If history is any indication, the University of Tennessee football team may be able to reverse some recent negative trends when it hosts Florida Saturday at Neyland Stadium.
Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. EST and the game will be televised on CBS.
The Tennessee-Florida game is traditionally played in September, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Southeastern Conference to shift to a conference-only schedule in 2020. The game was re-scheduled for Dec. 5.
The Vols (2-5, 2-5 SEC) and Gators (7-1, 7-1) have played five times in December and the Vols have won four of those games.
Most of the tilts were contested in the Sunshine State and two were played under special circumstances.
In 1928, the Vols edged Florida, 13-12, in Knoxville on Dec. 8.
On Dec. 6, 1930, Tennessee notched a 13-6 win in a regular-season contest. The game was played in Jacksonville, Florida.
Tennessee was victorious over Florida, 32-13, on Dec. 3, 1932. The contest was played in Jacksonville.
In 1969, the Gators recorded a 14-13 victory in the Gator Bowl. The game was played in Jacksonville on Dec. 27, 1969.
It was Doug Dickey’s last game as UT’s head coach. He returned to his alma mater to coach the Gators soon after the game.
In 2001, the Sept. 11 tragedy shifted the annual meeting to Dec. 1 and the Big Orange left Ben Hill Griffin Stadium with a 34-32 victory and the SEC East division championship.
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