This afternoon, the #16 Florida Gators face off against one of their biggest rivals: the Tennessee Volunteers. While this matchup has lost some of its flair in recent seasons — the Gators have won six straight matchups — this is the first real test of the season for Florida and still figures to be a high-intensity game.
For our full game preview and analysis, see J.C. De La Torre’s work. Here’s a brief snippet:
One of the major advantages in this game could be Florida’s running game. The Gators have been nearly unstoppable on the ground this season. The quadruple threat of Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey, Trey Burton and Mike Gillislee have combined for 497 yards and 7 touchdowns, good for 17th in the nation in rushing.
Demps has a shoulder injury but will play in the Tennessee game.
[…]
For the first time in a long time, the Vols actually have a quarterback who can strike fear into the hearts of the Gator secondary.
Tyler Bray is off to an amazing start this season connecting on 78.5 percent of his passes for 698 yards with seven touchdowns and no picks. He also became the second quarterback in Vol history to throw for 400-plus yards in a game (I’m sure you can guess who was the first).
Matchup: #16 Florida Gators vs. Tennessee Volunteers
Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida
Game Time: 3:30 PM
Coverage: CBS
Staff Prediction: Florida 24, Tennessee 16
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