After defeating the UCF Knights 24-13 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Florida football has won back-to-back games for the first time this season.
They look to make it three-straight wins, but it’s a tall task because they have to play on the road in Knoxville, Tennessee against the No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers in a ruckus Neyland Stadium.
Despite Tennessee losing to the Arkansas Razorbacks in their last game, this team should not be taken lightly. They have one of the best scoring defenses in the country and they will be playing with a lot of energy, especially coming off a brutal loss on the road.
Florida head coach Billy Napier met with the media on Monday and here’s what he had to say about the Volunteers.
Napier credits Tennessee’s football team
“Tennessee has a really good football team,” Napier said. “I think all three parts of their team, present challenges. (I) have a ton of respect for how they play, the tempo and offense, but the physicality of the run game paired with the explosive plays, the vertical shots and the perimeter concepts can be very challenging, and I think defensively they continue to get better.”
Respect for the Volunteers
“They play really hard, and I think they’re sound in what they do, and they’ve been very productive,” Napier said. “So going to play in Knoxville against the team that, in my opinion, has a ton of capability and certainly has been impressive so far this year. I know they struggled a little bit last week, but in our league right now, each week is like an NFL game. It’s coming down to the last second. So we’ve got respect for Tennessee.”
Napier talks about the Florida-Tennessee rivalry
“Obviously, this is a rivalry game, one that has a ton of history and tradition,” Napier mentioned. “You know, I grew up watching this game, and certainly have a ton of family dynamics here in terms of having history with this game, so we know the importance, and certainly our players are going to be focused and excited about preparing.”
Napier went on to say, “I do think fundamentals are very, very important in games like this, and I do think you have to be tough minded to go play on the road in this league, and that’ll be part of the prep. And overall, (I’m) excited about the week here and looking forward to getting to work with the players today.”
Napier gives praise to Tennessee’s quarterback
“He’s a unicorn,” Napier said about Tennnessee’s redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava. “But he’s a big, athletic (player). I mean, he’s ripping balls in the outside…15, 20 yards deep. You know, he’s throwing all the vertical shots. He’s got (a) big time arm. He’s accurate. He can escape, extend (plays). He’s just a young player. He’s getting experience and he’ll continue to get better. But (there’s) a lot of hype around him and I think on the tape, you can see why.”
Up next for the Gators
Florida travels on the road to Knoxville to play the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday, Oct. 12. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN.
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