After defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 14-9 on Saturday and earning their first conference win under Jim McElwain, the Florida Gator football team now turns its attention to host the 2-1 Tennessee Volunteers.
In three games this season, the Vols have allowed 236.7 passing yards and offensive lineman Antonio Riles hopes to have a strong pass protection in order to exploit the Tennessee secondary.
“We want to get a tighter pocket for Will (Grier) to sit back there and make his passes and go through his progressions,” said Riles. “We don’t want him scrambling every play. It’s good (that) he can make plays with his feet – we’re happy about that. But at the same time, we want him to be able to sit there and make his throws.”
Last year, Florida extended its winning streak to 10 games against the Vols when they escaped with a 10-9 victory in Rocky Top. This year the Gators will look to keep the winning streak alive in front of their home fans.
“We preach we don’t lose at home,” said safety Marcus Maye. “The last couple of years we’ve lost a couple of games, let a couple games slip away. We’re back to getting things to how they usually are around here.”
In their last win at Lexington, red shirt freshman quarterback Will Grier played every snap and completed 13 of his 22 attempts for 125 yards and rushed for a touchdown. As of now, head coach Jim McElwain has still not committed to Grier being the starter for Saturday.
The SEC East rivalry game kicks off this Saturday from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at 3:30.
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Riles hopes the offensive line can step up on Saturday
Maye talks about protecting The Swamp