When any Southeastern Conference program loses 11 consecutive games to a bitter rival, including three times in this instance to a first-year Gators coach, that’s going to take the angst meter in Knoxville up to DEFCON 1. “I mean we’re going to run the ball, we’re going to set up the play-action pass and get the ball to our guys on the outside”. Tim Tebow, the Gators legendary QB, was in Junior High-school. Playing at home, the Vols have pulled out all the gimmicks in hopes to beat Florida. Tennessee is a 6 1/2-point favourite against Florida even though a favoured Volunteers team lost to the Gators in 2012, ’14 and ’15.
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Both these teams coming in undefeated at 3-0. Along with that, the Vols faithful will “Checker-Neyland”. So far this season, he has carried the ball 65 times for 270 yards and two trips to the end-zone.
“Some guys, the way they handle adversity, and you know, especially when it comes to the football piece, I think his experience of growing up around the game and just seeing how different guys have handled that”. They’ve got to play a lot better. It’s just preparing for them offensively and as an entire football team is challenging of itself.
That has been the case so far in Florida’s wins against UMass, Kentucky and North Texas.
The Gators still not sure if star receiver Antonio Callaway will play Saturday, he’s still nursing a strained quadriceps muscle, so he’s questionable.
“I’ve got a couple big tailgates planned for when we win”.
Wilhoit could have buckled under the pressure, with the Florida game riding on his final kick, but he had been working on his focus all season long.
First, there was Tennessee’s loss to Florida in 2014.
They can discuss the proposed “funeral” for Gators’ quarterback Austin Appleby.
Slowing down Dobbs isn’t just on the line or the defensive front seven.
For the sake of the program’s sanity, Tennessee must end this streak Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium. Yeah, about that, ask Oklahoma’s quarterback Baker Mayfield about that who as recently as August of this year has sited the Vols-faithful for causing a chaotic environment.
On how the quarterbacks are preparing for a hostile environment at Neyland Stadium and whether “Rocky Top” has been played at practices. However, it doesn’t stop there. “You can’t make more of it than what it is”.
Tennessee has its own injury concerns. This one will be an ugly defensive affair; question is, which team’s offense makes the fewest mistakes? “Offensively, it’s the same thing”. They have a big, physical offensive line, they have great playmakers out on the perimeter.
Still, the defense remains confident. That is something he has not allowed to have happen in his tenure as Tennessee’s Offensive Coordinator. Week after week the Vols have came out against sub-par competition, and have under performed. However, it is a huge and glaring weak spot.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, the Volunteers are 6.5-point home favorites versus the Gators while the over/under now sits at 43.5 points.
Florida all-SEC cornerback Jalen Tabor was suspended for last season’s game against Tennessee and has been one of the most vocal (and critical) Gators on the offseason hype that surrounded the Volunteers.
So no matter how much Butch Jones wants to downplay it, this game is a huge deal. It will come down to coaching. “I think they understand that”, Low said.
Currently, Tennessee is a 6.5-point favorite. While the Vols’ performances over its first three games have been far from ideal, Jones believes UT can hang its hat on its relentlessness in the face of adversity.
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None were likely more exasperating to UT fans than the last two years.
