Florida looks to rebound on road with 10th straight win over Tennessee

Published Oct. 3, 2014 6:00 p.m. ET

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Gators return to Neyland Stadium on Saturday in search of their 10th consecutive win over Tennessee.

To get it, the Gators know they must play better than they did two weeks ago in a 42-21 loss at Alabama. The offense struggled. The defense gave up too many big plays. The MVP for the Gators was punter Kyle Christy, who is having a stellar comeback season.

Still, when the punter has the team's best performance that is usually not a good sign.

"We gotta get our guys ready for a noon kickoff in Knoxville," Florida head coach Will Muschamp said this week.

Tennessee lost its SEC opener last week, 35-32, at Georgia. However, the mood on Rocky Top is upbeat with the Gators coming to town. Florida wants to empty Neyland early like it did in 2012 and silence some of the critics back home.

For more on the Florida-Tennessee SEC East showdown, here is The Opening Kickoff:

Every team in the SEC East has already lost at least one game, and Missouri (1-0) is the only team without a conference loss. The Gators started the season expecting to compete for the division crown and that mentality hasn't changed. A road victory over the Vols is a good place to start.

Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel shouldered much of the blame for the team's offensive struggles at Alabama. Driskel will need to play better but so will the entire offense. The offensive execution has been on and off since the season opener and first-year coordinator Kurt Roper tried to clean up some of the issues during the bye week.

Meanwhile, the UF defense has not been playing at its usual high level since Muschamp arrived. Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin has worked on improving the communication in the secondary that has cost the Gators several big plays the past two games.

Second-year Tennessee coach Butch Jones has recharged the Volunteers' fan base and is urging fans to #CheckerNeyland on Saturday. By that he means to wear either orange or white according to where fans are sitting to checker the stands like Tennessee's end zones.

On the flip side, the loss at Alabama ignited a mood of gloom and doom around Gator Nation the past two weeks. Seems early in the season for that to be the case, and that was the message Muschamp and Driskel shared with the media. Regardless of what is happening outside, inside the locker room no one is panicking.

The topical tweet is...

Driskel finished 9 of 28 for 93 yards and two interceptions in the loss at Alabama. In his only trip to Knoxville, he finished 14 of 20 for 219 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 81 yards in Florida's 37-20 win two years ago. No doubt which performance the Gators will take Saturday.

Tennessee quarterback Justin Worley is one of the SEC's most-improved players early in the season. Worley has thrown nine touchdowns and only three interceptions. He threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns in last week's loss at Georgia and looked really good throwing into the middle of the field.

Florida needs improved play from its secondary, especially from a group of safeties that includes Marcus Maye, Jabari Gorman, Keanu Neal and perhaps Duke Dawson and Marcell Harris if there are personnel changes. Vols freshman running back Jalen Hurd gained 119 yards in his first SEC game a week ago and leads all SEC freshmen with 328 yards on the ground. He has the Gators' attention.

Florida defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. will be matched up against a young Tennessee offensive line and could be a difference-maker if he can apply consistent pressure on Worley.

"I think his involvement in the run game will help our football team. He's a very good athlete. That's something we'll continue week-to-week depending on schematically what the other team is giving up." -- Will Muschamp on using Jeff Driskel in run game

"We're going to know where he is on every play, and even on extra point and field goal. I mean, he is a one-man wrecking crew that can rush the passer, can defend the run well." -- Tennessee offensive line coach Don Mahoney on Dante Fowler Jr.

"I like his aggressiveness. We talk to our football team about being assertive in their decision-making process, and I think he's been exceptionally assertive in what he's been able to do." -- Tennessee coach Butch Jones on quarterback Justin Worley

"We realized that you can't be complacent. You have to work for everything and every day you have to come (prepared). It's a business. So you have to approach it that way." -- Gators defensive back Jabari Gorman on secondary jobs on the line

"You can yell at him, pull on him, tug on him, bite at him, it doesn't matter to him. He's just the same dude. He wants to play. He wants to be good. He wants to be the best. He doesn't need a lot of pats on the back." -- Former UF running back Robert Gillespie, now Tennessee's running backs coach, on Jalen Hurd

The Gators and Vols had not played in 14 years when they were matched up in the 1969 Gator Bowl.

Florida responded with a 14-13 win over the SEC-champion Vols. A blocked punt by Steve Tannen led to one of the Gators' touchdowns. The Gators took the lead for good with 8:11 left in the third quarter when quarterback John Reaves hit Carlos Alvarez for a 9-yard touchdown pass.

The Gators want to get more pressure from their four-man rush and the Vols could be the team to do that against. With five new starting offensive linemen, the Vols have surrendered 12 sacks through four games, the most in the conference.

The Gators lead the SEC in turnover margin with a plus-8. Tennessee is tied for seventh with a plus-2 margin.

The Gators will be without starting defensive tackle Leon Orr (knee), freshman receiver C.J. Worton (wrist) and freshman running back Brandon Powell (hamstring). Starting linebacker Michael Taylor (knee) is listed as questionable.

Tennessee will be without receiver Josh Smith for the second consecutive game due to a high-ankle sprain. Receiver Von Pearson (ankle) is listed as questionable and offensive tackle Jacob Gilliam (knee) has returned to practice but his status remains uncertain.

Tennessee receivers coach Zach Azzanni is in his second season with the Vols. Azzanni was Florida's receivers coach in 2010 during Urban Meyer's final season. Sixth-year UF receiver Andre Debose is the only Gator who played for Azzanni.

The Gators lead the all-time series against Tennessee 24-19. The series is tied 11-11 in Knoxville. Florida has not lost at Neyland since 2004. Tennessee is seeking to avoid its sixth consecutive 0-2 start in the SEC. The last time the Vols did not lose their first two conference games was 2008.

The Gators are trying to snap a four-game road losing streak in SEC games and a five-game SEC losing streak away from the Swamp (lost to Georgia in Jacksonville). Florida's last SEC road win was at Kentucky last season.

Tennessee's third-down defense leads the nation and has inspired a social media campaign called #thirddownforwhat. Opponents have converted just 20.8 percent (11 of 53) on third down versus the Vols.

Gators senior receiver Quinton Dunbar extended his streak of consecutive games with a catch to 31 in the loss to Alabama. Dunbar is four games shy of matching Ike Hilliard's school record of 35.

Rapper Lil Jon caused a stir on Twitter this week by tweeting at Tennessee's official football account. Vols fans then painted the singer on a rock on campus. Lil Jon's hit single "Turn Down For What" is the rallying cry for the Tennessee defense's success on third down.

BOTTOM LINE

Some games are more important than others. This one has that feel for the Gators as they try to extend their winning streak over the Vols to a full decade. Florida needs a win for several reasons: to stay in the hunt for the SEC East, to show it has rebounded from a subpar performance at Alabama, and to stem the wave of negativity that swept over the program the last two weeks.

Meanwhile, despite two losses, Tennessee is upbeat after its 35-32 loss at Georgia last week. The Vols are ready to end their nine-game losing streak to the Gators. Gut feeling says this one is going to be close and Gators pull off a much-needed road win to the dismay of a packed Neyland Stadium.

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