STARTING POINTS
TENNESSEE, FLORIDA OPEN THEIR CONFERENCE SLATES AT THE SWAMP
KEYS FOR TENNESSEE
Third down stops. The Volunteers have allowed conversions on 44.8 percent of opponents’ third downs this season, a figure inflated a bit by playing Georgia Tech in the opening weekend. But the point remains: Tennessee needs to get its defense off the faster, a task that should prove easier against Florida’s flimsy offense. The Vols have a chance to control the ball quite a bit if things go right against Florida.
Render the Gators onedimensional. Or, as Michigan did, make Florida no-dimensional. The important thing is to either completely eliminate the run and force someone from the Gators’ QB depth chart to do something constructive or to stymie whoever is taking the snaps and leave it to Florida’s rushing attack to do something. The Gators had 11 yards rushing in their opener, so eliminating the ground game is the more appealing option.
KEYS FOR FLORIDA
Find a quarterback. It’s amazing that, in a way, Florida still hasn’t replaced Tim Tebow. Considering he last took a snap for the Gators at the end of the 2009 season, this is a problem. Florida’s offensive ineptitude parallels its quarterback inconsistency, and Feleipe Franks and Malik Zaire both got turns against Michigan to lead a sputtering group. Both will likely play in this one, and Luke Del Rio could see time, too.
No rust and be ready. The Gators unexpectedly had last week off thanks to the unwelcome arrival of Hurricane Irma, which means they’ll be two weeks removed from their forgettable neutral-site opener against Michigan. While Florida hasn’t spent that entire stretch getting prepared for Tennessee, it did have a little extra time to figure out QB Quinten Dormady and the Vols. Perhaps it was put to good use.
PREDICTION
Tennessee 20-14. Will WR Antonio Callaway be back from suspension for Florida’s second game? And how about TB Jordan Scarlett? And will those two (and a few others) make a real difference for a Gators offense that managed nothing in its opener even if they do play? Tennessee is going for backto-back wins over Florida for the first time since 2003-04, and the Vols’ relative stability should be a strength in what looks to be a lowscoring game.