to lead the Gators to a comeback win. Trask is clearly no pushover, but there’s a reason Franks was Florida’s starter. Now, he’s gone. One would think that would improve UT’s chances for a win.
The transition from Franks to Trask could also hurt Tennessee’s chances. Trask doesn’t have the experience of Franks. That should help the Vols. However, Tennessee also doesn’t have much of a track record for Trask and the Vols will have to prepare for Emory Jones, who Florida coach Dan Mullen said could also play in Franks’ absence.
No, Florida isn’t going to completely overhaul its offense because of a quarterback change, but it’s reasonable to think that Mullen will have a slightly different offensive approach to play to Trask or Jones’ strengths. The unknown will require Tennessee to be on its toes during preparation this week. UT might also need to adapt on the fly against the Gators.
Imagine how much the narrative of Tennessee’s season would change if the Vols pull off the upset. The Vols would have beaten a top 10 team and cruise into a bye week feeling much more confident than anyone would have imagined. Georgia State and BYU? Who would even remember those games if the Vols beat Florida?.
Imagine what beating Florida would mean for UT quarterback Jarrett Guaratano’s career. No matter what has or will happen in his tenure at Tennessee, a win on the road against Florida would never be forgotten.
The Florida game has been a defining rivalry for UT quarterbacks. Everyone remembers that Peyton Manning never beat Florida. Similarly, everyone remembers that former UT quarterback Casey Clausen beat Florida in Gainesville — twice.
If the Vols beat the Gators, the discussion of being bowl eligible would suddenly become relevant once again. Such a topic seemed like a pipe dream after UT’s 0-2 start. A win over Florida and the postseason would become a real possibility. A season that began with such heartbreak would be considered a success if the Vols could finish 6-6 with a win over Florida.
A win over the Gators would also reenergize UT’s fan base and, likely, the team itself. Then we could finally stop talking about all of that nonsense about Phillip Fulmer taking over for Pruitt.
Florida was always the thorn in Fulmer’s side. He had no problem with the likes of Alabama and Georgia. However, the Gators, and a coach named Steve Spurrier, usually got the upperhand on Fulmer. No one on UT’s campus would love a win over Florida more than Fulmer.
So will UT beat Florida on Saturday? Probably not.
However, the idea seems much more plausible after the Vols thoroughly beat Chattanooga. Tennessee wasn’t perfect but seemed to have a plan. That’s a start.
The best part about a potential win over Florida is that no one would expect it. Barring another monumental upset this week, the Vols would be the talk of the college football world. From 0-2 to 2-2 and a win over a key SEC East rival would have every analyst, including me, looking at the Vols much differently than before.
Tennessee fans have gotten their hopes up time and time again against Florida. Mostly, the Vols haven’t lived up to the hype. There is no hype this year. Tennessee is expected to lose. Maybe that can work in the Vols’ favor. If so, the 2019 season could be remembered much differently, much more favorably.
keep dreaming rocky bottom
Talk smack while you can lizard licker. UF is 2 plays away from being 1-2.
Mizzou is going to kick your butt, SCar is going to kick your butt and the Dawgs will continue their
OWNERSHIP of UF
Keep making stupid predictions Nostradumba$$ 2.0, so far they have all been wrong
Crackhead – go back and review your comments – you chase me from end of this blog to the other.
It is far beyond living in your pea-sized cranium rent-free. It’s more like you are my bytch, except I want nothing to do with you. A whiny little bytch seeking attention from an adult.
I picked UF to beat UK and your ladies got lucky. The UK coaches gave you all one.
If UF plays to their ability this weekend UF could win by 10 and take home the SECE Crapfest Bowl throphy.
LOL I’m commenting on a Gator/Vol story and pointing out the truth about your stupid predictions yet I’m the one chasing you.
You don’t find me posting crap on the Georgia articles, that’s the difference you are too stupid to understand.
