Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Vols discount Gators’ advantage
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee doesn’t believe Florida holds any sort of mental edge whenever these two teams stage their annual matchup.
Recent history suggests otherwise.
No. 19 Florida (3-0, 1-0 SEC) has beaten No. 14 Tennessee (3-0, 0-0) each of the last 11 years. Three times in the last four years, Tennessee was favored in the days leading up to the game but still found a way to lose. Tennessee is favored again in today’s meeting at Neyland Stadium, though the spread has dropped from 10 points to 41/2.
“We’ve got a bunch of confident guys on our team,” Tennessee defensive tackle Kendal Vickers said. “I don’t think there’s any mental edge anywhere.”
Each of the last two seasons, Florida has come from behind in the fourth quarter to beat Tennessee by a single point. The Gators won 10-9 in 2014 and 28-27 last year .
To end the streak, Tennessee must find a way to move the ball against a Florida team that leads the nation in total defense and scoring defense.
Gators cornerback Quincy Wilson boldly predicted a Florida victory by saying that “nobody has ever seen a duck pull a truck. Florida Gators are going to win, simple as that.”
“It’s just something that we have instilled in us here at Florida that we just don’t lose to Tennessee,” Florida running back Jordan Scarlett said.
Tennessee has reason to believe it could end the streak this year.
Florida must turn to backup quarterback Austin Appleby for today’s game after usual starter Luke Del Rio injured his left knee last week in a 32-0 victory over North Texas. Tennessee has its own injury issues with cornerback Cam Sutton and linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. sidelined by ankle injuries.
Tennessee has won nine consecutive games over the last two years. Tennessee Coach Butch Jones believes his team gained strength in coming from behind to beat Appalachian
State and Virginia Tech and by withstanding injuries to defeat Ohio .
“Our team is very confident,” Jones said. “You don’t win nine games in a row by not having confidence. We’ve suffered some adversity. A lot of the adversity, some of it we created for ourselves. But I think that’s healthy because our football team could have quit under some adverse situations, and they’ve never blinked.”
Some things to watch when Tennessee hosts Florida:
Florida pass rush
Florida has 16 sacks to lead all Football Bowl Subdivision teams. Five different Gators have recorded at least two sacks each. Tennessee allowed three sacks against Ohio last week and has struggled to come up with the right combination of five linemen to have on the field.
Containing Dobbs
Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs only threw for 87 yards against Florida last season, but he also rushed for 136 yards and had a 58-yard touchdown catch. “We know how much of a threat he is and how much he can hurt you if you allow him to,” Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis said. “Last year he put a hurting on us pretty bad.”
LSU AT AUBURN Old rivals face off
AUBURN, Ala. — Gus Malzahn and
Auburn are in desperate need of a victory. Les Miles and LSU are well acquainted with that feeling.
The two SEC Western Division rivals meet tonight having both dealt with disappointing losses and considerable angst among fans.
No. 18 LSU (2-1, 1-0 SEC) has rebounded with two victories after an opening upset by then-unranked Wisconsin that renewed criticism of Miles. Auburn (1-2, 0-1) is trying to bounce back from a double whammy of home losses to No. 10 Texas A&M and No. 5 Clemson that Malzahn said “have probably hurt me worse than any of the others.”
A victory over LSU would ease some of that pain, especially after last season’s 45-21 thumping by Miles’ team. Malzahn promised his team will stay together and start winning.
“There will be no friction within this team,” he said. “The big thing for me is that our players are playing their guts out and they are playing hard. We have to coach them better and that starts with me.
“We are close, and when you really look at it, we played two really good teams and had opportunities. We just have to take that next step. We are going to get this thing turned around.”
Things don’t get any easier, with four more ranked teams looming on Auburn’s schedule after this one.
LSU has shown signs of turning things around with the emergence of quarterback Danny Etling, who led LSU to a 23-20 victory over Mississippi State in his starting debut. But LSU was outscored 17-0 in the second half. Now he hits the road for the first time. Etling replaced a struggling Brandon Harris a week earlier against FCS Jacksonville State. “I think Danny is going to be a mature guy,” Miles said. “He’s going to understand what he’s supposed to do.”
GEORGIA AT MISSISSIPPI Smart aware of Kelly
OXFORD, Miss. — Georgia first-year Coach Kirby Smart gets a second crack at trying to slow down Mississippi quarterback Chad Kelly.
He knows from experience it won’t be easy.
“He’s a little bit like a rodeo bull rider,” Smart said. “This guy will do anything and he’s good at it. Trust me, I know from experience. He’s good.”
The 12th-ranked Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 SEC) are the higher-ranked team in this matchup, but they are a 7½-point underdog when they travel to face the 23rd-ranked Rebels (1-2, 0-1) on Saturday. Georgia has won 10 consecutive games in the series dating back to 1996.
Smart was Alabama’s defensive coordinator last season when Kelly torched the Tide for 341 yards passing, 3 passing touchdowns and 1 rushing touchdown in a 43-37 victory for the Rebels.
Now Smart is ready for round two. He said the goal is to keep Kelly off balance.
“You’ve got to be able to pitch,” Smart said. “You’ve got to throw the fastball, you’ve got to throw a curveball. You’ve got to be able to change it up, and you’ve got to throw the slider. You can’t do the same thing all the time.”
The Ole Miss quarterback has respect for Georgia’s defense.
“They’re big and athletic. They play really smart,” Kelly said. “I think that’s a compliment to their head coach and their defensive coordinator. They do a really good job of staying in the right place.”
Kelly has thrown for 953 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, but his 4 interceptions have been costly. One was returned for a touchdown last week in the Rebels’ 48-43 loss to Alabama.
“I have to take it upon myself to keep putting it in my head to take care of the ball,” Kelly said.