The Florida Gators got a big win against the Tennessee Volunteers last Saturday at Neyland. With that win, the Florida Gators clinched the SEC East division and will play against Alabama in the SEC Championship on December 19th.
The Gators had another lackluster performance with the offense starting off slow and their defense giving up late touchdowns. The offensive line has taken a couple of steps backward and was unable to create any running lanes for Florida’s running backs.
While the offensive line had their worst game of the season, Florida’s defensive line played very well against Tennessee. The Gators defense had a season-high six sacks against one of the top offensive lines in the SEC.
Three Takeaways from Florida-Tennessee Game
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Florida returning to Atlanta to take on Alabama
Before Dan Mullen arrived at Florida, the Gators football program was trending in the wrong direction and needed somebody to lead this program back to dominance. Since Mullen arrived, the Gators have constantly been a top ten team in the country and has won two straight New Year’s Six bowl games.
Mullen transformed one of the worst offenses in the country into a potent offense with their quarterback in the Heisman conversation. This was year three for Mullen at Florida and he needed to take another step forward. He did exactly that Florida knocked off Georgia and have now won the SEC East title.
The Gators have one more game before they take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship game. Back in 2017, many wondered if Dan Mullen would be a good hire for Florida and he has exceeded expectations and the Gators in contention for the College Football Playoffs.
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The offensive line has the worst performance of the season
In the 2019 season, Florida had one of the worst offensive lines in the country. They couldn’t create any running lanes and pretty much turned Florida’s offense into an air raid offense. Florida even had an NFL running back on their team in Lamical Perine but they couldn’t help him in his senior season.
This season, the Gators offensive line has looked better than they did last season and has had a better rushing attack. However, that was simply not the case against Tennessee. Florida’s offensive line was tough to watch and they couldn’t get the ground game and didn’t know what the snap count was. Former Texas transfer Jean Delance has been the Achilles’ Heel in the Gators offense and it really showed in Knoxville.
He couldn’t protect his quarterback from getting sacked twice and Florida had 19 rushing yards. Delance isn’t the only offensive lineman that played poorly but he does sit out. If Delance doesn’t figure it out, he could be a major issue against LSU and Alabama.
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Florida’s front seven dominates Tennessee
The Gators defense as a whole has been a big problem for them this season. While their defensive line and some linebackers have actually been playing well. They had a big game against Tennessee as they six sacks in the game while the Volunteers averaged 2.4 yards per carry.
Ventrell Miller has been a nice surprise for the Gators and had a big game against Tennessee. Miller had 12 tackles including eight solos, a sack, and a tackle for loss. Zachary Carter had for tackles, a sack, and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Even some of the underclassmen have been playing like sophomore Khris Bogle and Princely Umanmielen. Both had sacks in the game and could play a larger role in the Gators defense soon. Defensive tackles Kyree Campbell and Tedarrell Slaton have also done a nice job of slowing down the opponent’s rushing attack. While the secondary has been bad this season, the Gators front seven has been a bright spot.
