The Florida Gators head north to Knoxville this Saturday to take on the Tennessee Volunteers as a part of college football’s chock-full Week 7 schedule. [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and Co. are looking for their second Southeastern Conference win in three tries, but it will not be easy.
The Orange and Blue are 3-2 overall, having won two straight against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on the road and UCF Knights at home, respectively. While having a winning record early on in the season is nice, the Gators are facing the toughest remaining slate of games among FBS schools.
The Vols have been among the best teams all season so far but were tripped up last weekend at the Arkansas Razorbacks. However was not enough to send them tumbling from the US LBM Coaches Poll top 10, coming in at No. 9.
Ahead of this weekend’s action, the Gators Wire staff convened to give their respective predictions for the Week 7 SEC affair.
Florida’s toughest matchup yet
This will be the Gators’ toughest road matchup of the season thus far as they play under the lights in Neyland Stadium. Florida’s offense will look to exploit Tennessee’s secondary with quick passes and explosive plays.
Freshman quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag], in his first season as a starter, will need to stay composed in a hostile environment and not make any bad mistakes. [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag], a more experienced veteran, has been in these situations before. So I’m expecting Mertz to take care of the football and not force any throws because limiting turnovers is absolutely crucial if you want to win in a game like this.
Tennessee’s defense has been solid this season, particularly in pressuring opposing quarterbacks, so Florida’s offensive line has to give their quarterbacks enough time to operate.
On the other side of the ball, Tennessee’s offense will test Florida’s defensive front. The Gators must limit big plays and force turnovers to stay in the game. If, and it’s a big “if”, the Gators can somehow carry over their defensive play from last week’s game against UCF, this game can be closer than people expect.
But in all honesty, all things are pointing in Tennessee’s direction for this contest. — Aidan Gallardo
Tennessee 34, Florida 24
Is a Vols victory inevitable?
Sure, Tennessee lost to Arkansas last week, but that doesn’t bode well for the Florida Gators. An angry Volunteers team at home is just about the worst thing Florida could run into after putting up its first good defensive performance of the season.
Still, there is some hope for the Orange and Blue. Tennessee boasts the fifth-best rushing attack in the nation through six weeks of play, but Florida managed to silence UCF’s fourth-ranked run game a week ago.
Forcing Nico Iamaleava to throw the ball is a must, and then there’s the matter of quieting down the passing game. Florida’s secondary is getting back to full health and finding its legs behind [autotag]Jason Marshall Jr[/autotag]., who is finally living up to his five-star billing out of high school.
On offense, Florida must find a way to break through an impressive Tennessee defense. The Vols rank second in rushing yards allowed per game with 68, 15th in passing yards per game with 159.6 and sixth in first downs allowed with 67 allowed all year. That means Florida can’t afford any penalties on offense, and even then it will be hard to move down the field at Neyland Stadium.
For the Gators to win, this needs to be a low-scoring game. I think Florida will surprise people and keep it close in the first half, but a two-score margin in favor of Tennessee feels inevitable over four quarters. — David Rosenberg
Tennessee 42, Florida 27
Neyland Stadium is as tough as it gets
This is an extremely talented Vols squad that got tripped up on the road by a pretty decent SEC team in the Hogs and is still highly ranked by both the humans as well as the computer models heading into Week 7. Florida’s win over UCF was solid but was far from convincing to the discerning eye.
The fact that this game will be played in one of the most hostile environments college football has to offer, it is hard seeing the Gators pull this one off. And frankly, it is one that will get away early from Napier and Co. while the home team cruises to victory. — Adam Dubbin
Tennessee 45, Florida 24
Florida at Tennessee game details
Kickoff for the Gators-Volunteers game is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the SEC action will be broadcast on ESPN.
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