GAINESVILLE, Fla.(AP) — No. 22 Tennessee seemingly has its finest likelihood in additional than twenty years to have a good time within the Swamp.
The Volunteers (7-3, 3-3 Southeastern Convention) have misplaced 10 in a row in Gainesville, a skid that started earlier than Tim Tebow arrived on campus. 5 earlier Florida coaches — City Meyer, Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain, Dan Mullen and Billy Napier — by no means misplaced to Tennessee at Florida Subject.
However these Gators are getable. Florida (3-7, 2-5) has dropped three straight below interim coach Billy Gonzales, and the workforce’s shedding streak in all probability could be 5 had Mississippi State not inexplicably thrown an interception in the final minute within the Swamp final month.
Tennessee’s losses, in the meantime, have come in opposition to three potential College Football Playoff individuals: No. 4 Georgia, eighth-ranked Oklahoma and No. 10 Alabama. The Volunteers are 4 1/2-point favorites, based on BetMGM.
Tennessee’s final win in Gainesville got here in 2003, a 24-10 upset led by quarterback Casey Clausen and coach Phillip Fulmer.
“It’s positively one thing we’re discussing and one thing that’s on our thoughts,” Vols heart Sam Pendleton stated. “It’s not essentially one thing that we’re like rah-rahing round.
“But it surely’s one thing that we need to benefit from and form of go down there with one thing on our thoughts — a aim in thoughts for positive.”
It’s not now or by no means for Tennessee. However it’s the final yr of the rivalry in its present iteration. The sequence has been performed yearly since 1990, however received’t be an annual occasion as soon as the league strikes to nine-game schedules in 2026.
The Gators, after all, would like to see their dominance within the sequence proceed. They’re 26-9 in opposition to Tennessee since 1990, together with 15-2 in Gainesville.
“It’s a really huge deal dealing with a rival,” Florida linebacker Aaron Chiles stated. “We’re keen to make it private, it being a rivalry recreation. We’re simply making an attempt to go on the market and get one other win for my seniors and end the season out robust.”
Florida will acknowledge Meyer through the recreation, saluting him earlier than he’s formally inducted into the Nationwide Soccer Basis Faculty Corridor of Fame in Las Vegas on Dec. 9.
Meyer went 65-15 over six years (2005-10) at Florida, profitable nationwide championships in 2006 and 2008. He was 36-5 within the Swamp.
Gonzales plans to have Meyer converse to the workforce earlier than the sport.
The Volunteers have one of many quickest offenses within the nation below coach Josh Heupel. They lead the SEC and rank third nationally in seconds between performs. That form of tempo issues the Gators, who’ve gotten caught staring on the sidelines a number of instances this season.
Florida defensive deal with Caleb Banks will likely be on the sphere for simply the second time in 11 video games this season. The senior injured his left foot in coaching camp and re-injured it throughout his season debut, a Week 3 loss at LSU.
He had surgical procedure and is now hoping to do sufficient in two video games to get an invitation to the Senior Bowl and/or the NFL scouting mix.
Florida has signed a contract with Geico to place the insurance coverage firm’s emblem on the sphere for its remaining two residence video games. The Gators are anticipated to generate roughly $500,000 from every recreation within the deal.
The NCAA started permitting company advertisements on faculty fields in 2024.
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