Florida Football: Will Kyle Trask carry momentum into Tennessee matchup?

Tennessee and Florida football remains one of the SEC’s signature rivalries, but will the Volunteers be competitive in this year’s matchup?

This rivalry certainly has certainly seen bigger days. That’s no fault to Florida, though. The Gators are undefeated a quarter into the season, and they’re coming off a victory against Kentucky in Lexington.

Quarterback Feleipe Franks was lost to a dislocated ankle in that game, but backup Kyle Trask was very good in relief. Between Trask or potentially Emory Jones, Dan Mullen’s team still has enough at quarterback to be a very interesting, and formidable, SEC team.

It’s Tennessee that has this game taking a backseat to other SEC matchups like Texas A&M playing Auburn, or Georgia hosting Notre Dame in what feels like it will be an all-time great atmosphere.

Through three games, the Volunteers haven’t shown many positives at all. In week one, they lost to Georgia State, and they followed that up with a week two loss to BYU. In that loss to the Cougars, Tennessee’s defense gave up a 64-yard pass from Zach Wilson to Micah Simon (3:55) , and it had a very similar, deflating effect for the Vols to the 2015 play against Florida in which Will Grier found Antonio Callaway on fourth-and-14.

The Gators and the Volunteers are in far different places, entering Saturday, but if recent history has shown, this game could be far more interesting that many expect it to be. In fact, 2017’s game featured one of the greatest plays in the history of the rivalry. The 2014 and 2015 games both had a 1-point margin. Last year’s game was the first lopsided game since the start of the decade.

Here’s how you can watch:

Date: Saturday, Sept. 21
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Gainesville, Fla.
Venue: Ben-Hill Griffin Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

Kyle Trask played well in relief against Kentucky last week, but it would still be wise for Mullen to limit how much weight is put on his shoulders. For that to happen, this good running game must elevate. As it currently sits, the Gators are averaging 140.3 yards per game, and 4.6 yards per carry. With Lamical Perine is averaging 3.5 yards per carry, Dameon Pierce the same, and Nay’quan Wright is only picking up 1.9, the sum is better than the parts right now. However, if the parts improve, this ground attack could make a huge leap.

As far as the Volunteers go, simply not beating themselves is the place to start. In the two losses especially, Jeremy Pruitt’s team has been undisciplined. Jarrett Guarantano still hasn’t gotten comfortable in the pocket, and he’s made some baffling decisions this year. If the Volunteers hope to go into The Swamp and beat Florida, they absolutely cannot dig their own hole.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of Bovada

Spread: Florida -14
Over/Under: 48.5

Prediction

This game has provided a few classics in the last decade, but unfortunately, the Gators are pulling away. Last year’s game had a final score of 47-21 in favor of Florida, and this season’s matchup will likely have a similar margin.

Sans their starting quarterback, the Gators may not have the offensive output of last year’s game, but with an athletic defense and a home-field advantage, the Vols should see a lower output than last year’s game as well.

This game is still rich in tradition and pageantry, but on the field, this game should cement the turn that has been taken in this series.

Final Score: Florida 35, Tennessee 14