Tennessee vs. Florida Betting Preview

Two struggling defenses will feature prominently Saturday as the Florida Gators host rival Tennessee

Sept 14th, 2007

By Jason Brough
Bodog Nation Contributing Writers

One of the most heated rivalries in college sports kicks off this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EST.

"I'm very nervous," said Florida Gators football coach Urban Meyer after his team won Saturday's shootout with Troy, 59-31.

The defending national champion Gators (2-0) might have won the game by four touchdowns, but their young defense showed its vulnerability. Troy's offense racked up 336 total yards in the high-scoring affair, 283 through the air.

Early defensive struggles shouldn't be a surprise for Meyer. After hammering Ohio State 41-14 in last year's BCS Championship Game, the Gators were forced to say goodbye to nine of their defensive standouts, including Brandon Siler, Earl Everett, Jarvis Moss, Reggie Nelson, Ryan Smith, Reggie Lewis and Ray McDonald.

"I'm confident in the coaches and in the athletes that we have playing (on defense)," Meyer said, "but it's not all there yet. I'm not confident in the experience level."

This Saturday, No. 5 Florida welcomes No. 22 Tennessee (1-1) to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, aka The Swamp, in a renewal of one of the great rivalries in college football.

Tennessee is 19-17 all-time versus Florida, though the Gators are 15-6 since 1976. Last year in Knoxville, the Gators escaped with a 21-20 victory after falling behind 17-7 in the first half.

Florida has won nine straight games overall and 17 in a row at home, a big reason oddsmakers have the Gators listed as 8-point favorites.

Hurry Up and Play

The Vols hope to avenge last year's loss in front of their orange-clad faithful by taking advantage of the Gators' aforementioned young defense. The no-huddle offense will be their main weapon with offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe trying to keep the inexperienced Florida D confused and on its heels.

Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge has been impressive so far, completing 55 of his 83 passing attempts for 547 yards, five TDs and no interceptions. That's pretty good considering he's been playing with a broken pinky finger on his throwing hand.
According to Ainge, however, the injury is not a huge concern.

"Every once in a while, I'll take a snap funny or hand the ball off funny but it just takes a few minutes for it to calm down," he said. "I've learned how to practice and play with it. I don't see it affecting me."

Expect the Gators' pass rush to pursue Ainge aggressively in an attempt to push him out of the pocket, which, reading between the lines, should make things difficult for the Tennessee QB.

"If my fundamentals are good, then the ball comes out well," Ainge said. "If I just try to rely on athleticism, which I do a lot, sometimes it kind of bites me in the butt."

The Gators should be able to alleviate some of their problems in the secondary if they can force Ainge to throw on the run.

Preparing for the Florida Juggernaut

It should be noted that Tennessee has defensive concerns of its own. The Vols were lit up 45-31 at Cal in Week 1 and surrendered 354 total yards to Southern Mississippi in their next game, a 39-19 victory.

Tennessee didn't even record its first sack of the season until the fourth quarter of its second game. However, coach Phillip Fulmer is happy with the strides his team took after the shellacking at Berkeley.

"The coaches and players did a good job of improving from the first game to the second game, and we hope that momentum will continue against Florida," Fulmer said.

That momentum better continue, especially on defense, if the Vols are to have a shot Saturday. The Gators scored 108 combined points in their first two games, thanks in large part to sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow, who's thrown for six TDs and run for three more.

"I'm really excited about (the game against Tennessee)," Tebow said. "It is my first big start, my first conference game. Having some experience by playing in last year's game gives me some confidence going into it."

Unfortunately for Tebow, he'll have to play without one of his main targets, senior Andre Caldwell, who sprained his MCL against Troy.
"It's a tough loss for us," Tebow said. "He's a great player, a great leader for us and for our receiving corps. Everybody looks up to him. But a great thing about being at the University of Florida is you have guys that can step up and make plays."

The Last Word

It would be a big upset if the Gators dropped their first home game since Oct. 9, 2004, the day LSU shocked The Swamp with a 24-21 triumph.
Coach Fulmer certainly knows the challenge ahead of his Volunteers but isn't willing to concede anything before kick-off.
"We're concerned with the speed and talent they have everywhere," he said. "It will be our 11 and their 11, and we will see how we match up. They spread the ball around on offense, and they are very aggressive defensively. We've been tested in two tough football games, and it should make us a better team."

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