You are the one chasing everything Gator dummy
TDOW so do the gators live rent free in your head? I mean you comment on every gator article. And just curious when are FSU and UT going to be better then UF?
lizard licker…. how original… lol hillbilly dawg fans… haven’t won anything in 4 decades and you idiots act like your bama…
LOL CO Jones… you can’t reason with these idiots… they talk about living rent free in our brains yet every single gator article has 700 posts from dawg fans…they are without a doubt the most delusional fans in all of CFB..
Like the saying, you can’t argue with an idiot they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience
Anyone else you can play that can’t put their shoes on?
A win for Tennessee would drastically change the attitude around the program and Pruitt. I have not watched Tennessee play this year. Any level headed fans see a way they can beat the Gators? BYU is not a bad team.
Not really. I don’t believe we have enough of a passing game to stretch the field to have a chance this week. We might have a few good runs early but after FL stacks the box it’s probably over.
Assuming Florida plays similar to their previous games AND Guarantano plays really well there is a chance. Obviously we cant play like we did against ga. st or byu. If we do its over regardless of anything else. I expect every aspect of our team to be much better except Guarantano and the D line. As for G I think he has the ability to play better and did so against Chattanooga but not counting Chattanooga much. The D line im not so sure they have that ability right now. But the florida O line isn’t as good as many of their lines we have faced in the past so there is a chance there. Our O line has improved each week I and think they are capable of holding their own against the florida D line. It will be the blitzes and other wrinkles that may give the young and inexperienced guys trouble. We really do have some very good skill players so I do think we have a chance but we have a lot to improve on for it to happen. Then there is always the new florida QB’s. We have a recent history of making average QB’s look like Tom Brady. I think Trask is better than average so he may light us up in the swamp. If Thompson plays that may not be as easy.
Our RT is a swinging gate right now. He’s been manhandled by both UM and UK. Neither guard is getting any push in the run game and both missing assignments. It’s painful because we have a loaded WR corps who are getting open and a previous QB who doesn’t trust his reads so we’re not helping the young OL much either. We’ll see because Trask for sure trusted his reads and delivered a few balls that I have never seen Frank’s throw. 1 beauty over the middle with defender in his face and he throws a strike 25 yards to a breaking receiver. FF has always been indecisive. Trask “seems” to make a decision and go
No, I don’t think it will be competetive in the 2nd half. The Gator’s front seven will dismantle our O-line, and after hitting the dirt a dozen times JG won’t be making any threats downfield. After this past weekend’s game I’m mildly confident we will win 2 or 3 conference games, but this won’t be one of them.
With all the injuries UF has right now, Tennessee can win. They simply need to tie Jeremy Pruitt up and lock him in a closet before they leave Knoxville to head to Gainesville. That bonehead infecting their team with his incompetence is the reason they are currently 1-2 and not 3-0. If Potatohead shows up for the game and is on Tennessee’s sidelines, Florida could be setting some state records even with it’s 2nd string in the game.
It would be hilarious. I hope it happens.
The delusional lizard lickers would be fit to be tied!!!
GO VOLS!!!
These types of comments make y’all look so weak and scared. It is actually sad… clinging on to the only three years of relevance in the past 40.
36-17 chump
Mattchew, it’s actually only 2 years of relevance, since they haven’t completed year 3 yet, but they live and die by those 2 years and act like they’re 2 straight national champs. As you can see from this loser’s response above, he doesn’t actually respond to anyone logically, it’s usually immature name calling or the score of last years game. He probably wakes up and the first words out of his mouth are 36-17. His brain doesn’t have the ability to come up with anything intelligent.
Not even 3 years, just 2
2 year dynasty chumps
It’s like Florida fans don’t understand rivalries. I want Uf to lose EVERY game they play. Makes me look weak and scared???? Scared????? Of the gators???? BAHAHAHAHAHAHA
It’s like pup fans don’t understand obsession, they camp en masse on Gator articles and post crap 24/7
Ohh.. it makes sense now! Like father UGADAWG78, like son TheDawgsofWar.
