It will be a chilly Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, Tennessee as the Florida Gators visit the Tennessee Volunteers. Florida has the opportunity to clinch the SEC East division with a win in Knoxville.
Florida currently has a three-game winning streak over Tennessee and has also won the last 14 of the last 15 meetings. The Gators have a 29-20 all-time record against the Volunteers. The last time these two teams met in Knoxville, the Gators blew out the Volunteers 47-21.
If the Gators get the win over the Volunteers, Florida will clinch the SEC East Division for the first time since 2016. The Gators will be looking to play their best game yet with everything that is at stake.
Preview Florida Gators Visit the Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee’s Offense
As the Volunteers host one of their most hated rivals, they welcome the Gators, to Neyland Stadium. Tennessee will be led by head coach Jeremy Pruitt, who’s in his third season as the Volunteers head coach.
The Tennessee offense will also be led by their redshirt-senior quarterback Jarrett Guarantano. The New Jersey native has had a rough season with the Vols. Guarantano has completed 62% of his passes for 1,112 yards for six touchdowns and four interceptions. Guarantano is also tied for first in rushing touchdowns with four.
While their leading rusher this season has been sophomore running back Eric Gray. Gray has rushed for 651 yards on 132 carries and four touchdowns. Additionally, Ty Chandler has also been good for Tennessee this season with 315 yards on 72 carries for two touchdowns.
Senior wide receiver Josh Palmer is the Vols’ top receiver. Palmer leads Tennessee in receiving with 22 receptions for 331 yards and four touchdowns. Gray is the second leading receiver for Tennessee with 22 catches for 199 yards and a touchdown.
Tennessee’s Defense
On defense, the Tennessee Volunteers have been pretty rough this season as they’ve allowed 31.3 points per game and 404.7 yards per game. Sophomore linebacker Henry To’o To’o is one of Tennessee’s lead tackler. He has 45 tackles with seven tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception.
Senior defensive end Deandre Johnson leads the Volunteers in sacks with 4.5. Johnson also has 22 tackles with six tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Tennessee will also be without one of their top defensive players in Kivon Bennett. The redshirt-junior was kicked off the team on Tuesday due to Bennett being arrested.
Florida’s Offense
The Florida Gators have the opportunity to reach one of their goals on Saturday if they can get a win against Tennessee. Florida will count on their redshirt-senior quarterback Kyle Trask to lead them to victory.
The Texas gunslinger has had an incredible season and is in the Heisman conversation. Trask has completed 71.4% of his passes for 2,810 yards with 34 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Junior running back Dameon Pierce is the lead rusher for the Gators. Pierce has rushed for 412 yards on 80 carries and has scored three touchdowns.
Senior wide receiver Kadarius Toney is the lead receiver for the Florida Gators. Toney has been huge for Florida as he has 45 receptions for 541 yards and seven touchdowns. Even though Toney is Florida’s leading receiver, their tight end Kyle Pitts is their top pass catcher.
Kyle Pitts has 29 catches for 513 yards and 11 touchdowns. Another top senior wide receiver for the Gators is Trevon Grimes. The former Ohio State transfer has 24 receptions for 358 yards and six touchdowns.
Florida’s Defense
The Gators’ defense is coming off a pretty solid performance against the Kentucky Wildcats. They held Kentucky to only ten points and forced three interceptions in the game. Redshirt-junior linebacker Ventrell Miller is the lead tackler for the Gators. Miller has 54 tackles with 30 solo tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.
Former Georgia transfer Brenton Cox leads the Gators in sacks four. He also has 31 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and 13 QB hurries. Senior safety Shawn Davis and sophomore cornerback Kaiir Elam are the team’s leaders in interceptions with two.
Five Players to Watch: Tennessee Volunteers
- RB Eric Gray
- LB Henry To’o To’o
- WR Josh Palmer
- DE Deandre Johnson
- QB Jarrett Guarantano
Five Players to Watch: Florida Gators
- QB Kyle Trask
- LB Ventrell Miller
- TE Kyle Pitts
- CB Kaiir Elam
- WR Kadarius Toney
Five Predictions:
- Kyle Trask throws for over 275 yards and three touchdowns.
- Jarrett Guarantano has 250 total yards of offense and at least one touchdown.
- Florida’s defense has at least one interception.
- Henry To’o To’o leads both teams in tackles.
- Florida Gators beats Tennessee Volunteers 38-20.
