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Tennessee vs Florida: Five Vols to Watch for vs Gators
Oct 4, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view of Neyland Stadium before the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Tennessee vs Florida is back. Here are five Volunteers to watch for against the Gators in the SEC football opener for both teams.
The streak has been riding the Vols in the Tennessee vs Florida rivalry for years. It’s now up to 11 games, and fans on Rocky Top are desperate.
However, after an ugly 3-0 start to the season, the skeptics are louder than ever about the Vols in this game. The sluggish opening to the year was mostly due to certain players not living up to their expectations.
We’ve already mentioned those players in this article.
If the Vols want to get the young season back on track and continue their winning streak while ending their losing streak to the Gators, all of those players have to improve.
Meanwhile, numerous players are going to have to step up for them to win Saturday.
As Butch Jones’s team gets set to begin their brutal four-game SEC stretch, it’s time for all of the hyped up weapons to emerge to the forefront for the Vols.
That’s even more crucial with Cameron Sutton unfortunately out of the game.
Mike DeBord definitely has to step up his play-calling, and Bob Shoop has to step up his preparation as well.
Meanwhile, the Vols will be hoping to break numerous curses with College GameDay coming to town, Checker Neyland happening (which they are 0-2 for), and using the Smokey Gray jerseys to balance it out.
However, amidst all of that, the Tennessee vs Florida game will still come down to players. It will come down to their talents, execution, and psyche in the case of Tennessee.
So here are the five Vols to watch for in the Tennessee vs Florida game.
Sep 17, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; The Tennessee Volunteers celebrate after the game against the Ohio Bobcats at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 28-19. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Baylen Buchanan
Cornerback, Freshman
We originally reserved this spot for Cameron Sutton. But with his injury, the pressure falls on a freshman cornerback now against a backup quarterback.
Baylen Buchanan, the son of former NFL star Ray Buchanan, made headlines in the offseason by being the first player to have his helmet stripe removed. After he was thrust into the game against the Ohio Bobcats, he did an admirable job filling in for Sutton.
Now, his first real test comes. Buchanan will be facing an offensive genius led by a backup quarterback in Austin Appleby who has struggled to play college football his whole career.
But as the likely No. 1 cornerback for the Vols, he certainly has experience beyond his age due to his background.
Now, the coaches are about to throw Buchanan to the wolves.
He’ll probably guard Antonio Callaway, who caught the game-winning touchdown pass on the infamous 4th and 14 play last year in The Swamp.
Callaway already has over 200 yards receiving this year, but he is a bit dinged up going into this game and missed the game against North Texas. That might even the playing field a bit.
So Buchanan has a huge task ahead of him. Will he come through? Will Tennessee vs Florida be his breakout game? It needs to be. Otherwise, the Vols are in trouble.
Sep 1, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Jalen Hurd (1) before the game against the Appalachian State Mountaineers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Jalen Hurd
Running Back, Junior
The Gators have a defense loaded with experienced, and that already showed through the first three games. The strength of their defense is an elite and experienced secondary, led by Jalen Tabor at cornerback.
So in this game, Butch Jones and Mike DeBord need to keep things simple in this year’s Tennessee vs Florida game: Jalen Hurd, Jalen Hurd, and more Jalen Hurd.
Florida is a bit weak at linebacker, and Hurd could wear them down a lot. If Chance Hall gets healthy, the Vols’ offensive line should finally be able to close the gaps. In the running game, that might be easier against Florida than it was in any of the first three games.
So Jones and DeBord should feed Hurd as much as possible. Alvin Kamara will need to be used as a deadly playmaker as well, but Hurd is the guy who needs to set him up.
Last year, Hurd gave the Gators hell down the stretch as the Vols wore them down. Once again, Florida is not as deep as Jim McElwain would like them to be. So if they keep feeding Hurd, he can be similar to Eddie George for the Titans and wear them down in the fourth.
If Hurd doesn’t have 150 yards on 30 carries, Tennessee failed in this game. They need to control the clock with him as much as possible.
