Losing streak looms for Vols

Gators have dominated UT

USA TODAY Network — Tennessee

They can’t avoid the streak.

They hear about it from their friends and family. They read about it in stories and on social media. They are asked about it during interviews.

Tennessee has lost 11 straight games to Florida, the longest losing streak in series history, dating to 1916.

The rivals meet again Saturday (2:30 p.m., WREG Channel 3) when the Vols (No. 12 USA TODAY coaches poll, No. 14 Associated Press) open SEC play against the Gators (No. 16, No. 19) at Neyland Stadium.

The Tennessee players are aware of the magnitude. But how much does the losing streak affect them once they take the field?

“It is not as big a part of it as the outside public generally thinks,” said Dr. Jarrod Spencer, a sports psychologist with Mind of the Athlete in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. “In sports like this rivalry with Florida, there is always turnover with players every four or five years and a lot of times the freshmen and sophomores may not have even played or traveled with the team, so the rivalry always feels new for the players on the field. They feel like, ‘We may have lost a bunch in a row, but I am playing so we are winning this year.’ That is the mentality every athlete takes to the game.”

Despite Tennessee’s returning 17 starters this season, coach Butch Jones has frequently mentioned how each season is different and every team develops its own identity.

The strategy will be helpful against Florida, says Mike Voight, a professor at Central Connecticut State and leadership adviser. Voight has worked with