Tennessee Volunteers Have Shot At Redemption In Florida Game

Sep 8, 2012; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Tyler Bray (8) looks to pass the ball against the Georgia State Panthers during the third quarter at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-US PRESSWIRE

Saturday’s match-up with Florida is Tennessee’s shot at redemption, and an opportunity to declare its return to the sport’s upper echelon. College Gameday will be in Knoxville and the eyes of the nation on the orange-and-white with a 2-0, bitter conference rival coming to town. Sour memories of a year ago linger, but can be eradicated.

Tennessee entered Week 3 of the 2011 season 2-0, fresh off a pasting of a Cincinnati team that would go on to win a share of the Big East title. The potent Volunteer offense had generated optimism that maybe, UT football was returning to a level it could compete for the SEC East title.

Then, the Volunteers went to Gainesville. Florida imposed its defensive will on the Vols and built a 30-7 lead that would render UT’s final 16 points moot. The Volunteers would lose Tyler Bray a week later, and the season derailed to a disastrous 5-7 mess.

Week 1’s thorough defeat of NC State set a tone for 2012. Bray was on point in his return from injury, the run game showed vast improvement, and the receiving corps showed no noticeable effects of Da’Rick Rogers’ departure, burning past what was the most dangerous secondary in college football a season ago.

But UT does not want NC State to become 2012’s Cincinnati: a promising start to the season transformed into a sad reminder later of what could have been.

A win this week does more than move UT to 3-0, and it even does more than erase last season’s disappointment: it moves the Vols one rung higher up the ladder on their climb back up.

“This is where you want to be,” Derek Dooley said in his weekly press conference. “[Players] didn’t come to Tennessee to not be on a big game, big stage and game day. That’s why you came here.”

And it is indeed a big game. For the third game of the season, and No. 28 of Dooley’s tenure at UT, it has monumental significance.

“Every game you go, the more you win, the more important they become,” Dooley said. “That’s how it is. The more you lose, the more important they become.”

Establishing confidence that UT is indeed returned is crucial for Dooley this season, with the coach occupying one of the nation’s hotter seats. Furthermore, this isn’t just some opponent. It’s Florida.

UF is coming off a gutty win over Texas A&M. The Gators scrapped from down double digits to claim victory in a hostile environment that will mirror what they can anticipate Saturday in Knoxville. Compensating for the pure vitriol fostering on Rocky Top in College Station was the palpable energy for the Aggies’ SEC debut.

And there will certainly be vitriol lingering in the Tennessee air. Readers of Clay Travis’ Dixieland Delight may remember a passage wherein the author had some…ahem… choice words for then-Gator quarterback Chris Leak while watching the UT-UF broadcast at an Auburn tailgate. Aside from generating a few minutes of laughter from me, this passage captured the hostility of the rivalry – hostility that has only festered with recent developments in the series.

UF’s won each match-up since 2005, building a streak almost symbolic of UT’s recent struggles. The Gators have claimed two national titles in that time – the Vols have suffered through two of the historically worst campaigns over the same span.

One of those losses came in 2009 when Lane Kiffin stuck his hand in the proverbial Gator’s mouth when he said “singing ‘Rocky Top’ all night long after we beat Florida…it will be a blast.” UT kept the score close, but failed to generate much offense. That’s been a constant theme of the Gator win streak, with last year’s 23 points marking the Volunteer high score of the losing streak.

Kiffin didn’t hang around long enough to get his shot at singing Rocky Top after a defeat of UF, but if Dooley is to croon in his place he must conjure up some offense. That begins with Bray.

Matching him up with the Gator defense is intriguing. Bray was fearlessness in his attack of the NC State secondary, namely 2011 NCAA interceptions leader David Amerson. He must be similarly cavalier in his assault of the Gator secondary, especially early. Easier said than done against a unit that has yet to give up 20 points and features premiere talent.

Big plays against the Wolfpack set the tone in Week 1’s first half. If UT has any hope of establishing the ground game, Bray will have to put the Gators back on their heels with a few bombs. Expect to see him test the secondary with a few such shots downfield to Justin Hunter of Cordarrelle Patterson.

UT has vastly improved the quality of its rush offense thus far into 2012, with Marlin Lane and Raijon Neal splitting duty, but that recovery is contingent on feeding from Bray.

“We’re running for about a football field more than we did last year,” Dooley said. “Of course we haven’t gone against this league. This will be a good test for us.”

In more ways than one.