Up next for Tennessee Vols: Florida Gators
No. 23 Tennessee (2-0) will renew its rivalry with No. 25 Florida on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS) in Gainesville, Fla. The Gators (0-1) lost 33-17 to Michigan in their season opener. They were scheduled to host Northern Colorado on Saturday, but that game was canceled because of Hurricane Irma.
Vols coach Butch Jones said shortly after his team’s 42-7 victory over Indiana State on Saturday that there hadn’t been any discussions with the Gators yet about whether the hurricane would affect the upcoming game.
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The Gators are still looking for their first offensive touchdown. Their two touchdowns against Michigan came on interception returns by Duke Dawson and CJ Henderson.
Florida played two quarterbacks against Michigan. Redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks started and was 5-of-9 passing for 75 yards. Notre Dame transfer Malik Zaire entered midway through the third quarter and fared little better. He was 9-of-17 for 106 yards.
The Gators were even worse on the ground, compiling just 11 yards on 27 carries. That included six sacks.
Florida has ranked in the top five of the SEC in total defense in each of the past nine seasons, but the Gators surrendered 433 yards to Michigan.
Nine Gators players, including top wide receiver Antonio Callaway and running back Jordan Scarlett, were suspended for the season opener. The Gainesville Sun reported last week that those nine players remained suspended indefinitely while an investigation continues into alleged credit card fraud.
Florida leads the all-time series with Tennessee 26-20. The Vols snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Gators with a 38-28 victory last season. But UT hasn’t defeated Florida in Gainesville since 2003, a streak of six straight losses in The Swamp.
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Vols ranked No. 23 in latest Amway Coaches, AP polls
Up next for Tennessee Vols: Florida Gators
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