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Florida hoping to extend winning-streak over UT
Much how Florida has exerted its dominance over Kentucky, the Gators have also thoroughly enjoyed the rivalry between themselves and the Tennessee Volunteers.
Florida has beaten Tennessee 10-straight times. The year 2004 was the last time in which the Vols were victorious over their rival to the south. In fact, Tennessee hasn't beaten Florida in "The Swamp" since 2003, when signal-caller Casey Clausen helped to engineer the win.
Needless to say, the Vols are hoping to end the streak at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium this season. It isn't something lost on Florida head coach Jim McElwain, who has a lot of respect for the UT program. As he told Gridiron Now, "[Tennessee] has done a great job of recruiting. [Alvin Kamara] and [Jalen Hurd] are pros. I like the way they play together. They are a good team and deserve all the recognition they've gotten. Butch [Jones] and his staff have done a great job coaching those guys."
As McElwain spoke about, Tennessee has been recruiting at an exceptionally high level under Jones and his staff. Talent (both experienced and green) is littered throughout the UT depth chart. Florida's head coach can also see marked improvement and development within the Tennessee program.
"I looked at last year's game with Oklahoma and this year's game. Last year, they struggled. This year, they were toe-to-toe," said McElwain. "So on paper, they should probably beat the heck out of us."
Is this gamesmanship by McElwain, or a tactic aimed at motivating his own team? Regardless, the contest on Saturday between these two up-and-coming SEC East teams should be fascinating.
