On Saturday, the Florida Gators face off with the Tennessee Volunteers in the marquee matchup of the day for the SEC. Along with the Georgia Bulldogs, these two teams are the front-runners in the SEC East. The winner of this game will put themselves in the drivers seat of the division.
The Vols came into this season as a media darling. Just about everybody who filled out a preseason poll put Tennessee in the Top 10. The media told us that the Vols were ready for their breakout season under Butch Jones. Through three games, the Vols are undefeated at 3-0. The problem? It’s a very ugly 3-0.
The major questions Tennessee has as it enters this Florida game is if it can put a complete game together and if it can beat a good team that won’t give the game to the Vols. Tennessee has fumbled their way to victory in game one, had their opponent hand them the game with turnovers in game two, and in game three, they beat a lesser opponent by less than ten points in an uninspired manner.
All signs say that we haven’t seen the best Tennessee yet this season. The other signs say that this Tennessee team simply isn’t as good as some made them out to be before the season. The offensive line has huge issues, and Joshua Dobbs has not taken the next step as a passer.
When Tennessee plays Florida, it will find a team that isn’t going to turn the ball over and isn’t going to give them free plays. The Vols will have to scrap and fight for everything that they get.
What you will see on Saturday is the stingiest defense in the SEC against one of the least explosive offenses in the SEC. Tennessee has to find a way to make things happen on offense. Dobbs has to find a way to get the ball down the field and it likely has to be by out-coaching the Gators defense.
Tennessee has come so close over the last two years to getting the Florida monkey off it’s back. The last time the Vols left the Florida game with a victory was in 2004. Florida is in Tennessee’s head. Is this the year that the Vols can flip the script and get back to where they believe they should be at the top of the division?
I don’t think it is. Tennessee just has too many questions on offense, and this Gators defense is just too good. Once again, this will be a close game. Florida will be playing with it’s backup QB, so they won’t be explosive on offense. That will give the Vols a chance. The game will be close but it will be Florida that once again emerges from this rivalry with the victory.
