GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The annual Florida-Tennessee game arrives with a twist this season.
Most project the Vols, a 10.5-point favorite at Neyland Stadium, to actually win. That’s newsworthy, considering Florida’s dominance of this once-fierce rivalry.
The Gators have pummeled Tennessee for the better part of the last two decades. Florida has won 16 of the previous 17 meetings and won by an average of 13.5 points.
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But if you listen to social media or the oddsmakers or all those wound-up callers to Knoxville sports-talk radio stations, the Gators probably should stay home and go fishing or something.
GC brings you our Florida Gators roundtable preview for the Tennessee game on Saturday in Knoxville. Check out the roundtable here https://t.co/cUAN1VWtlX pic.twitter.com/D2yRJwVD9s
— Nick Marcinko (@nick_marcinko) September 22, 2022
How to watch Florida vs Tennessee Football 2022 ‘When does it start, Live streams and schedule’ #floridagators https://t.co/OYjzvL1rqq
— Cheryl Thompson (@favijo1) September 22, 2022
BOB KESLING – September 22, 2022
Ahead of the Tennessee Volunteers hosting the Florida Gators, Phil is joined by the legendary "Voice of the Tennessee Vols" Bob Kesling. Listen as Phil and Bob talk about how Bob gets prepared for such a big game, superstitions & more! #PhilShow https://t.co/H7dEEnTtVW pic.twitter.com/c8F0Kybv8d
— The Phil Show (@PhilShow987) September 22, 2022
They say this is Tennessee’s year, that the Vols are back and ready to finally challenge the big boys of the Southeastern Conference the way they used to. They say quarterback Hendon Hooker will be dancing on Rocky Top late Saturday night, and that second-year UT coach Josh Heupel is an offensive genius. The Vols set a school record for points last season.
Maybe they’re right. Perhaps the Vols will get their first win in the series in six years on Saturday. Maybe Heupel does what Derek Dooley and Butch Jones and Jeremy Pruitt could not: beat the Gators more than once a decade.
Tennessee enters ranked 11th, nine spots ahead of the No. 20 Gators. The Vols are 3-0 and are coming off a 63-3 win over Akron last week. Neyland Stadium is sold out for Saturday’s game, and the crowd will be rocking.
“Everybody inside of our program is extremely excited about this game,” Heupel said Wednesday. “Our fan base is, too. It’ll be a great day here in Knoxville. We’ll have an opportunity to showcase just everything that’s good about UT and this campus and this university with ‘College GameDay’ being here.”
The Vols do have a bit of history on their side. The last time “College GameDay” set up shop on the banks of the Tennessee River in this rivalry, the Vols overcame a 21-3 halftime deficit to win 38-28. It’s their only win in the series of the Twitter era – and was their second (by a few months) of the Facebook era.
The most considerable disparity in the teams on paper is the quarterback matchup. Hooker is a sixth-year senior and one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the country. Hooker is 24 and a grisly veteran compared to third-year sophomore Anthony Richardson, who will be making his first career SEC road start.
In 16 games for the Vols (14 starts), Hooker has thrown 37 touchdowns and three interceptions. Meanwhile, Richardson has not thrown a touchdown pass and tossed four interceptions in Florida’s first three games.
Still, Richardson is a dynamic athlete and, when in top form, can take over a game like in the win over Utah or last season’s loss at LSU.
UF head coach Billy Napier isn’t concerned about Richardson’s ability to handle the sold-out crowd of more than 100,000. He is more interested in his execution and management of the game.
“It’s not like we’re going to Canada and they’re going to change the rules,” Napier said this week. “It’s going to be the same game. It’s going to be a little louder and played at a different location.”
Heupel is 10-6 with the Vols since leaving UCF following the 2020 season. He has pumped life into a program that needed stability.
The Gators beat Tennessee 38-14 a year ago at The Swamp, which proved one of the season’s highlights. They went 3-6 in their final nine games.
On the flip side, Heupel views that loss as a significant moment for his program. The Volunteers went 5-4 in their final nine games and built momentum heading into his second season.
The Vols eagerly await the Gators’ arrival. So do their fans. They say this is the year the Vols get some payback.
“Everyone understands this is a big rivalry game,” Heupel said. “It’s one our players care about, too. A year ago, this game down there in Gainesville was a turning point in the buy-in process of our players.”
Scott Carter / Senior Writer
Scott joined the UAA in 2010, returning to the campus where he earned a journalism degree. Prior to that, he spent the majority of his newspaper career at The Tampa Tribune, where he covered the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida State, USF and horse racing over that span.
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