Scouting Tennessee: How Vols Stack Up vs. Gators
With a 3-7 record and two SEC wins, the Florida Gators are just holding onto pride at home now that they are out of bowl contention.
No. 20 Tennessee (7-3) comes to The Swamp for this storied rivalry on Saturday, looking to snap a 22-year losing streak in Gainesville. The Volunteers are 3-3 in conference play, losing to Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma.
“This is a great game, and it’s going to be a great stage,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. “One play doesn’t have anything to do with the next and a previous trip down to Gainesville doesn’t have anything to do with it.
“Got to prepare the right way, got to practice the right way, and you’re going to have to go play extremely well in this one.”
Averaging 43 points per game and recording 4,950 yards to become second in the nation in scoring and total offense, quarterback Joey Aguilar leads this Volunteers program. A fifth-year senior, Aguilar is in his first season in the SEC, previously playing at App State after two years at community college.
He recorded a 66% completion rate for 2,941 passing yards this season with over 200 in each game, nearing an average of 300. With 10 interceptions, and four in the last two games, it is an easy comparison to make between Aguilar and Florida quarterback DJ Lagway, who has 13. However, Aguilar has 22 passing touchdowns to Lagway’s 12.
“We have to take care of the football in this game,” Heupel said. “We can’t give them short fields, can’t give them points and not give yourself an opportunity to move to football.”
The Volunteers have three primary receivers. Redshirt junior Chris Brazzell II leads Tennessee with 873 yards, eight touchdowns and 52 catches. Making an impact quickly, redshirt freshman wide receiver Braylon Staley recorded 561 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 57 receptions. Sophomore Mike Matthews follows with 667 yards and four touchdowns.
On the injury report, senior tight end Miles Kitselman is officially out after suffering a leg injury last week against New Mexico State. Kitselman, in his fifth college football season after previously playing at a community college in Kansas and Alabama, leads Tennessee at his position with 250 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 25 receptions.
Tennessee boasts a strong running team, tallying 1,767 yards and 27 touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore running back DeSean Bishop leads on all fronts in his breakout season with 770 yards and 10 touchdowns on 119 carries. Bishop is not on the injury report after hobbling off on the same drive as Kitselman’s injury.
Senior Star Thomas follows with 458 rush yards and six touchdowns.
While the Volunteers offense converts 46% of third downs and puts up 263 total first downs to rank third in the FBS in that category, the defense successfully makes stops, allowing 40% of third-down conversions. However, the Gators should score points on a defense that allows 29 points per game.
Linebackers Edwin Spillman and Arion Carter lead the program with 65 and 63 total tackles, respectively, including 2.5 for loss each. Spillman also has one of the Volunteers’ eight interceptions, a category led by defensive back Ty Redmond.
Redmond is a freshman from Alpharetta, Georgia, who recorded 36 tackles, eight pass breakups and one fumble recovery on top of his two interceptions. Last week, he put up five tackles and one interception for a nine yard return, earning him SEC Co-Freshman of the Week.
“True for every young guy, just continues to get better every single week,” Heupel said. “That’s fundamentals and technique. It’s understanding what we’re doing schematically, more time on task against competition on the other side of the football. He just continues to raise his level of play.”
In tackles for loss, Dominic Bailey, a redshirt senior defensive lineman, leads Tennessee with 7.5, including 5.5 sacks. For a Gators squad who has allowed 16 sacks on its quarterback, the Volunteers defense looks to pressure Lagway into more mistakes in his sophomore season.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. with live coverage on 98.1-FM/AM-850 WRUF.
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Football, Gators Football