How cute DumbDawg78 wanting to join the Triumvirate of douchiness chatting with the #2 douche troll in a Gator/Vol article having nothing to do with them. More evidence Georgia has the most obnoxious, ignorant and D bag fanbase on this site
Whine. Cry. Repeat.
Keep up the stupidity and you may unseat the #3 douche, he’s been quiet recently
Will I get a new super-creative nickname?? You’re so good at making up names!!! Don’t keep me in suspense! Tell me how dumb I am or how big of a douche! You’re so cool CO. I’ll try not to talk bad about your precious gators. I know you’re super sensitive about it.
I don’t like either team, but I pull for the underdog in this game. I wanna see the football version of crabs in a barrel.
One thing about this Florida team is they have shown grit and mental toughness. They haven’t quit. I was high on Tennessee coming into the season but I think I was wrong.
I fully agree. While Florida is still trying to find its identity on offense. The defense, for the most part, is firing on all cylinders. The “expect to lose” argument is invalid. Nothing about Mullen’s tenure at UF suggests he will allow his players to overlook anyone and play all 4 qtrs. I don’t see a blowout on either side, just looking forward to a good conference game. Go Gators!
I’ve seen many gator teams under Muschamp and Mac give up completely. This team, which is almost the same team as last year, never seems to give or get rattled. Lots of come back wins. I thought Tenn would be better too. Maybe they’ll have a better finish to the season than the start.
Would LOVE for this to happen, but not getting my hopes up. Even with UF playing a back up QB. Side note, best wishes to Franks on a speedy recovery.
/narrator voice:
“But they would not beat Florida. Not even close…”
Everyone would still remember the BYU and GSU loss. Those were not flukes.
Jinxing it before the game ever starts. Tennessee will continue its rich tradition of Florida backups paying like super bowl MVP’s against them
Go VOLS!
UF is 2 plays from being 1-2; UK gave them the game and a terrible 1-2 Miami team almost beat them.
UF is most overrated 8-4 team in the history of college football.
While I know you are trolling and nothing I say really matters, I honestly agree with you about being overhyped. I don’t think we are a top 10 team this year. But, you can’t take away a teams grit to play all the entire 60 mins. Maybe, with all of Georgia’s talent and recruits. If they played as such, they could back up talking trash with more SEC championships and the national championship. Just a thought
UF would be lucky to actually be the #2 team in the State of Florida, UCF would dirt-stomp the lizards.
36-17 chump
Let me point out you have said UF is the 4th best team in Florida in the past few months. More of your asinine predictions and statements. A normal person would stop making so many blanket statements and predictions when one by one they prove to be false. Then again you are far from normal
I love when bulldog fans post up the IQ they WISHED they had vs the IQ that they actually have.
“The Gators certainly had to expend more energy against Kentucky than the Vols did against Chattanooga”
Yes Einstein that is because Kentucky is not Chattanooga
Dave Hooker: “Then we could finally stop talking about all of that nonsense about Phillip Fulmer taking over for Pruitt.”
Also Dave Hooker: “It’s time to buy out Jeremy Pruitt and turn to a familiar face to resurrect Tennessee football.”
#NeverForget
Yep thought the same thing reading this article
You’re exactly right. DA Dave is a fool of the highest order. Having him on staff hurts the legitimacy of SDS. He brings the other writers down along with the site. Hopefully he will be gone from this and any other site/publication soon.
Ideally we get Burney, Henderson, and Zuniga back and the defense keeps this one under control while the offense figures itself out with Trask at the helm. Hopefully his success can continue.
Greenard was in a walking boot after the game as well. The Gator defense will be far from full strength going into this game that’s for sure.
Carter needs to step up. Haven’t seen much of an impact from him.
I think the offense looked pretty good w trask at the helm already.
