Gameday: Florida at No. 8 Tennessee (Saturday, 7 p.m.)

KNOXVILLE, Fla. – It only took one wild and crazy day in college football (more specifically, two scores that were just minutes apart last Saturday) to change the narrative of this Saturday night’s showdown between two bitter rivals in the Southeastern Conference.

Admit it, Gator fans. They’re a little more interested, maybe a little more committed, and (it’s fair to say) maybe a little more hopeful relative to expectations after Florida had little trouble dispatching UCF. Meanwhile, Tennessee fans were (and probably still are) livid that the Volunteers went to Arkansas in fourth place and were cornered by an opponent that hadn’t had a top-five finish in 17 years. had defeated more opponents.

Or don’t admit it. Outside events won’t make a difference anyway, but there’s probably some truth to the fact that the Gators (3-2, 1-1) feel a little better about themselves and their direction right now, while the Volunteers (4th). -1, 1-1) after their SEC title and College Football Playoff aspirations suffered a setback, they’ll be a lot more nervous and feeling a lot more pressure when the two meet at sold-out Neyland Stadium on Saturday night.

Not to mention Florida’s championship of this series, which is always an insane source of irritation in “Rocky Top.”



(Read senior writer Scott Carters’ comprehensive “Opening Kickoff” preview here)


Still, UF was hardly dominant last time out. The Gators had arguably their best half of the season when they built a three-touchdown lead against a Knights team that came into the game with the fourth-ranked offense and second-ranked rushing attack in the nation and was limited to just 134 yards in two quarters . However, Florida didn’t score in the second half, instead opting to stay on top and lead its defense to a 24-13 victory. The Knights, who averaged 543.3 yards per game (including 326.0 on the ground), left the game with just 273 yards rushing and a paltry 108 yards.


On college football’s Richter scale, the UT loss was far more shocking than the Gators’ win. Heading into Fayetteville, the Vols had rushed for more than 700 yards in two of their four games and had road wins at North Carolina State and Oklahoma. They averaged 565.75 yards per game, including 256 on the ground, and gave up just 176.0 yards on defense.


But the Razorbacks, coming off losses to both ranked teams this season, held UT to season-low yards (332) and points while handing the Vols a 19-14 loss without forcing a turnover.

Now come the Gators, who have been present in the Vols’ collective consciousness for two decades and have picked up 17 wins in the last 19 meetings. But this Tennessee team, at least on paper, enjoys overwhelming advantages on both sides (the Vols are 15½-point favorites) like it hasn’t in a long time.

UT, with NIL leading quarterback Nico Iamaleava (66.7 percent, 1,048 yards, 7 TD, 2 INT) at the helm, boasts the No. 5 offense in the country (510.0 yards per game) as well as the No 1 among rushing (267.2) and scoring (46.0 points per) offense in the SEC. Tailback Dylan Sampson rushed for 589 yards and 12 touchdowns. Florida will counter with a defense that played its best game of the season against UCF but is still at 96^Th nationally total (395.0 yards per game), which is second to last in the conference.

Offensively, the Gators will stick with their platooning quarterback system with the sixth year Graham Mertz (77.2 percent, 666 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT) Starter and rookie DJ Lagway (69.1 percent, 667 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT) receive every third series. senior Montreal Johnson Jr. (288 yards, 4 TD) at tailback and wideout Elijhah badger (17 receptions, 346 yards, 2 touchdowns) were Florida’s biggest playmakers on that side of the ball.

The numbers are what they are worth as they are. That was also the case last week.

I wonder what they will look like in a week?

And what will the narrative look like?

Coverage begins at 7 p.m. on ESPN, with the crew of Bob Wischusen on play-by-play, Louis Riddick on analysis and Kris Budden on the sideline. The Gators Sports Network broadcast from Learfield will air with pregame coverage beginning at 4 p.m., ultimately leaving Sean Kelley and Shane Matthews in the locker room while Tate Casey reports from the field. For GSN stations click here.

The game will be re-aired Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday at 5 p.m., both on SEC Network.

Finally, follow senior writer Scott Carter (@GatorsScott) for commentary and analysis during the game. FloridaGators.com will feature full post-game coverage late Saturday evening and follow-up content on Sunday.