Gators, Vols look regain East perch

GAINESVILLE — The legend of Tim Tebow started with a two-yard run on fourth-and-one that sucked the life out of Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium.

Florida quarterback Chris Leak’s game-winning touchdown pass two plays later silenced the announced crowd of 106,818 on that electric September night.

Little did anyone realize one of the SEC’s fiercest rivalries would never be the same.

The Gators’ 21-20 comeback win in 2006 pitted two national powers with bigname coaches (Urban Meyer and Phil Fulmer), future NFL first-rounders and Pro Bowlers and Tebow making his first appearance on the national stage.

Those monumental matchups between the two schools — once an annual event — are now a distant memory.

While the bad blood still simmers, the Florida-Tennessee series has fallen from its perch and faded from the national spotlight.

“I think it’s watered down, to be honest, because of the current state of the two programs,” said former Vols’ receiver Jayson Swain, a senior team captain during the 2006 game.

The implications have changed, but the stakes remain high during the Gators’ visit to Rocky Top Saturday.

The game pits a pair of 2-1 teams rebuilding under first-year coaches and looking to gain a leg up on a longstanding rival.

The game will match UF’s offensive-minded Dan Mullen and UT’s defensiveminded Jeremy Pruitt for the first time as head coaches. The two crossed paths when Mullen was Mississippi State’s head coach and Pruitt was Alabama’s defensive coordinator.

Each now looks to begin a new chapter in a series dating to 1916 and ultimately steal a page from the past.

“I think the feel within the program, both programs, obviously want to get back where this has something to do with who wins the [SEC] East,” Mullen said. “I think that always adds to the rivalry. I still think everybody still feels it’s a pretty big game.”