DA Dave Hooker, the ONLY person dumb enough to talk about Fulmer taking over for Pruitt is you.
SDS should be rid of you asap.
In what world do you live in where Fulmer looking to become head coach by putting in an in competent Pruitt as your head coach is not reality. Because that is exactly what is happening at UT right now. He stole the AD job with his behind the scenes antics, same as how he originally stole the head coaching job from Johnny Majors. Then he hired some bozo he knew would fail and gave him a ridiculous contract that they would have to buy out and not want to go looking for a new coach very soon. Et al, they’d have to resort to Fulmer accepting the head coaching job in the interim and you’d have the 2nd rise of Phil Fulmer. Seriously why are you giving Hooker any grief over this when the entire country see’s what is going on. You have a snake for an AD, admittedly, a passionately loyal UT snake, and then you have a circus clown for a head coach. The writing is on the wall here.
UGA fans pulling for UT to beat the lizards
And all the crackheads are whining because they are the least liked team in the SEC
UF fans – embr
ace your irrevence
UF fans – embrace your irreverence
I’m not denying that UT is underrated, and i respect them as a rival, but they have 0 chance Saturday. You can dissagree all you want, but that’s my opinion.
I actually stated UF by 10.
But myself along with every other non-crackhead fan will be rooting for UT
I can’t really imagine a sadder thing.
UF will win by at least 20
ok gatorfan I will disagree. zero chance is just silly. I will say 30% chance.
maybe 15-18%. I was exaggerating
Umm, I don’t think irreverence means what you think it means….did you possibly intend to say “irrelevance”?
smh
LOL, more projections. Guess who is the most disliked fanbase on this site?
Vandy?
If you won’t take my word for it ask 4th and Grantham…
Definitely Vandy
You probably would know about crackheads… i’m sure there are plenty in your trailer park community
You do not speak for me.
The beautiful thing about the yearly UF-UT game is that one of them must lose. I rarely care which it is.
Touché, sir.
By the way, if you mean to use the word “irreverence” (instead of “irrelevance”), then you are using it wrong.
If you say UF fans should “embrace their irreverence”, you are saying UF fans should embrace their lack or respect for things that are usually taken seriously. For instance, someone laughing through a moment of silence is being “irreverent”.
You clearly neither know what the word “irreverent” means, nor how to correctly use it. You are an embarrassment to other UGA fans on this site.
+1
A big embarrassment.
About time more normal Georgia fans called out the several morons that give Georgia a bad reputation. Feel bad for you since these 5 or 6 morons are so loud and obnoxious they drown the few of you that are normal
I do hope TDOW and my other fellow Leghumper loving Gatorbaitor haters are wrong. Nothing against BlueTickU but I for one would surely like to see a (at worst) 7-1 GatorbaitorU team staring across the field at us in Jxvlle Nov 2nd.
Icing on the cake would be Brenton Cox suited up and ready to play just as Dandy Dan Mullet promised he would instead of catching the game and enjoying the much better Florida weed back at the dorm in Gainesville, knowing he could have been the difference maker in a 35 to 14 LeghumperU romp…
Again, I am not denying that you will probably win, but not 35-14.
Probably right. I’ll amend it to 34-15
No way, it will be within 10 for sure
Does anybody notice that the only ones kidding themselves that UT can win are UT fans, UGA fans, and the author of this article who is also covering UT
Actually I only see 1 Leghumper fan picking UT…the rest of us truly believe in the chaotic Mullet and Grantham process and would like to see that 10 year extension deal wrapped up any day now…
So Gatorfan you stated earlier you were exaggerating when you stated we had zero chance. Now you say that we are kidding ourselves to say we have a chance. Which is it or can you just not help yourself and exaggerate everything. I will help you out. I predict Vols win 24-20. Now, since I have posted more than any other UT fan on the subject you are right. You are welcome.