Sep 26, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin (21) and defensive back Emmanuel Moseley (12) during the first quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jalen Reeves-Maybin
Linebacker, Senior
He was a stud for most of the Tennessee vs Florida game last year until the fourth quarter, but Jalen Reeves-Maybin needs to finish the job.
Things will be tougher on him this year with Darrin Kirkland Jr. hurt. Colton Jumper played for a bit of the Florida game last year and struggled a lot. With him back in the lineup for this game, Reeves-Maybin has got to step up and be the senior leader we all know him to be.
Florida has had an elite rushing attack so far, averaging over 200 yards a game. They also have shown to have a great passing game, although that’s up for debate with Austin Appleby now in there.
Still, the running game is where Reeves-Maybin has got to step up first. The three-headed monster of Jordan Scarlett, Mark Thompson, and Lamical Perine is incredibly dangerous. McElwain will likely use them even more heavily in this game with Appleby in at quarterback.
But Reeves-Maybin has got to play in coverage at times. And Bob Shoop should use him to rattle Appleby on passing plays.
Simply put, Reeves-Maybin needs to be all over the field and making plays everywhere. He needs to validate why he decided to return to Tennessee. This is the game that determines that.
Peyton Manning failed in that in 1997. Al Wilson succeeded in 1998, as did John Henderson and Travis Stephens in 2001. What will Reeves-Maybin do in 2016?
Sep 17, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) runs the ball against the Ohio Bobcats during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 28 to 19. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Joshua Dobbs
Quarterback, Senior
We now move to another senior leader of the Vols, this time the leader of the offense. Last year, Joshua Dobbs was literally an all-around player in the Tennessee vs Florida game: he caught a 58-yard touchdown pass, threw for 83 yards, and ran for another 136 yards.
Going into this game, he is facing an elite secondary. While Mike DeBord and Butch Jones still need to use Josh Malone when they can, they need to unleash Dobbs as the runner in this game.
That includes tons of read option plays and option passes. It also includes a three-headed backfield monster where he, Jalen Hurd, and Alvin Kamara are all out there and confuse the defense on where they’ll go.
With a class of inexperienced linebackers, this is where the Vols could maybe punch a whole in what is clearly an elite Florida Gators defense.
As the senior quarterback, Dobbs has been decent so far for the Vols, but he needs to step up and show his greatness in this game. This is his chance.
Dobbs needs to be able to make the right passes when he has the chances, which will likely most often be to the tight ends, Ethan Wolf and Jason Croom. However, he and Malone need to validate how dominant they can be.
And he needs to demonstrate just how much of a dual-threat he is. This is why Dobbs came to Tennessee. He needs to come through.
Oct 4, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Jeff Driskel (6) carries the ball as Tennessee Volunteers defensive end Derek Barnett (9) chases during the first quarter at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Derek Barnett
Defensive End, Junior
It’s SEC season, and that means it’s time for Derek Barnett to step up. Barnett got 10 sacks in each of his first two seasons. Of those 20 sacks, 17 were in SEC games. One of the others was in a bowl game, and the other was against the Oklahoma Sooners last year.
So the evidence is clear. Barnett saves his best performances for the big moments. Or, as he showed last Saturday against the Ohio Bobcats, he shows it when the Vols need him most.
Bob Shoop needs him more than ever to anchor this defense in this game. This will likely be a defensive struggle, and Barnett is the most important player on the defense for this game. Therefore, he’s the most important player in the game.
With a new quarterback in Austin Appleby starting, Barnett needs to frustrate him all night. He will be facing an offensive line that has four starters back. Barnett’s main foe will be David Sharpe, an experienced tackle who still has trouble handling elite pass rushers.
Given that Barnett is an elite pass rusher, and Appleby is a backup quarterback, this game is screaming for him to be a playmaker.
The Tennessee vs Florida game will come down to how many drives Barnett kills. Tennessee has to make sure that it does not beat itself the way it nearly did against the Ohio Bobcats and Appalachian State Mountaineers.
But if they do that, then Barnett will need to kill some Gator drives on the other side. After all, they will certainly move the ball many times. If Barnett gets pressure, he frees up what Shoop can do for the whole defense.
This is his game to take over, and it makes him the most important Vol.
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