KNOXVILLE, Fla. – It took just one wild and crazy day of college football (more specifically, two results separated by just a few minutes last Saturday) to change the narrative of Saturday night’s showdown between a pair of bitter Southeastern Conference rivals.

Admit it, Gator fans. You’re a little more interested, maybe a little more settled, and (dare we say) maybe a little more hopeful compared to expectations after Florida had little trouble dispatching UCF. Meanwhile, Tennessee fans were (probably still are) beside themselves over the fourth-ranked Volunteers going to Arkansas and being tied at the hands of an opponent that hadn’t beaten a top-five opponent in 17 years.

Or don’t admit it. The external goings-on won’t make a difference anyway, but there’s probably some truth to the fact that the Gators (3-2, 1-1) are feeling a little better about themselves and their direction right now, while the Volunteers (4 -1, 1-1), now that their SEC title and College Football Playoff aspirations have taken a hit, will be much more tense and feeling a lot more pressure when the two meet Saturday night at sold-out Neyland Stadium.

Not to mention Florida’s mastery of this series, which is always a maddening source of irritation in Rocky Top.



(Read senior writer Scott Carters’ extended preview here)


Still, UF was hardly dominant last time. The Gators played perhaps their best half of the season by taking a three-touchdown lead against a Knights squad that came in with the nation’s fourth-ranked offense and second-ranked rushing attack and was limited to just 134 yards through two quarters . However, Florida did not score in the second half, opting to stay ahead and ride its defense to a 24-13 victory. The Knights, who averaged 543.3 yards rushing per game (including 326.0 on the ground), left with just 273 yards and a paltry 108 rushing.


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


But the Razorbacks, with losses to both ranked teams they’ve faced this season, held UT to a season-low in yards (332) and points, handing the Vols a 19-14 defeat without forcing a turnover .

Now come the Gators, who have been on the Vols’ collective minds for two decades, with 17 wins in the previous 19 meetings. But this Tennessee team, at least on paper, enjoys overwhelming advantages on both sides of the ball (the Vols are 15½-point favorites) like they haven’t had in a long time.

UT, with NIL pioneer quarterback Nico Iamaleava (66.7 percent, 1,048 yards, 7 TD, 2 INT) at the helm, boasts the nation’s No. 5 offense (510.0 yards per game), as well as the No. 1 rushing (267.2) and scoring (46.0 points per) offense in the SEC. Tailback Dylan Sampson has 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 tied at 96^e overall nationally (395.0 yards per game), which is second-to-last in the conference.

Offensively, the Gators will stick with their platoon quarterback system, featuring sixth-year prospects Graham Mertz (77.2 percent, 666 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT) starting and freshman DJ Laway (69.1 percent, 667 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT) gets every third series. Senior Montrell Johnson Jr. (288 yards, 4 TD) at tailback and wide Elijah badger (17 receptions, 346 yards, 2 TD) were Florida’s biggest playmakers on that side of the ball.

The numbers, for what they’re worth, are what they are. That was also the case last week.

Wondering what they will look like in a week?

And what will the story be?

Coverage begins at 7 p.m. on ESPN, with the crew of Bob Wischusen doing play-by-play, Louis Riddick on analysis and Kris Budden on the sidelines. The Gators Sports Network broadcast from Learfield will air with pregame coverage starting at 4 p.m., eventually making way for Sean Kelley and Shane Matthews in the booth, while Tate Casey reports from the field. For GSN stations click here.

The game will be re-aired Tuesday at 7:30 PM and Wednesday at 5:00 PM, both on SEC Network.

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