I wouldn’t say the Vols have zero chance. As I’ve already stated, they have about as much chance as I do of winning the lottery this week. The Vols have a MUCH better chance if the team plane manages to take off from Knoxvile with Coach Potatohead locked in an airport bathroom for the entire weekend. UT would be 3-0 right now if it didn’t have pruitt screwing everything up.
Speaking of potato heads which team do you attach yourself to vomit.
I think Gromit is Butch Jones.
Based on his many juvenile posts, I believe Gromit never tells us his school because its actually junior high school. He is angry because Mom is the only female in his life. Other than showing his ignorance posting drivel here , his favorite pastimes are counting his lip hairs and popping pimples.
You people are truly brain dead if you don’t see that Pruitt is what is holding UT back. Coaching has ALWAYS been holding UT back ever since Phil Fulmer left. If you refuse to believe the truth, then you are accepting the reality that Pruitt is trying to sell to the public, which is that his players suck and he needs to bring in better players. I ask you how Georgia State who has never had a ranked recruiting class ever, had better players and was able to beat UT then? BYU has better players than UT??????
Explain how Butch Jones averaged a recruiting class rank of 13 through his seasons at UT which is NOT a lack of talent by any means, and Pruitt has only been able to assemble an average rank of 16 in his 2 classes so far. Doesn’t sound like he’s improving the player talent level to me any bit, but you guys keep gobbling that excuse of his up like it’s a big black *(#(*%.
Throw out your immature jabs if you want, that’s all many of you seem to do, I’m genuinely unhappy that UT sucks this badly and keeps shooting itself in the foot with these failure coaching hires.
I agree with this. We certainly have a chance and have improved each week. GA state was a bad loss but has a good coaching staff you can’t take 1 game and predict an entire season. BYU is a good team and we put up 245 rushing yards and should have won that game made a mistake. JG has to play better and offensive line needs to play like it has last two games. Bituli made a huge difference imagine if Thompson is back.
Florida is the prohibitive favorite for a reason, but the thing to look for is how hard does UT play for four quarters and do they limit their mistakes. Florida is very good at capitalizing off of mistakes (ask UK), so Tennessee needs to make Florida earn their victory. If Tennessee can keep it close into the 4th quarter then there’s no shame in losing.
Nah we aren’t interested in a moral victory……. I hope. I know I’m not.
I didn’t mean it as a moral victory, but more as a barometer for how Tennessee might fare for the rest of the season. If they play a tough game and keep it close, I think it bodes well for Tennessee even if they lose. Just my take on the situation.
Tennessee has kept it close and fought hard on the field in all 3 of it’s games this year. But the players on the field cannot make up for the lack of coaching on the sidelines. It doesn’t matter how much effort they put in and how perfect they run the plays when Potatohead is losing the games for the each and every week.
That’s true. But if they start to appear to give up or lack effort, then not only would that mean that a painful season awaits but that they’ve lost faith and confidence in the coaching staff.
I would say any of the players that Pruitt inherited from Butch Jones have already lost confidence in the guy. Day 1 on the job and he’s telling the public that Tennessee’s problem is the crappy players and he’s done that every day since then. How would that make you feel if you were a sophomore or junior, got a brand new head coach who never recruited you, and he’s telling the public you don’t belong near a football field and that he’s going to bring in 25 recruits who are real football players?
He’s already had so much attrition with kids leaving the program because they were tired of him throwing them under the bus all last year. Now they lack depth as a result and I question the players he’s bringing in. It’s just a matter of time before they get frustrated and start to lose confidence in this guy because he can’t get the team to win.
It also doesn’t help that the fanbase truly hates their own players. Can you imagine being that QB Guarantano and having to read all the hateful and spiteful things the UT fans say about you day in and day out? That must be crazy trying to motivate yourself to play good for a bunch of people who hate you.
Winning the powerball this week would change everything for me as well. I have just as much of a chance of doing that as Tennessee does of beating Florida.
