Mr2Bits
Gator Fan
The No. 10 Florida Gators start SEC play this weekend with a game against East rival the Tennessee Volunteers. The game is on at 3:30 pm eastern on CBS this Saturday. The Gators are 14 point favorites over the 1-1 Vols. This rivalry isn't quite what it used to be back in the 90s, but the two teams still despise each other and the Gators must win the game. Florida has won 5 in a row over Tennessee.
The Florida Gators have had a lot of distractions this week with the Chris Rainey issue, but hopefully they can put all that behind them and rise up to the challenge of moving the ball without one of their best playmakers. Other than Rainey, a lot of people in the media (myself included) have criticized the Gator offense or their slow start in both of their previous games. The Gators can't afford to start slow against Tennessee. They can't afford turnovers either. The Vols may be down this year, but they had Oregon sweating last week going into half time.
Tennessee also has a great running back in Tauren Poole - the junior has 272 yards and three touchdowns on the season. The Gators need to focus on stopping the run and forcing the Vols to throw the ball. Simms has 332 yards passing with 1 touchdown and 1 interception in the first two games. He's completed 54% of his passes compared to Brantley who has 285 yards with 4 touchdowns and a 62.5% completion rate.
Part of me thinks the Gators are going to blow the Vols up and win like 42-10 ... but then part of me is also concerned about how they will react to all the negative attention. In the past, they could always rely on the leadership of Tim Tebow - now we'll have to see what Brantley can do to rally the troops. Will Deonte Thompson step up and make some plays? Will Hines be able to run in the slot? Can Demps handle a second consecutive game with RB and kick return duties?
What do you think the outcome of the game will be? Post a comment and let us know.
The Florida Gators have had a lot of distractions this week with the Chris Rainey issue, but hopefully they can put all that behind them and rise up to the challenge of moving the ball without one of their best playmakers. Other than Rainey, a lot of people in the media (myself included) have criticized the Gator offense or their slow start in both of their previous games. The Gators can't afford to start slow against Tennessee. They can't afford turnovers either. The Vols may be down this year, but they had Oregon sweating last week going into half time.
Tennessee also has a great running back in Tauren Poole - the junior has 272 yards and three touchdowns on the season. The Gators need to focus on stopping the run and forcing the Vols to throw the ball. Simms has 332 yards passing with 1 touchdown and 1 interception in the first two games. He's completed 54% of his passes compared to Brantley who has 285 yards with 4 touchdowns and a 62.5% completion rate.
Part of me thinks the Gators are going to blow the Vols up and win like 42-10 ... but then part of me is also concerned about how they will react to all the negative attention. In the past, they could always rely on the leadership of Tim Tebow - now we'll have to see what Brantley can do to rally the troops. Will Deonte Thompson step up and make some plays? Will Hines be able to run in the slot? Can Demps handle a second consecutive game with RB and kick return duties?
What do you think the outcome of the game will be? Post a comment and let us know.
