nicksjuzunk
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Date: Saturday, September 25th
Game Time: 7:00 pm ET
Venue: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville FL
Network: ESPN
Tennessee held it's final warm up last week against Tennessee Tech, naming the score and calling it "56-0". Now... we put on big boy pants. With all due respect to Pitt, this will be a better measuring stick to see where the Vols realistically measure up for the rest of the year. They've had three games to grow and we are aware of some glaring weaknesses but for many Vol fans, Florida is the measuring stick for where we would like to be in a few years, so let's see what we've got.
Keys to Victory:
1. It begins on the ground: For years, the team that rushed for more yards won this game. That stat doesn't really hold up anymore, but it likely will this week. Florida had a gaudy 245 rushing yard day against Alabama last week. Incredibly... that drug their rushing average down to 336 yards per game. This does not look good for the Vols. While the Tennessee rushing defense has been stout under Rodney Garner, this will be their biggest test by far this year. Look for Tennessee to load the box and force Florida to pass, hoping the DB's are able to do their jobs. For the Vols, it doesn't look great. The OL did not create great lanes vs. TN Tech and that's a game where you would expect to see some monster runs, which we did not. The last thing we want is to be picking up 3 yards per carry and put it on Hooker's arm.
2. It continues through the air: Hendon Hooker has not been fantastic, but he has been much better than fans have been giving him credit for. Maybe that is competition, but he's held his own. Hooker will absolutely have to hit some deep balls to keep the Florida defense honest and not loading up the line, because they are going to dare us to throw it. Tennessee wants Emory Jones to throw it. He's not the best at it. We could generate some turnovers. You want to see Jones throwing over 25 times in this game.
3. Score early, score often: This could be a shootout if Tennessee gets the passing game going, and they need it to be. I don't think the Vols can win a low scoring game here since that means the defense will be getting absolutely worn thin by the Florida running game. They can't fall behind either. Gator fans have decided to start showing up for games again so it's getting loud down there. We have to keep score early.
4. Keep the drive alive: With the tempo of our offense and the run efficiency of Florida, we could be set up for a nightmare scenario for our defense where they have little time to rest and Florida has methodical 5 minute drives that gas everyone. If things get sideways you could see quarters where TN has the ball for 2:00 and Florida has it for the rest. It will be an early night for fans if that is the case.
Prediction: I hate this match-up. Long story short... I think we don't hit on any of those keys to victory from above. It's as simple as I think Florida is built for this game and we are not. They have shown the ability to counter all of my points from above and we are questionable on some of them. The effort is there but the DL/LB depth is not. Florida runs us to death, dominating the time of possession as we are streaky on offense and we never really threaten.
TN 20
FL 41
Game Time: 7:00 pm ET
Venue: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville FL
Network: ESPN
Tennessee held it's final warm up last week against Tennessee Tech, naming the score and calling it "56-0". Now... we put on big boy pants. With all due respect to Pitt, this will be a better measuring stick to see where the Vols realistically measure up for the rest of the year. They've had three games to grow and we are aware of some glaring weaknesses but for many Vol fans, Florida is the measuring stick for where we would like to be in a few years, so let's see what we've got.
Keys to Victory:
1. It begins on the ground: For years, the team that rushed for more yards won this game. That stat doesn't really hold up anymore, but it likely will this week. Florida had a gaudy 245 rushing yard day against Alabama last week. Incredibly... that drug their rushing average down to 336 yards per game. This does not look good for the Vols. While the Tennessee rushing defense has been stout under Rodney Garner, this will be their biggest test by far this year. Look for Tennessee to load the box and force Florida to pass, hoping the DB's are able to do their jobs. For the Vols, it doesn't look great. The OL did not create great lanes vs. TN Tech and that's a game where you would expect to see some monster runs, which we did not. The last thing we want is to be picking up 3 yards per carry and put it on Hooker's arm.
2. It continues through the air: Hendon Hooker has not been fantastic, but he has been much better than fans have been giving him credit for. Maybe that is competition, but he's held his own. Hooker will absolutely have to hit some deep balls to keep the Florida defense honest and not loading up the line, because they are going to dare us to throw it. Tennessee wants Emory Jones to throw it. He's not the best at it. We could generate some turnovers. You want to see Jones throwing over 25 times in this game.
3. Score early, score often: This could be a shootout if Tennessee gets the passing game going, and they need it to be. I don't think the Vols can win a low scoring game here since that means the defense will be getting absolutely worn thin by the Florida running game. They can't fall behind either. Gator fans have decided to start showing up for games again so it's getting loud down there. We have to keep score early.
4. Keep the drive alive: With the tempo of our offense and the run efficiency of Florida, we could be set up for a nightmare scenario for our defense where they have little time to rest and Florida has methodical 5 minute drives that gas everyone. If things get sideways you could see quarters where TN has the ball for 2:00 and Florida has it for the rest. It will be an early night for fans if that is the case.
Prediction: I hate this match-up. Long story short... I think we don't hit on any of those keys to victory from above. It's as simple as I think Florida is built for this game and we are not. They have shown the ability to counter all of my points from above and we are questionable on some of them. The effort is there but the DL/LB depth is not. Florida runs us to death, dominating the time of possession as we are streaky on offense and we never really threaten.
TN 20
FL 41