So did Pruitt beat you up in grade school or take your girlfriend or refer you as vomit by accident or what. Oh wait you are corch’s cousin aren’t you. I should have known.
You’re a Vol fan, why are you sticking up for a man, I mean clown, who isn’t fit to even take the orders of the likes of Derek Dooley or Butch Jones at the local McDonalds?
It astounds me that you people still support clown boy, all the while knowing that it’s making your team lose just about every game.
You will NEVER see a bowl game so long as he is your head coach, you do understand that. You could loan him the best players in the NFL for the rest of the year, and he’d still manage to probably get you guys to come in dead last in the SEC East.
I haven’t seen Tennessee play that much.
Florida looked like it was simply going though the motions until Franks got hurt.
The Kentucky press and others have played Florida up and if they are No. 9 in the country, well, this is a bad overall year for football.
You know how good Kentucky football is, or isn’t, as they laid an egg in Knoxville last year. And that was with Passionate Benny toting the ball.
IF the Vols beat the Gators, can you imagine how the rest of the conference is going to react?
Good luck.
Florida was playing the perfect team in which to suffer a quarterback loss and come back with a decent backup.
Kentucky thought the game was over when Franks went down.
They were looking forward to the Georgia game immediately.
We had a good year last year. And with the traditions we have at Lexington that assures us being good again the next year. (now go back and see how accurate that stupid statement is).
If Florida beats Tennessee by 35 do you think they are going to move up in the polls?
If they lose to the Vols, hang on, you might need a parachute to stop the fall.
Florida won’t move up in the polls. As long as they keep winning they won’t drop either which many haters seem to dream about. It takes a very good team to come back and fight it’s way back to a victory the way Florida did against Miami and Kentucky, and many haters don’t understand that. They just think the only thing a top 10 team is ever supposed to do is post up 80-0 scores on everybody and if they aren’t, they don’t belong in the rankings.
Beating up on 1-2 Tennessee won’t improve UF’s season in any way, even if they win 100-0. Beating Towson the following week won’t do anything to improve the record. If you are ranked 25, sure just getting wins can move you up, but not once you’re in the top 10.
Not till UF faces Auburn and then LSU will it have a real chance to prove just how good it is. Till then they remain in the top 10 simply because there aren’t 10 teams out there right now who are better.
Admittedly I enjoy it when the Gators lose. So maybe it is wishful thinking, but I like Vols chances for the reasons above but also because of timing of it. Vols are laying in the weeds knowing no one expects them to win. But Fla QB is a ? For Tenn a win Sat rolls into an off week prior to Ga game. Win Sat and that awful start wont seems so bad when Tenn players go back to their hometowns during off weekend. Lose it and those trips are not gonna be fun. Thats a motivator
While I expect the coaches to be defending against a letdown after an emotional win, it could happen.
But I have a hard time believing a Gator team, under any circumstances, would not be able to be ready against the Vols.
Specially one coached by Mullen and crew
Oh by the way my brotha you more than anyone understand my fascination with stars so I just wanted to share this with you…Thought you would like to hear this update for Saturday LeghumperU visiting list..
At least seven prospects with a 5-star rating
7 4 and 5 star UGA commits for 2020
At least 21 prospects who rate among the Top 10 prospects for their position (247Sports Composite ratings)
At least 18 Top 100 prospects
1 UGA commit for 2021
5-star UGA commit Kendall Milton will also be in town from California
James Williams, a 5-star safety target
And oh, by the way elite TE Theo said he wants to drop in also…
Sorry my amigo, I just don’t see the gap narrowing between Mullet and Kirby but good luck this week with UT in any case…
CO Jones… UGA fans are now bragging about Players visiting. Actual signing isn’t required anymore….
LMAO.
Gotta get them there if you’re gonna have a chance to sign em. Unfortunately for Nick1.0 sending pictures of his rings didn’t suck many of them into a Tuscaloosa visit…